Chapter 2: Drums Sound in the Distance

.

The dog days are done,
The horses are coming,
So you better run
Florence and The Machine, 'Dog Days'

Aurora gawks as Luffy grabs the dog by the neck, choking the poor thing until it was blue in the face.

"Let 'im go!" The redhead snatches the dog from Luffy's death grip, holding the animal protectively against her chest. "What is wrong with you? You can't go around choking animals, expectin' it to fix everythin'!"

"But he ate the key! That key was the only way to get me outta here, Rory!"

Aurora balks at the nickname, a sneer pulling the corners of her lips downward, nose curling upward. "Don't call me that name! Don't you ever call me that! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

Luffy rears back, and blinks owlishly. He really didn't understand why she was so angry—Shanks (and the rest of the crew) always referred to her as 'Rory'. He hadn't expected Aurora to be so angry, but now he knows not to call her by that name anytime soon.

Aurora presses her lips tightly together, glancing away momentarily. She couldn't help but feel ashamed. She couldn't remember the last time she had gotten that angry that quick in a long while, but damn it, this kid was calling her a name he had no rights to. It wasn't his to say! Still… Despite her justifications, every thing she could think of to excuse her reaction felt weak in face of the truth. Her grandmother had taught her better than this. Ever since laying eyes on this kid, Aurora hasn't been able to help herself from hating him. Everything from Shanks' hat down to the stupid sandals on his feet continues to get under her skin.

I gotta get a grip. She adjusts the dog in her arms, staring at the boy behind the iron bars, the hate and anger of his audacity still simmering in her stomach. I'm letting the old man's favoritism rile me up, and over a stupid fucking hat.

But it wasn't just a hat, was it?

Roronoa watches her, as well as the ginger haired girl, both taken aback by her harsh outburst. Aurora ignores them and focuses on Luffy.

"Don't call me that name. Ever," she states, tone much softer than the last, but still just as unyielding.

Luffy stares for a long moment before he nods, that annoying smile coming back to his face. Then his brows furrow. "How am I getting out of here now?" He whines, bottom lip poking out.

"I could always cut the key out," came Roronoa's bored voice.

Aurora gives him an evil glare, holding the dog closer. "Over my dead body you will."

The samurai's steel eyes train on her. "That can be arranged."

She raises a brow, a mocking smile twitching her lips upwards. "By who? You?" She snorts, moving the dog under one arm, petting the top of his head. "I'd like to see you try, shitty samurai."

A hateful smirk replaces the amused one at the look Roronoa gives her at the title.

"What are you doing to Chou-Chou?!"

Aurora, along with everyone else, snaps her head in the direction of where the voice sounded, seeing a gray haired man in makeshift armor, spear attached to his back. The redhead puts the dog down gently, and he goes to where he was before.

"I wasn't doing anything, old man," Aurora retorts, arms crossing over her chest.

"Who are you?" Roronoa asks, picking up his head and staring at the newcomer.

"Who am I?" The man parrots, eyes narrowed as he takes in the three teens' condition. "I'm the mayor of this town, that's who!" The mayor's eyes stop on Aurora, recognition finally alighting his gaze, softening it. "I remember you," he says, pointing at her. "You fought Buggy the day he arrived here. You protected my daughter and grandson, thank you."

He bows his head and the redhead looks away, uncomfortable. She tries to hide her awkwardness by locking her hands behind her head, regarding the man under a cool mask. "Yeah, well, tell that grandson of yours to learn some manners."

The mayor seems taken aback by her abrasive response, but chooses to ignore it. Instead, he focuses on Roronoa. "Are you alright there, son? You look a little pale."

"Yeah, I'm—"

"No, he's been stabbed." Roronoa's answer had been interrupted by Aurora. He shoots her a glare, but she didn't pay him any mind. "You have anybody that can take a look at his wound?"

"Stay out of my business, wench!"

"Well, old man?"

Aurora looks at the mayor, expectant, willing him to not pay attention to the swordsman, but to her. To answer her questions, listen to her words. She commanded his eyes to stay on her. Her gaze was strong, stubborn and left him a little fearful, if he were being honest with himself.

He nods. "Follow me, please." He helps Aurora in supporting the swordsman to his feet. He was oddly quiet, despite his earlier disagreements about help, but he did shake the mayor and redhead off, claiming that he could walk just fine without them.

