One Piece: Strawhat Theater
"Our Mrs. Monkey"
Disclaimer: This is a non-profit fan-based work of prose. One Piece is the property of Toei Animation, Funimation, and Eiichiro Oda. Please support the official release.
Next part of the Dressrosa Arc!
Written with UnknownAnon!
Iron Bridge to Green Bit
"So uh... You're aware it's a probably a trap, right?"
"Yes," Law stated, as he, Cesar Clown, Robin and Usopp ran across the bridge. The fighting fish kept launching attacks, but Usopp's sniping and Robin's Devil Fruit abilities kept them covered.
Usopp shook his head rapidly.
"You heard that, right?! It's almost CERTAINLY a trap?! Why are we running into a TRAP?!"
"To keep up appearances," Robin stated, braining a fighting fish with a set of extra arms she grew on its back, "DoFlamingo is expecting us to fall into his trap. By springing it from the inside, we can take him by surprise."
"Oh yeah, because smart mice run into mouse traps to intentionally set them off!" Usopp wailed. "GAH! GREEN STAR!"
"Relax," Law said, "You two can back me up during the meeting, and cover me if we need to escape."
"What about me?!" Cesar Clown wailed. Law swung him in front of himself, and let a Flying Fish kick him in the face. "GYAH!"
"I'll just use you as a human shield."
"AND YOU CALL ME A MONSTER!"
"YOU LITERALLY EXPERIMENTED ON CHILDREN, YOU BASTARD!" Usopp bellowed.
"EVEN SO!"
"Awww," Bartolomeo moaned at the registration office, "You mean it's too late?"
"Too late, pal," the official sniffed, "You can watch in the stands like everyone else."
Bartolomeo, who had underestimated just how voracious an eater Ace-chan was, checked his remaining money and grinned-Yes! It was just enough!
Ace-chan, who was happy they had stopped for snacks, was gobbling up some leftover cake. She threw her free hand into the air.
"Yay!" Ace cheered, spewing cake crumbs, "We can watch Daddy fight!"
"Hell-Er, I mean, Heck Yeah!" Bartolomeo grinned. "And Gambia, he'll be doing his best!"
The two headed towards the stairs to the audience seating.
"I can't wait to watch Luffy-senpai in action," Bartolomeo gushed, "I bet he's gonna wipe the floor with everyone! Oh! I hope he uses Gear 2! Oh, OH! Or Gear 3! And his Haki! That's sooo cool!"
He paused as Ace-chan went quiet, and looked up at her in concern.
"Ace-chan?"
She was staring intently at an older man, who had scars over both of his eyes. He walked with a wooden cane, and everyone gave him a wide berth as he passed through the crowd, slowly but deliberately. Ace hopped off Bartolomeo's shoulders, and walked up to him. Bartolomeo gasped.
"AH! ACE-CHAN! HANG ON!"
Bartolomeo tried to catch up, but a surge of civilians got in his way.
"HEY!"
The blind man stopped as Ace stepped in front of him. She continued to stare at him in confusion. The old man chuckled.
"Ah... What can I do for you, young lady?" He asked kindly.
"You look sad," Ace said. She rummaged through the many pockets of her denim overalls, and pulled out some candy. She walked up and pushed it into his free hand with a smile.
"Candy makes me happy. Maybe it'll make you happy!"
"Mm. You are a very kind little girl," the old man chuckled, pocketing the candy, "And very astute."
Ace pouted up at him.
"What's that mean?"
"It means you can see into the truth of things," the old man said. He reached out and patted her head, and she giggled. "Why are you here?"
"My daddy's fighting in the tournament!" Ace said cheerfully. "He wants to win my uncle's Devil Fruit or something!"
"I see," the old man nodded, "Well, I wish him good luck. And same to you, young lady."
Ace puffed her cheeks out.
"I'm not a lady!" Ace said defiantly, "I'm a pirate!"
The old man laughed softly, and headed off.
"So you are," he said, "So you are."
Bartolomeo finally broke through the crowds, and ran up to Ace.
"Hey! Acenath, you okay? You're not hurt, are you? That old guy didn't do anything?!"
"Nah," Ace replied, "He was nice. But weird and sad."
"Weird and sad?" Bartolomeo managed. He shook his head. "I guess he might be... Anyway! Let's get to the stands! They're selling snacks!"
Ace-chan lit up.
"SNACKS! YAYYYYYY!" She screamed, the old man all but forgotten.
Dressrosa
Admiral Isshou, called Fujitora, walked easily out of the Coliseum and down the busy streets of DonQuixote's great city. The smells, the sounds, the feelings all washed over the Marine swordsman, and he processed them all with a heavy sense of regret.