The mayor leads both to his house. "Since Buggy's came, we've had to retreat and hide from him and the rest of his crew. The town hasn't been safe the moment he's stepped foot here. We've all collected at the edge of town." He could feel tears burning the back of his eyes, but he's able to hold them back. He watches as the redhead tries to lift the swordsman shirt to check her handiwork and the swordsman pushing her hands away, ugly sneers on both of their faces.

She turns to the mayor. "You have a doctor?"

"He's at the shelter with the other townspeople. I am more than glad to lead you there."

The swordsman shakes his head. "You got a bed? I just need to rest."

"Are you sure, son? You've lost a lot of blood and—"

"She stitched me up," he says, pointing to the redhead, "and bandaged me. What more can that doctors of yours do that she hasn't and that some sleep couldn't fix?"

He's going to die with a mentality like that. Aurora rolls her eyes, shoving her hands in the pockets of her brown pants. She's tired as well; after weeks of being in that cage and surrounded by Buggy's men, Aurora hadn't let herself drop her guard. Other than a few naps here and there, she kept her eyes and ears open. Sleeping around pirates was tricky business, especially pirates that held her prisoner.

The mayor leads Roronoa off to a spare bed and when he comes back, Aurora is still standing in the same place he left her, eyes closed. "Do you have any food you can spare?" She asks, opening those jarring eyes once more.

The mayor nods and shows her the kitchen, opening the wooden cabinet. He gestures to the cans. "I'm afraid this is all I can offer. We keep the fresh food at the shelter."

She brushes him off, looking through the assortment of canned items. She reminds herself that she's been through worse as she chooses a can of beans, heading for the stove. "Can I cook these?" The older man gives an confirmation and finds her a small pot. As she begins to cook, she gives the man a look over her shoulder. "Never got your name, old man."

"I never got yours either, young'n." Aurora smirks at his reply,

"Aurora. Don't forget it, gramps," she says as she finishes the beans and starts eating them from the pot, sitting down in front of the mayor. She realizes that she's given her name two times today.

"My name is Boodle, miss," he gives in return, quirking a brow at her strangeness.

She almost laughs at the name, but the beans burn her tongue when she shoves them into her mouth. They continue in silence as Aurora eats, neither one motivated to talk about anything, especially about nothing. When she finishes, she cleans Boodle's pot and spoon and sets them in the drying rack beside the sink.

"What of you, Aurora? Do you also need a doctor?"

Aurora ponders for a moment, hand unconsciously going to her own wounded side. Buggy had his doctor clean and stitch her wounds, so physically she was fine. Plus, it has been a week since her initial encounter with the clown, so her wound technically should be healed.

But Aurora was exhausted, her own body and mind yearning for sleep, and yet, she refuses to give in.

Her work was not done.

"Where'd you take Zoro, mister?"

Aurora walks behind the mayor as they travel back to where Luffy and the thief were.

"He's resting," he says, approaching Luffy's cage. "My house is just yonder." He points over his shoulder. "I tried to convince him to visit the doctor at the shelter, but he said he just needs to sleep it off."

The four fall into a silence before the thief decides to break it. "So… the dog's name is Chou-Chou?" At Boodle's hum of confirmation, the girl continues, "Why is he the only one left in town?"

"He's guarding the shop. I just came by to feed him."

Aurora looks at the shop behind the dog, eyes softening at the handmade sign that read "Pet Food". It was a small shop, with a second floor for living quarters. Nothing too special to look at—it was quaint. Simple. Just like any ol' pet supply store.

"Why is he guarding the shop?" Aurora asks, now looking at Chou-Chou as he ate.

"About ten years ago, a good friend of mine owned this store," Boodle begins, though there is a somber tinge in his tone. "He and Chou-Chou opened this little shop. They've got a lot of memories here… and so do I." The old man sits on the stoop and gestures to the marks on the white dog. "See those wounds? He's been fending those pirates from ransacking this store."

"I'm sure this shop means a lot to his owner, but this is just cruel," the thief interjects, brows narrowed. "Is he at the refugee shelter with the others?"

Boodle retrieves a pipe from his pocket, stuffs it with tobacco and lights it. He inhales before replying. "No, he's not. He got sick and passed on." Aurora looks back at the shop in the wake of Boodle's revelation, an uncomfortable weight of grief thickening the air. "He went to the hospital three months ago, but he never came back."

"The poor thing…" the thief sighs. "You mean he's been waiting for his master this whole time?"

"That's what everybody else believes," another huff, "but I don't. Chou-Chou's a smart dog. I think he knows that his master is dead. I think the reason he still stands guard is because this store was his masters. He put everything he had to build this store up—it was his treasure, and it's all that Chou-Chou has left of his beloved master. This store is Chou-Chou's greatest love." Boodle blows out another stream of smoke, a chagrined look coming to his face. "I've tried to get him to come to the shelter, but he won't budge from this spot. You know, he'd rather starve to death than to leave his post."

A sobering stillness settles onto the four and one eating dog. What was the silence for, Aurora wasn't entirely too sure. She just knew that it felt wrong to break the quiet.

All at once, a deafening roar shatters the calm, startling the four.

"What was that?!" The thief screeches, looking in the direction the sound came from.

"It has to be the lion tamer, Mohji!"

Before Aurora could turn her head, the mayor and thief had already made it a mile down the street, obviously leaving Luffy, Chou-Chou and her to their fates. The redhead spares a glance towards Luffy and the dog, before ducking between two buildings opposite of the pet store, sinking into the shadows.

Luffy and the dog stare each other down. "Something's coming, dog. Give me that key!"

Chou-Chou stays resolute.

"Well, what do we have here?" Aurora peeks from her shadows, rolling her eyes towards the heavens when Mohji appeared. She never paid mind to the names of Buggy's crew—why would she? She didn't need to know, it wasn't like she was ever going to join the clown in the first place. But she definitely remembers this freak in his stupid fur-suit, along with his overgrown house cat.

"I'm Mohji the Lion Tamer, first mate of the Buggy Pirates!" Mohji introduces himself, smirking condescendingly from atop of his lion's head. "Looks like your friends abandoned you, straw hat… and after all that effort to get you this far." He urges his lion to approach Luffy. "Captain Buggy is pretty upset, you know. You guys stirr—"

"Hey, what's with the weird costume?"

"What!?" Mohji gawks, insulted. "Costume? This is my hair!"

What! Aurora purses her lips, brows furrowing. His hair? No way!

Luffy is undeterred in his opinion. "That just makes it weirder."

"Shut up! Maybe you think you're safe in that cage, but you don't know who I am and what I can do, brat! There's not an animal alive that I can't control. I can even control that mutt!" Mohji hops down from the lion's head, nearing Chou-Chou, intentions unclear. He outstretches his arm and Chou-Chou immediately latches onto his wrist, digging his teeth into Mohji's skin. Mohji cries out in pain and shakes Chou-Chou off, climbing back atop his tamed lion. "You're just a nobody thief anyway," he continues, as if the previous event didn't take place.

"Don't act like that didn't hurt!" Luffy calls him out, laughing.

"Shut up! You're just a small fry—you're nothing to me! Now, tell me where Roronoa Zoro is." The lion growls, feeding off of his master's energy and trying to intimidate the boy in the straw hat.

Luffy bares his teeth. "No way!"

"Then die!"

Aurora leaps into action as the beast lunges at the cage, ripping it apart with his teeth, freeing Luffy. The redhead pauses. Huh, that was easy enough. She resumes, rushing towards the boy. The lion's front leg shoots out and connects with its target, sending Luffy straight into Aurora. The two teens fly backwards, bodies going through a building and out onto the other side.

Aurora groans when Luffy lands on her. "Get off," she grunts, pushing him off of her.

"Woah! What a punch! He knocked us right through that house and into this street behind it!"

She rolls her eyes at the awe in his voice, picking herself up off the ground and patting the dust and rubble from her clothes and hair. "Don't be impressed by that, idiot," she hisses, grabbing his bicep and pulling him up. He was shorter than her, but only by an inch. She looks at the destroyed house, sighing, "Least he got you out of that cage though."

"Yeah, I can finally show all of these clowns." His smile is all teeth, eyes narrowed.

"Hey!"

The two look in the direction of the voice, watching as the mayor and the thief come running towards them.

"I can't believe you both survived that!" The mayor states incredulously, mouth agape in shock.

"How did you two survive that?! It's impossible!" Screeches the ginger. She points to the demolished building. "And without a scratch?! That's crazy!"