That such a beautiful place is ruled by such a monster, Fujitora mentally lamented, truly, just one of many signs of the failures of the World Government.
Purupurupuru... Purupurupuru...
Discretely and slowly, Fujitora turned down an alleyway where he sensed no one around. Only then did he pull out his Den Den Mushi and respond to the call.
"Yes?"
"Sir, we've sighted some activity along the Iron Bridge towards Green Bit," his subordinate reported.
"Very good, maintain vigil," Fujitora ordered, "I will be at the meeting place shortly."
"Aye sir. Also, you have another call from Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp!"
Fujitora raised a single eyebrow at that.
"Put him through."
"Isshou! How are you?"
"In the midst of a covert operation," Fujitora replied dryly.
"I knew that! But this is important... Have you gotten a look at my great-granddaughter?!"
There was silence. Fujitora smirked slightly.
"No."
"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT, YOU OLD SMARTASS!"
Fujitora held in a chuckle. It wouldn't do to encourage him. Then he'd never be rid of him, like Sengoku.
"I met her at the Coliseum," Fujitora replied, "There to cheer on her father. She's a very kind, sweet little girl."
Garp was silent for a moment.
"Ah..."
Fujitora frowned.
"Strangely enough, she sought me out. She said I looked... Sad," Fujitora observed.
"I've been telling you that since we met."
"Yes, but I mean... She singled me out in a crowd. I was drawing some attention to myself, and she may have just never seen a blind man before, but..." He trailed off.
"What?"
"She locked onto me when I adjusted my Observation Haki to scan for her," Fujitora said.
He could imagine Garp's jaw-dropping.
"ARE YOU TELLING ME MY TWO-YEAR-OLD GREAT-GRANDDAUGHTER CAN USE HAKI ALREADY?!"
Fujitora winced.
"Quiet!" He hissed.
"Ah, sorry. Still! How could this have happened?!"
"Did you or did you not use your Haki around your grandchildren when you raised them, Garp?" Fujitora asked. "I have heard that can affect the development of their abilities later in life."
A pause.
"Ah... Maybe? I didn't have as tight of control over it around them back then... Or when I was raising Dragon..."
"Then I suppose you reap what you sow, Garp."
"This is not my fault! I raised my children and grandchildren to be MARINES!"
Fujitora shook his head.
"Good job."
"BAH!"
"I have work to do," Fujitora stated, "I will send my regards to your family."
Another pause. Fujitora shook his head.
"I will ensure no harm comes to your great-granddaughter, Garp. And I will do my best to take your grandson and his wife in alive. You have my word."
"To be honest? That's not what I'm afraid of," Garp deadpanned. Fujitora chuckled.
"I didn't think you would be."
Thousand Sunny
She was being compressed, squeezed. Nami, along with Brook, Chopper, and Momonosuke, were being flattened and shaped by the power of Ciolla's Devil Fruit. The Thousand Sunny was becoming warped, resembling a tiny sailing craft more and more as reality itself was smoothed around them.
"Heeheeheehee! Hohohoho! Yes, yes, I think you'll do nicely in my Abstract Pirates Collection!" The pirate woman cackled. "The dragon boy will be perfect for a bit of cubism!"
"NAMIIII!" Momonosuke screamed. Brook shook his head rapidly.
"W-Wait! Surely you want to complete my portrait with my cane and hat, right? It wouldn't look as good!"
"HA!" Ciolla snorted. "Nice try, but I know your reputation, Soul King Brook! I'll just add them in later!"
"Damnit," Brook grunted.
Nami felt her insides squishing, changing. She felt her mind going...
She felt Momonosuke cling to her, his heartbeat pounding like a frantic little drum.
She heard Chopper and Brooks' cries and struggles.
She saw Ace, just born and smiling at her for the first time.
She saw Luffy beaming at her, bloodied and scarred from his fight with Arlong...
This can't be it... That can't have all been for nothing! Nami thought frantically. There's too much at stake... I can't... No... I have to think! I HAVE TO THINK!
"Ahahaha! These struggles will be wonderful! A commentary on Neo-Post-Modernism...!
Which I could do if not for this STUPID BITCH! Nami raged.
"Oh what a great Artist am I! Sublime! Innovative! Incredible-!"
"Shut up!"
Ciolla paused in her pontificating and glared at Nami.
"Excuse you?! Who are you to tell me that-?!"
"I SAID SHUT UP, YOU TALENTLESS WINDBAG!" Nami snarled. "WE'RE NOT GOING TO LOSE TO SOME ART SCHOOL DROP OUT!"