"Crazy's good."

"Nothing's impossible." Aurora flicks a piece of drywall from her shoulder. "You just gotta believe in yourself," she adds in that dry tone of hers, winking when the ginger turns wide brown eyes her way.

"I gotta go get Zoro before that weird costume guy does!" Luffy tells the mayor and thief.

Aurora nudges his arm. "I can take you to him, come on."

"Now wait just a minute!" Boodle snaps, hand reaching out to stop the both of them. "You both need to hide! If that lion sees you, he'll tear you to shreds!"

"Don't be so dramatic, geezer," Aurora scoffs, waving a hand dismissively towards Boodle.

"You have nothing to worry about—we'll be fine!" Luffy reassures him. The brunet follows after the redhead, putting themselves back on the street they once were.

A heat hits the side of her face before she sees the bright flames. Both teens hear Chou-Chou's urgent barks before seeing the dog sitting before the fire. They realize at the same time that the fire was engulfing the pet store, and that Mohji had been the cause of it. Aurora approaches Chou-Chou, red hot anger shooting through her body, numbing all other sensations.

She bends a knee and rests a hand on top of the dog's head. The mayor's words about the pet store echo in her mind.

"He put everything he had to build this store up—it was his treasure, and it's all that Chou-Chou has left of his beloved master. This store is Chou-Chou's greatest love."

Aurora could feel two presences come behind her and she stands to two feet once more. The four watch as the store continues to burn, unable to act. It was too late anyway—the fire was too big, too strong and it gobbled everything too quickly. It isn't long before the pet store is a pile of ash and charred debris, and Chou-Chou's tears stop.

The black smoke billows, like black sails in the wind.

"Pirates," the ginger spits, "they're all the same! They take what's most precious and laugh at our pain!"

The shuffle of sandals come from their right. Aurora moves her head slightly in Luffy's direction, watching as the boy grows closer and closer.

The thief makes a displeased noise in the back of her throat. "Still alive? I was hoping that the lion would eat you!" Mayor Boodle barely had any time to grab her underneath her arms, holding her back. "I oughta kill you right now, before you can get a crew and start pillaging!"

"Simmer down, girl!" The mayor struggles to keep her in control.

Luffy just stares for a long, silent moment before he sticks out his tongue. "You couldn't even if you tried!" The boy ignores the thief's exclamations, his target clear. He sets a crumpled box of dog food in front of Chou-Chou as Luffy sits down beside him. "That's all I could save for you, boy! The rest got eaten or burned. You fought well! I didn't get to see you in action, but I know you did good!"

Chou-Chou grabs the corner of the box with his mouth and limps away, only looking back once to give Luffy a singular, "ruff!". The brunet grins. "Good luck to you, too!"

Aurora approaches the thief and mayor. "What's your name again?" She asks the ginger point blank, knowing that if she didn't ask now, she would never remember to ask later. Besides, writing about her experiences was always easier when she had names to record.

The ginger seems to hesitate, but answers anyway. "Nami." Nami passes by the redhead, proceeding towards Luffy instead.

Aurora doesn't pay any mind to their conversation, losing herself to her own thoughts. She debates whether to leave, but she knew it'd be wrong, despite her nature screaming at her to cut her losses and run. Besides, Luffy could take on Buggy and his crew—it wasn't like he was alone. He had that shifty samurai. Whatever happens, will happen. When did it become her problem? Why should she care? When did she decide to care? What's this town to her? It's not like it's her home; these people aren't her people. Dammit, if she can't even save her own then why the hell was she wasting so much energy sav—

"I can't stand it no more!" Boodle's impassioned cry startles the redhead, disrupting the tangent running through her head. Aurora looks at the mayor in surprise at his outburst. "I can't take their cruelty any longer! Not after the efforts of Chou-Chou and these outsiders! What kind of mayor am I to stand back and watch everything be torn down?!"

He dismisses Nami's concerns over his health. "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do?! Ain't that right, young'ns?!"

"You said it, old man!" Luffy indulges him.

Aurora crosses her arms over her chest and nods. "It's your job, ain't it?"

"You two!" Nami yells, rounding on them. "Don't encourage him! He can get hurt, or worse!"

"I can't let those forty years of hard work be in vain!" The mayor continues, as if Nami wasn't trying to stop him. "It was a wilderness when we got here! At first, it started with just a few homes, but it didn't take long for our numbers to blossom! The more we cleared, the more we built, the more people came to open businesses, and now look at us! We're a thriving port! We old timers built this from nothing—it's our life's work! This town and the people in it are my treasure and I can't sit back and watch it all be taken away! I'm gonna fight!"

At the word fight, an explosion rocketed through the street, destroying all shops and homes in its path. The four were knocked down by the shock, bodies hitting against the cobblestones hard. Aurora stumbles to her feet, eyes wide at the sight of the destroyed row of buildings. She knew only one thing was powerful enough to do that—her fists clench.

"My house!"

Luffy gasps. "Zoro was in there!"

Aurora runs towards the ruins and into the cloud of smoke. "You alive, shitty samurai?"

"Stop calling me that!"

She follows the direction of where his voice came and helps him push a wooden beam off of his midsection. "Lemme see that injury, samurai. I want to make sure it didn't come undone." She doesn't wait and pulls his shirt and haramaki, fingers lightly brushing over the still white bandages. She sighs and leans back on her heels as the man brushes the rubble from his hair.

"What shit luck," she states, standing. She offers him her hand, but he ignores it and stands on his own. The redhead, nonplussed, puts her hands in her pockets.

"That was one hell of an alarm clock," Roronoa mumbles as the two step out of the smoking ruin together.

Luffy laughs at the sight of his first mate. "Zoro! You're alive!"

"That tears it! I won't lose another town to these sea rats!" The mayor chokes out, one hand clutching his chest, the other gripping a spear tight. "These pirates think they can just come in and do whatever the hell they want?! I'm the mayor, dammit! I'm not gonna stand back anymore!" He starts to rush off but Nami grabs his arm, her heels digging into the streets as she tries to stop him.

"Let me go, girl!"

"No, I won't! I'm not going to let you go and get yourself killed! You're being reckless—"

"I know I'm being reckless!" He interrupts, voice breaking, tears shining in those brown eyes. Nami's grip grows slack and Boodle breaks from her easily. "Get ready, Buggy the Clown! Here I come!" He runs off, determination rolling off of him in waves.

Aurora watches, a small smile pulling at the downward corners of her mouth. Fine. You win.

"Looks like things are finally getting interesting around here."

Luffy smiles wide at Roronoa's statement. "Real interesting!"

Nami rounds on the two boys, angry. "This is serious! This isn't some joke! The mayor could be killed and you're here smiling like it's a joke!"

Luffy still smiles. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to him. I like that old man."

"How can you say that? Not even an hour ago you were locked in a cage! Besides, what do you get out of this?"

Aurora can't stop the shiver trailing down her spine at Luffy's unyielding gaze. "We're headed to the Grand Line! We'll steal that map back and then we can go together! Join my crew—be my navigator, Nami! I mean you want that map and the treasure, right?" He offers a hand in alliance.

Nami is silent, lips pressed into a thin line before she smacks his hand. "I won't become a pirate, but we'll join forces for now."

Luffy doesn't seem bothered by her reply, instead turning those ínstense eyes onto Aurora now. She stares back, and she can't help but to think, he's not afraid to look me in my eyes. His grins widens and there's something in his eyes that she can't place. As if something had just taken place and she missed it.

"Alright, let's go kick Buggy's ass!"

Luffy wrenches Boodle's throat free from Buggy's grip, setting the old man down gently. The mayor falls to his knees, weakened by his oxygen supply being cut off for who knows how long.

"You!"

"I'm back! I told you I'd beat your ass!" The young boy stares up at Buggy defiantly.

The clown's hand flies from the boy's grip, snapping back onto Buggy's wrist, like a lincoln log. He sneers down at the group of five as he roars below, "You all must enjoy pain, but this time I won't let you escape me!"

"Have fun fighting," Nami says, eyes jumping from Luffy, Roronoa and Aurora. "I'm just here for the map and treasure."

"You've already made that clear," the redhead sighs, rolling her eyes to the heavens. Roronoa isn't bothered by the least, choosing to only give the ginger an uncaring shrug.

Boodle struggles to get to his feet, voice scratchy as he tries to speak. "You young'ns… this is ain't your fight! I'm the mayor, you're all just outsiders… this is my town and I'll protect it, so get outta my way!"