She felt... Fuller. The world was more colorful, more real. Just for a moment. Ciolla's angry gaping mouth didn't change. Had she not noticed? What was-?
Nami's eyes widened in realization.
Did I do that...? I have to do more! FOCUS!
She clutched onto Mononosuke as tightly as she could. She filled her mind with rage. She focused her eyes right onto Ciolla... Focused everything.
First there was nothing, the world continued to slide into a terrible artist's reproduction. Ciolla, momentarily confused, resumed her laughter and mockery.
"I suppose you should get it out of your system before you go up on the canvas...!"
Black lightning sparked from her eyes. Nami pushed harder. She focused. Every reason she had to escape this, to win, flooded her mind.
Kisses with Luffy. Hugging her daughter. Talking with Usopp about how weak they were. Dinner with the crew. Arguing with Zoro. Laughter with Robin. Sanji's melodrama. Chopper eating cotton candy. Franky cheering. Brook's music. Belle-mere's last smile. Nojiko in the orange orchard. Genzo and his pinwheel. Kine'mon, Momonosuke, and the freedom of Wano. Finished maps of the world. Money.
Her last memory was of Luffy, his eyes locked onto hers, the terrible force of his Haki pushing on her. She had felt terror deep in her soul from that power. Yet despite that she could only see the love in his eyes. How much he believed in her.
And she...
She...
Pushed...
Back.
The Thousand Sunny stretched and expanded, the colors and textures returning. Nami fell to the deck, every cell in her body burning as she desperately held onto the deck. Momonosuke yelped and held onto her.
"Nami! NAMI!"
"What in the-?!" Ciolla cried, holding up her hands to entrap them again-
"Aubade Coup Droit!"
Brook's air strike blasted her off her feet and into Sunny's forward bulkheads. She staggered back up, swinging around with murder in her eyes.
"I'LL KILL YOU ALL-!"
Brook was behind her, sheathing his blade in the blink of an eye.
"Wha-?!"
"Ekakiuta: Hitoyogiri," Brook stated. His blade clicked shut against the scabbard, and Giolla went down in chunks of ice.
"Nami! NAMI!"
She faintly heard Chopper and Momonosuke calling for her, joined shortly by Brook, before everything went dark.
Corrida Colosseum
"I can't see daddy." Acenath whined as she crunched down on a chocolate bar.
"Me neither." Bartolomeo grumbled, stuffing some popcorn into his mouth before taking a large gulp from the drink by his side. The two of them had stocked up on plenty of drinks and snacks from one of the colosseum vendors before taking their seats, so they were fully prepared to enjoy watching the fights. Since they had a lot to carry, by the time they sat down the first round of fights had already begun. "Senpai's probably not in this fighting block. He'll probably come out later, we just gotta be patient!"
"Okay!"
"By the way, can you see everything alright, Ace-chan?"
"Yeah!" Acenath beamed from where she sat on Bartolomeo's shoulders. "I'm taller than everyone up here!"
"That's good! Just let me know if you need to see further and I can just stand up. You'd be even taller then!"
"But won't your feet get tired then, Bart?"
"Don't worry about that! I'll stand as long as I need to in order to make sure you have the best view!"
"Hm… then maybe when daddy's fight begins!"
"Heh, you got it!"
"HEY PUNK, TAKE THE LITTLE GIRL OFF YOUR SHOULDERS!"
"I CAN'T SEE WITH THE BRAT IN THE WAY!"
"STOP BLOCKING THE VIEW, YOU ASS!"
Bartolomeo snarled, turning his head slightly to give the people shouting behind them the stink eye.
"All of you fu-er, I mean, guys can piss off! And watch your language!" The green haired captain shouted back. "We're trying to watch the fights!"
"SO ARE WE!"
"I DIDN'T PAY TO WATCH THE BACK OF YOUR BRAT'S HEAD!"
"SOMEONE CALL SECURITY ON THIS GUY!"
"FORGET IT, I'LL TAKE CARE OF THIS MYSELF!"
Bartolomeo rolled his eyes and curled his fingers when one of the angry spectators leaped over from two seats behind them and threw a punch. A domed barrier popped up around him and Acenath, and the man who had attempted to attack them struck the dome face-first in the middle of his wind up, accidentally braining himself and getting knocked out. Bartolomeo pushed the barrier out slightly and knocked the unconscious man away, ignoring the yelps from behind him when the would-be-assailant's body fell onto some of the other spectators.
"Some people… no consideration whatsoever, am I right?" Bartolomeo bemoaned.
"No consideration!" Acenath recited, reaching up and poking the shield that had popped up around them with fascinated eyes. "Your powers are so cool! It's like a really hard bubble!"
"Aw, thanks, Ace-chan! They're nothing special compared to your dad's Devil Fruit powers, but I'm glad you like them!" Bartolomeo smiled, blushing at the compliment.
When they'd been eating in town, Luffy's daughter had asked him if he had any special powers and he had happily shown off his Barrier Barrier Fruit abilities. The girl had gushed about how cool she thought his powers were, and Bartolomeo had been on cloud nine ever since. Using the Barrier Barrier Fruit's abilities to make sure he and Acenath weren't interrupted when they were eating and also preventing rude punks like those around them from attacking them while they were trying to watch the gladiator fights were the best ways he'd ever used his powers in Bartolomeo's own opinion.
"You're making quite a commotion over here."
"Ah…?" Bartolomeo turned a menacing expression towards the person who had spoken to him. "You wanna try starting something too?"
A short yet curvaceous woman with brown hair wearing a cap and a pink shirt had appeared next to his seat, giving him a friendly smile despite the glare he was shooting at her.
"Not at all. This just seemed like a good place to sit and to take a little break, so don't mind me." The woman smiled, dropping down in the seat next to him even though one of the armrests was blocked off by his barrier. Though to Bartolomeo's irritation, that didn't seem to bother the girl any as she simply leaned her elbow against the barrier as a substitute.
He would have taken down the barrier and made her fall if he wasn't worried some of the other patrons would see it as an opportunity to take another swing at him and Ace-chan.
"You're Bartolomeo of the Barto Club Pirates, right?" The woman asked him as she watched the fight in the arena.
"Who wants to know?" Bartolomeo growled.
"Well, you've gotten quite the reputation as a pirate lately and I always try to keep track of the standouts. Plus I heard from someone somewhere that you were going to participate in the tournament." The woman said, tapping the barrier with her finger. "With your powers I think you could've given a good showing. I'm surprised to find you here as just a spectator."
"Hey, the Barto Club is still participating! I got a man on the inside set up to fight!" Bartolomeo replied hotly.
"That so? Well, I only asked because I was curious. And also a little concerned." The woman went on, the smile dropping from her face as she adopted a more serious expression. "You know who's hosting this tournament, right?"
"You callin' me stupid? Everyone knows who runs this joint so of course I know-"
"And given that the host is trying to lure out the Strawhats, don't you think you're acting a little too carelessly when you've got one sitting on your shoulders?"
Bartolomeo flinched at those words, suddenly much more on guard than he was before. He realized her point given Doflamingo had Luffy-senpai's Devil Fruit as the prize for the tournament which was obviously bait to draw out his idol. Plus Acenath had spoken to him earlier about the Strawhat crew's alliance with Law and the plan to sabotage the Donquixote Pirates' operations in Dressrosa. His expression darkened as the woman continued to stare at him from the corner of her eye. Or rather, she wasn't staring at him but at Acenath who was staring back down at the woman curiously from where she was perched.
"She's got her eye on Ace-chan? Is she an enemy?!" Bartolomeo thought, trying to decide what the best course of action to take here was. Had her words earlier been a hidden threat to Ace-chan?! While he would've liked to attack the woman immediately, he had to act a little more cautiously since he was watching Ace-chan! He'd never be able to face his idol if he let her get hurt!
"I like your hat!"
Acenath's interruption killed the tension that had been building up between the adults, though Bartolomeo was still anxious even when the woman finally turned to face them completely and shot a huge grin up at the child sitting on his shoulders.
"Thank you! You've got a good eye for hats, little lady! Mine was actually a gift!"
"Whoever gave it to you must really like you! It's almost as cool as my daddy's hat!" Acenath grinned.
"It was actually a gift from my husband, so you're not wrong." The woman smiled, looking a little bashful as she tipped her hat at the girl. "I mean, he wasn't my husband when he gave it to me, but we actually got married this year!"
"Wow! You're just like mommy and daddy then!"
"Well, we may be married but we're not parents like your mom and dad. Yet." The woman said, eyes sparkling. "Note that 'yet' is the keyword in that sentence. Seeing how cute you are though we definitely need to try harder ourselves…"
Bartolomeo blanched. "H-Hey, what do you think you're talking about to a kid?!"
"Sorry, sorry!" The woman laughed. "But she is adorable, isn't she?"
"...Well yeah, obviously!" Bartolomeo agreed loudly. "But what you said earlier made me think- ah, Ace-chan?!"
The girl suddenly jumped off his shoulders and in a panic Bartolomeo released the barrier before Acenath could smack into it. The raven haired girl landed on the armrest between Bartolomeo and the woman before tipping and falling into the stranger's lap, which she didn't seem to mind if the way she cooed over the girl was any indication. Bartolomeo was actually a little surprised how taken the girl was with the stranger.