When the mayor turns towards the Buggy Pirates once more, Luffy thwacks the back of his head hard, his body collapsing to the ground in a heap, out cold.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Nami screeches as soon the mayor hits the street. "Whose side are you on? Why'd you do that?!"

"He was in the way," Luffy answers simply.

"You could have thought of something better to do than to knock him out!"

"If you don't understand, then there's no point in arguing about it," Aurora interrupts, orange eyes now on the ginger, stopping the girl from screaming any more.

"He would have gotten himself killed," Roronoa agrees. "He's safer unconscious."

Luffy faces the tavern's roof, breathing in a large breath. "HEY BIG NOOOOOSE!"

Aurora grins at the gasp and shouts of disbelief that erupted from the circus crew.

"KILL HIM! GIVE 'IM A BUGGY BALL!"

They aim the cannon and light the fuse. The ball rockets from the cannon, towards the straw hat boy. Aurora moves out of the cannonball's way, but Luffy stays planted where he's at. Roronoa is at the boy's shoulder, screaming for him to get out of the way. "That cannonball isn't gonna work on me!" Is the boy's reply before he sucks in a deep breath "Gum-Gum…" his body inflates into a round ball and Aurora's eyes widen at the spectacle. "BALLOON!"

The cannonball hits Luffy in the stomach, but it doesn't explode. Instead, the heavy explosive sinks into his stomach like a head sinking into a pillow before rebounding back to the rooftop of the tavern. Aurora can't help the gloomy thought of her things being lost to the explosion as the cannonball hits its mark, but then she remembers how the explosion occurred.

So, he also has a Devil Fruit. Luffy deflates, body returning back to normal. Aurora walks over to the boy.

"That evens the odds a little bit!"

"Made me worry for nothin'."

The redhead pinches the skin of Luffy's cheek, pulling. His skin felt like normal skin, but it stretches just like a rubber band. She lets go and his cheek snaps back into place. It wasn't the first time being close to a Devil Fruit user, and Aurora was sure it wouldn't be her last, but she couldn't help but be fascinated by the qualities granted to Luffy by a paramecia Devil Fruit.

Luffy doesn't pay any attention to Aurora's musings, seemingly used to pokes, prods, pinches and pulls, but the redhead doesn't touch him again after her initial pinch. Curiosity satisfied, she looks towards where the Seafoam Tavern once stood, lips pursing.

I'm glad I keep my beri in my boot, she sighs to herself. Still, all my journals were in that knapsack. I hope it's okay.

"I knew there was something weird about you! How'd you do that?!"

"There's only one way someone could do something like that," Aurora answers Nami questions, barely sparing a look her way. "He's eaten a Devil Fruit. AIn't that right, rubber boy?"

Luffy laughs. "Yeah, I accidentally ate one when I was younger." A pause. "Shanks had it, actually!"

"He let you eat a Devil Fruit?"

He shakes his head. "No, I kinda stole it."

She raises a red brow. "'Kinda'?"

He didn't answer, as their attention was brought back to the pile of debris as four people and a lion appear from the dust—actually, that's not right.

"They used their own as shields," Nami hisses through her teeth, abhorrence clear in her tone.

When the smoke cleared, Buggy and two of his crew were left standing, holding lesser members out in front of them. They threw the charred bodies of their comrades away.

No honor, Aurora ticks. Disgust claws at the back of her throat at the display. A captain was supposed to protect his crew, not throw them in the line of fire. Aurora was right to refuse Buggy's offer—he wasn't a man worth following.

There was a squabble when the man in the white fur suit pushed himself from the ruin and found that his pet lion had been used as a shield, but it was forgotten as soon as Mohji saw Luffy.

"It's that kid! Watch out, captain, he's got Devil Fruit abilities! He's a rubber man!"

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

Suddenly, Buggy picks his crewmate by the scruff and throws him at the four teenagers. "I tried to!" He yells as he flies through the air.

Luffy lifts a leg. "Outta my way, fuzzy!" He kicks Mohji in the face, sending the man to the side.

Aurora unsheathes her karambits as the other two men from Buggy's side flash forward; one on a unicycle and one rolling on a ball. Roronoa catches unicycle's sword with his own and Aurora kicks the balancing ball from under the other's feet, sending him overhead. She follows him, knowing that the acrobat would be taken care of by Zoro and Buggy by Luffy.

This one was hers to deal with.