"Er, Ace-chan, do you know this woman?" Bartolomeo asked.
"Nope!" Acenath reported cheerfully, which only confused him further.
"T-Then you shouldn't get so close to her, especially since-"
"It's fine! She's really nice!" Acenath smiled, looking up at the woman while Bartolomeo just stared at them looking baffled.
"What's your name?"
"I'm Koala!"
"I'm Ace!"
"I know!"
"How DO you know?" Bartolomeo questioned, still not quite willing to let the woman off the hook yet. "To pick Ace-chan out of this entire crowd of people is-"
"Well, like I said earlier, it's not like you weren't drawing lots of attention already." Koala pointed out, gesturing to the seats around them which were all vacant except for the one she was currently occupying. The other spectators had seemingly given up trying to get Bartolomeo to be considerate to them and so had gone to find different seats. "You could also say I'm a bit of a Strawhat fan, so when I saw this little one sitting on your shoulders I came to see if she was really who I thought she was. Strange that she's with you and not her parents, and with your reputation-"
"Don't bully Bart! He's super nice!" Acenath pouted, narrowing her eyes at Koala.
"A-Ace-chan!" Bartolomeo cried tears of joy hearing her jump to defend him.
"Is that right? Sorry, I didn't mean to accuse him of anything, I was just worried."
"I-I'd NEVER do anything to hurt Ace-chan, even by accident! And if I did, I would KILL MYSELF!"
"O-Okay. Message received." Koala nodded, leaning back a little at Bartolomeo's impassioned declaration, but also quirking her lips up in an amused smile when Acenath cried for Bartolomeo not to kill himself. "I'm happy to hear how much you care about Ace-chan's safety. Though again, I'm surprised she's with you and not with her parents on one of the other Strawhats. Is there a reason for that?"
Koala's eyebrows went up when suddenly Acenath started wringing her hands together in a nervous gesture.
"Ace-chan?" The woman ventured.
"...I just wanted to see the talking toys." The girl mumbled.
The light went off in Koala's head. Here she'd been expecting some bizarre set of circumstances or a wacky plan the Strawhats had concocted that had resulted in Bartolomeo being the child's babysitter, but instead Acenath's presence in Dressrosa was just a consequence of a kid being a kid and wandering away from her parents to see something that had caught her eye.
Koala had to stifle a laugh at the mundane explanation.
"It's fine, Ace-chan! It's fine!" Bartolomeo assured the girl. "We'll find your dad after the tournament and everything will be okay! We can have fun watching the fights until then! Especially your dad's fight, that'll be AWESOME to watch!"
"Yeah!"
"Ah, I'd be careful leaving the arena. Last I saw, marines were setting up a perimeter around the place." Koala cautioned them.
"...I did notice a few groups of marines mulling around before we came in here. Guess that explains that." Bartolomeo mused before grimacing. "Tch, what a pain."
"With the kinds of characters participating in the tournament, they probably plan to arrest the losers once they come out." Koala went on before the audience suddenly roared and drowned out her voice.
The reason became apparent when the announcer's voice rang out over the cheers.
"AND WE HAVE OUR WINNER FOR THE BLOCK A FREE-FOR-ALL! IT'S A MEMBER OF THE BLACKBEARD PIRATES, JESUS BURGESS!"
"And speaking of characters…" Koala murmured, staring down toward the arena as the helmsman of the Blackbeard Pirates laughed uproariously and raised his hands up in victory.
"Whoa, a member of Blackbeard's crew is competing?" Bartolomeo gasped, leaning forward in his seat. "Ooh, I'll get to see Senpai punch out a Blackbeard?! This just got ten times more awesome!"
"I guess if it's Ace's fruit up for grabs, Blackbeard sending someone to try and nab it makes sense." Koala commented.
"Not gonna happen! Luffy-senpai is gonna win the tournament and get the Flame Flame Fruit!
"Yeah! Daddy's gonna win!"
"Well, here's hoping." Koala said. "Anyway, like I was saying before, you should both be careful. Doflamingo is on the hunt for any of the Strawhats so drawing attention to yourselves might not be the best thing. With Ace-chan by herself she makes for a pretty easy target."
"But I'm not by myself. I have Bart with me!" Acenath pointed out.
"True, true. Still, anyone who's seen your wanted poster might be able to pick you out of the crowd. It's what helped me spot you, plus the commotion Bartolomeo was making."
"They were being rude!" Bartolomeo growled.
Koala laughed. "I'm sure. Just… maybe think about making it less easy to spot you?"
"...Daddy and the others did put on disguises before they left." Acenath noted, remembering the fake beards and mustaches everyone had put on before they'd gotten off the ship. She'd forgotten her fake beard back on the ship. "I don't have a disguise with me."
"Hm… then, here!"
Acenath blinked when Koala dropped her hat on top of her head, stuffing her twintails into the cap and shifting the yellow goggles around the cap to cover up the little girl's eyes.
"I'll let you borrow this. With your hair and eyes hidden it'll be a lot harder for others to recognize you on sight."
"Wow!" Acenath gushed, tugging that cap firmer on top of her head. She only got to wear daddy's hat every once in a while and she'd only managed to nab Uncle Law's hat once when he was sleeping. "We only just met and you're letting me borrow your amazing hat? You're really, REALLY nice, Koala!"
"Ahaha, thank you, thank you. Just make sure to return it later, okay Ace-chan?" Koala smiled, patting her on the head before lifting the girl and dropping her into Bartolomeo's lap. "As much as I'd like to stick around and watch Luffy's fight, I gotta get moving. Just wanted to check in and make sure Ace-chan was doing okay… and also warn you to keep an eye out for Doflamingo's guys. You make sure to keep the girl safe, okay Barty?"
"You don't gotta tell me twice!" Bartolomeo shouted.
"You can't stay and watch with us?" Acenath asked.
"I'd like to but as I said, I've got places to be. It was good meeting you both! Oh, almost forgot." Koala said before pausing and reaching down to her belt. "You should probably have this."
"A transponder snail?" Bartolomeo inquired as Koala dropped the creature into his hand.
"You're not the only one with a man on the inside." Koala said with a wink. "Pick up when you get a call. I might be able to get you a direct line to Ace-chan's father."
"Seriously?!" Bartolomeo gasped.
"Maybe. Best to make sure Luffy knows his daughter is in safe hands as soon as you can. I can try to help with that."
"T-Thank you." Bartolomeo said though he kept his eyes on the snail in his hand.
Would his idol be calling them directly? He wouldn't have to wait until the tournament was finished before speaking to Senpai? At least talking to him over the phone would be easier than trying to talk to him face to face… but he was still nervous about the prospect!
"Anyway, I've really gotta get going. You two stay safe! Bye!" Giving the duo a small wave, Koala took off.
"Bye bye, Koala!" Acenath waved as the woman weaved through the crowd of spectators toward the arena exits. "I hope we see her again."
"Well, she'd have to come back for her hat some time." Bartolomeo pointed out, crossing his arms as he pondered over what had just happened. "That woman sure was an odd one though."
"She was nice too!"
"She was, but still odd. I mean, this is a pretty crowded place and she managed to spot you. Plus the way she talked about you and the Strawhats… you said you didn't know her, so why was she acting like she already knew you and the other strawhats?"
"Maybe she admires daddy like you and that's how she knows us?" Acenath suggested.
"Could be… she DID say she was a fan of the Strawhats." Bartolomeo muttered, eventually grinning as he held up the transponder snail he'd been gifted. "And she DID give us a way to contact your dad!"
"Can we call him now? Since he's not fighting." Acenath asked, peering up at Bartolomeo which caused him to look skyward to avoid her eyes.
"W-Well, implied that someone would be calling us. And we don't know where your dad is in the arena exactly. And if he's supposed to be in disguise right now, if we called him we might out him. Maybe it's best to just wait until we get a call."
Plus he needed the extra time to prepare himself and think about what he should say to Luffy-senpai if he really did call them.
"Okay." Acenath nodded, content to wait as she dug through their pile of snacks and pulled out some taffy. "I hope daddy won't be too angry at me for leaving the ship…"
"I'm sure he'll just be happy to hear your voice and know you're safe!" Bartolomeo said. "Maybe he'll even send one of the other Strawhats over here to pick you up! Ooooh, I wonder who he'd send? It would be so cool if I got to meet Zoro! Or Usopp! Or Robin! Or Sanji! Really, any of them would be great!"
"...Bart?"
"Hm? What is it, Ace-chan?"
"Is that person staring at us?"
Bartolomeo blinked and glanced backwards slightly. Standing near the top edges of the seats, he spotted a rather effeminate looking teenager with blonde hair, horns and a cap staring in their direction. The guy was smiling and looked friendly enough, but feeling Ace-chan grab the ends of his jacket and wrapping herself up inside them and huddling against his chest was enough to tell him she was nervous. Plus even though the kid looked relatively harmless, something about him was giving the Barto Club captain bad vibes.
"...Maybe we should change seats." Bartolomeo muttered, curling his fingers and creating another barrier around himself and Acenath.
"...We can bring snacks too, right?"
"Of course! No reason to leave them behind."
Bartolomeo mentally patted himself on the back when he felt Ace-chan untense. Though if that blonde tried anything funny he'd take the opportunity to make the brat pay for making Ace-chan uncomfortable.
Then he'd put him in the ground.
Now outside the colosseum, Koala weaved through the crowd while also staying out of any patrolling marine's line of sight. Eventually she ducked into an alleyway and pulled out an extra transponder snail.
"Hey, Sabo."
"Koala!" The woman smiled at the sound of her husband's voice through the snail. "You're late with your check in. I was starting to get a little worried!"
"Yeah, sorry about that. I spotted something I had to check out while I was looking around." Koala told him.
"Anything we should be worried about?"
"Maybe… I found out Luffy's daughter is in Dressrosa."
"She is?!"
"Yep, currently being babysat by the captain of the Barto Club pirates."
"Captain of Barto Club…? Wait, isn't that Bartolomeo? She's with him? Why isn't she with the Strawhats?"
"From what I gathered, she apparently just wandered off the ship to see Dressrosa's talking toys and got picked up by Barty when she got lost." Koala explained.
"You talked to them?"
"I felt like I had to. You've heard about all the things Bartolomeo has done since he became a pirate. I was prepared to steal Ace-chan away if I had to." Koala argued. "Though thankfully in spite of his general appearance and attitude, we might have pegged him wrong. He was actually a lot nicer than his reputation implied. Those rumors about him being an avid fan of Luffy's crew were also way more downplayed than they should have been. I heard him gushing over Luffy pretty hard and he's really invested in protecting the girl. I got the impression that he'd set the whole city on fire if it meant keeping Ace-chan safe."
"Well, hopefully it won't come to that. With his Devil Fruit abilities he actually might be the best person to leave Ace with other than her crew." Sabo said. "And uh… well… what was she like?"
Koala gave a soft smile when she heard Sabo voice ask that question.
"Absolutely adorable!" Koala squealed. "Sabo, she's just the cutest little thing ever! If I weren't on a mission, I'd have taken her with me and carried her around all day! She looked even cuter with my hat on!"
"You gave her your hat?"
"To borrow. I figure since Doflamingo's goons are probably searching for the Strawhats that she could use something to hide her more distinctive features. With her eyes and hair covered up, even someone who has her bounty poster will overlook her."
"Heh, smart move. I'm kinda jealous you got to meet my niece before I did."
"Hey, she's my niece too, buster. Besides, you'll be having your big reunion with your brother soon, won't you?"
"Once I finish scoping out the arena, yeah."
"So make do with that and be happy that I got to meet Ace-chan. You'll get your turn later."
"Haha! Fair enough."
"By the by, I gave my spare transponder snail to Bartolomeo. See if you can get Hack to find Luffy in the arena and put him on the phone with his daughter. I don't know if he knows Ace-chan is here yet, but it'd be best to let him know she's in good hands before someone from his crew tells him she's missing and he has a panic attack."
"I'm expecting less of a panic attack and more a rampage that leaves Dressrosa in shambles as he turns it inside out to find his missing daughter."
"Thanks for driving home my point. So make Hack get to it before it's his turn to fight and he misses his chance."
"Will do. You finish searching the city and I'll get prepared over here. When the fireworks start, we're gonna need to move fast."
"You got it." Koala grinned. "Also, remind me to put in a request with Dragon for some time off once we're done here."
"What for?"
"Because after meeting little Acenath my ovaries are EXPLODING right now." Koala told him, her voice coming out in a sultry tone. "Get ready, because after this mission is over we're not gonna leave our room for at least a week!"
Sabo chuckled over the line at that. "I'm not sure if I should be scared or aroused right now. Just try not to kill me when the time comes, okay?"
"If I do, then at least you'll die happy~"
Omake: Buggy Stream
Buggy appears a bit more relaxed as the stream begins. He is leaning back on his couch, the wax fresco still in place behind him.
"Well... I, the gallant and incredible Buggy the Clown, was able to chase off the mighty Garp!" Buggy grinned. "Yes! Truly my brilliant mind was too much for him! So there's no need for the Marines to come and investigate! No reason at all!"
"How convincing, Captain," Galdino said dryly off camera. Buggy shot out his fist to punch him.
"OW!"
Buggy recalled his hand, and fixed it back onto his wrist.
"ANYWAY! Since a certain segment proved so popular, we are doing it again! Yes, it's... 'How Screwed Is This Man?' And our poor subject for this week is... Galdino?"
Galdino came out, sat on the couch, and with great ceremony unfurled the wanted poster of DoFlamingo Donquixote. Buggy nodded eagerly.
"Yes! It's my fellow warlord, DoFlamingo Donquixote! Try saying that five times fast! So, Galdino: How Screwed Is This Man?"
Galdino adjusted his glasses with a shudder.
"Well Captain, he just set up a fighting tournament for the Flame Flame Fruit, the Devil Fruit that belonged to Portgas D. Ace. Portgas D. Ace, in addition to being the son of Gol D. Roger, was also considered the brother of Strawhat Luffy."
"Strawhat Luffy!" Buggy said with a nod, holding up his finger. "Yeah! This just seems like an invitation to get Strawhat into his country! But why? For what purpose?"
Galdino shrugged.
"Maybe DoFlamingo thinks he can take out Strawhat. He does rule his country with an iron fist. He does pull everyone's strings and manipulates them. And he has a slave underclass of toys to do his bidding. Whatever he's doing is not the sort of thing Strawhat approves of."
"That's true, Galdino!" Buggy nodded. "Strawhat takes great offense to people being brutal dictators, enslaving people, brutalizing his friends, imprisoning people... I mean, this kid made friends with a dog whose owner I uh... I accidentally killed in an equally accidental firing of my cannons upon Orange Town! Accidentally!"
"But you said-"
"NEVERMIND WHAT I SAID! THAT WAS PAST ME! HE WAS YOUNG AND FOOLISH!" Buggy shouted.
"It was two years ago-"
"ANYWAY. He made friends with a dog and decided to uh... Wreck my operation. A dog he knew for like, a flashing hour or two. He then befriended the heiress Kaya on the Gecko Islands! YES! That girl! And then wrecked Kuro of a Hundred Plans and his entire crew when they tried to mess with her! He befriended Princess Nefertiti Vivi, and then wrecked Crocodile and his entire operation! You remember that, right Galdino?"
"All too well," Galdino moaned, running his face, "My thirst will never be fully quenched again."
"So!" Buggy held up a finger. "DoFlamingo! Buddy! Friend! My man! Take it from people who know! Strawhat Luffy will have befriended one or several people in your kingdom. The number doesn't matter, nor how long he's known them. He is now going to fight TO THE DEATH to help this person or people! As will his entire crew!"
Buggy grinned and held up a clock.
"it's only a matter of time before everything you knew and owned falls into ruins! The only way out? Accept defeat gracefully. Reform. Do what I did, and become popular enough people want to follow you! Because I guarantee, whatever you did? Strawhat Luffy is going to beat the shit out of you for it! How Screwed Is this Man? The flashing answer? VERY!"
"Betting is open now!" Galdino cried, "Call into 'Buggy Bets' and place your bets on how wrecked DoFlamingo and his kingdom will be! Operators are standing by!"
Another den-den mushi rang, and Buggy picked it up.
"Yes hello? I'm in the middle of a stream, why are you-?"
"Buggy, this is Monkey D. Dragon," a masculine voice growled from the snail, which had gained tribal tattoos on one side of its face. Buggy gaped... But being Buggy, he turned the volume on his snail up higher.
"For real?! WOW! We just got a special guest! How are you doing, Dragon? How's the Revolution-?"
"Put me down for Luffy beats DoFlamingo into a paste five minutes before Dressrosa is completely destroyed. One million berries."
Buggy gaped.
"WHAT?! You-You're just-I'm not sure that's even legal given you are AN ENEMY OF THE STATE AND ALL..."
Buggy motioned to his crew offscreen frantically.
"The money's arriving momentarily," Dragon stated, "I also want to wish my daughter-in-law, Nami, a very happy birthday. Great work with Luffy. And making me a grandpa. Tell little Ace-chan I love her very much."
"I-I mean, that's nice but what do you-?!"
"Finally, to Agent S: The word is given. That's all the time I have for today."
"WAIT NO COME BACK-!"
The snail went back to its neutral face as Dragon hung up. Buggy gaped in disbelief.
"Did... That just happen...?!"
"Uh, Boss, the money just arrived," Galdino alerted him. "Do we accept the bet or-?"
"AHAHAHA! OF-OF COURSE WE DON'T ACCEPT THE BET, GALDINO!" Buggy declared. "AND OF COURSE WE REJECT IT! COMPLETELY! THAT'S WHAT WE SHOULD DO, AS LAW ABIDING WARLORDS OF THE WORLD GOVERNMENT! AND DEFINITELY DON'T MAKE MY BETS THE SAME!"
"Soooo... Do you mean-?"
"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN DAMNIT!"
Buggy spares a glance for the streaming den-den-mushi. His eyes bug out.
"Oh crap, WE'RE STILL LIVE-!"
STREAM ENDED.