Legal Stuff: All original characters, plot, and settings belong to Eiichiro Oda. I did not receive any revenue for writing this story. Enjoy Chapter 19!

The sea train flew, the wailing passengers drowned out the exclamations of the Marines below. Zoro recognized every voice coming from inside of the train. Only the siren was silent. He looked back at her. Magina clung to a window, teeth clenched together. She was the only sensible person on board. Their eyes met briefly. She scowled and drew a single finger across her throat before glaring at him. Her message was clear enough: 'I'm going to kill you.'

Zoro shrugged and set his eyes back in front. The train arced in the air. The ground rushed up to meet them when something large overshadowed the sun. They rammed directly into the object. Metal protested and Rocketman's nose folded up like an accordion. The train skidded along the ground, eventually coming to a halt. Dust and steam billowed in the air. He leapt off the train, keeping to the cloud.

"Show yourselves! That's an order!"

The dusty cover was settling; Zoro spotted shadows approaching the radius. The presences beside him moved the same time he did. The Marines screamed when they were suddenly flung into the air. The wind gusted, lifting the veiling cloud. Their allies cheered while the Marines shifted their feet nervously.

"Huh. Should we have introduced ourselves first?" he wondered out loud.

It sounded like something Luffy would do. Sometimes, his Captain was just too damn polite.

"That's a stupid question, marimo. Why in the hell would we introduce ourselves?" Sanji took a drag of his cigarette calmly.

"Luffy introduces himself to everyone. Old barnacles cling to new ships," Magina stated wisely on his other side.

"What the hell does that even mean?" Zoro demanded. "No, never mind. More importantly, what are you doing here, siren? Stay back with the others!"

Zoro wanted to take back the words as soon as he shouted them. The Marines, who had been inching away from the intruders now leaned in and whispered to each other.

"Did he just say 'siren'?"

"No one has seen a siren in decades!"

"Are we sure they exist? She looks like a normal girl to me."

Magina gave him a very confused look. "I'm here because I can help you…"

"Just stay back and help the others!"

The damn woman was still recuperating. Why was she acting so reckless? Still, the hurt expression on her face almost changed his mind. He didn't want to hurt her; he wanted her safe. Sanji whistled softly under his breath.

"You obviously didn't get enough sleep yesterday. Remember, if you make Magina-san cry, I'm going to kick your ass."

Zoro growled.

A Marine pointed a trembling finger his way. "I recognize that man! I-It's Pirate Hunter Zoro, Strawhat Luffy's underling!"

The annoying Love Cook took another drag of the cigarette, "You hear that? He called you an underling."

Zoro smirked. They might have called him a henchman but it was obvious that he was more well-known.

"At least they know my name. That's better than someone like you, Pirate A."

Sanji exploded. "Huh?"

The cook's reaction was too fun to ignore so Zoro added, "Maybe I should call you Pirate B instead…"

"When I finally get a bounty, I'll make sure that it will be bigger than yours! Just wait and see!"

Zoro couldn't resist getting one more jibe in. "Then, Pirate C."

"Listen to what people are telling you!"

The Marines just looked at each other. Soon, they gathered their courage to attack.

"They have nakama on the train. Shoot it!"

An explosion rocked the ground beside them.

"Wait! Nami-san is still onboard! I have to find that guy who gave the order…I'll kill him three times over!" Sanji stalked off towards the battalion of soldiers.

Love Cook obviously read the situation all wrong. "Hold on, Pirate A."

Sanji turned furiously towards him, "Hah!?"

He shrugged. "What? They can't be dead. It's because you don't know these things that you are Pirate A."

"You...Marimo!"

When Zoro heard the familiar voice, he turned back to Dart-brow. He was obviously right since Nami survived. She was already saying some kind of weather jargon that probably only the siren could understand.

"With cold balls and heat balls…when you put these together the atmospheric moisture changes into clouds. Just as expected of the Perfect Clima Tact, this is way easier to control than before."

"Nami-swan! You're okay! I'm so glad!"

Zoro rolled his eyes. Out of the corner of his vision, he saw a dark cloud form above the astonished Marines. The atmosphere was charged as soon as Nami swung her weapon. Electricity crackled at the ends. Zoro saw her aim for the cloud. The lightning exploded around them. Even he wasn't fast enough to escape the sudden discharge. His mind blanked for a minute. When his senses returned, he noticed Nami falling from the sky. She screeched as she fell, eventually landing and bonking Usopp on top of the head.

"What was that for?" Usopp yelled.

"You made the weapon too strong! I almost died!" Nami argued.

"Usopp-kun created the weapon, not me! And by the way, he said that he never designed the Clima Tact to be used in that way!"

"Damn, Nami! What did you do that for?" Zoro shouted, standing up in the middle of a score of twitching Marines.

Nami immediately turned to Usopp, "Now, apologize, Sogeking!"

Usopp screeched back, "You apologize! You activated it!"

Zoro ground his teeth together while they argued. Magina shook her head and wandered to his side. Zoro swallowed the irritation down in his throat.

"So, where's the idiot who rushed ahead of us?" he asked.

Zoro turned first to the siren. She would have a better idea of location and distance than the rest of them put together. Magina concentrated, listening for a sign. Nami stepped up.

"Well, it's a far cry from being a small island. We might have to search the old-fashioned way."

Magina's eyes suddenly flew open. "Ah! There—"

A large explosion interrupted her. With knowing glances mixed with shock, everybody's jaws dropped. With one breath and one voice, they turned to the explosion.

"He's definitely there!"

"So, do we follow him, our idiot captain?"

The question snapped out of him. There was no doubt that they would trail after the baka. There was too much at stake to leave now. Sanji smoothly lit a cigarette.

"Well, we're quite the idiots too since we decided to follow such a guy."

Zoro heartily agreed. They ran together towards the explosion. Magina never left his side, subtlety showing him the way. After some time running down the streets; he, Magina, and Sanji glanced at each other, noticing the enemies around them. He stopped running, drawing his katana.

"Zoro? What's wrong?" Chopper asked.

A feral grin lit his face. "We have guests."

In a matter of moments, they were surrounded. There was a regular battalion of Marines as well as a division of wolf-riders.

"Now it's doggy policemen?" Sanji muttered under his breath.

"We are the bringers of justice and peace! Today, we will end you pirate scum!"

Zoro scoffed in answer, "Just try it."

And all hell broke loose. Pavement stones crumbled as something huge wheeled through the narrow street.

"Watch out below!" a voice yelled.

Something like a snake hurtled towards his head. He grabbed it quickly, surprised when a roughened rope wrapped around his hand. Magina snatched another rope, kicking away an enemy at the same time. The rope yanked them off their feet and into the air. Eventually, they landed on a saddle astride one of the King Bulls. Paulie smirked around his cigar.

"Fighting these small fries are a waste of your time. We'll get you closer to the real battle."

He was just about to agree when he noticed what Magina was doing. She shimmied down the leg of the fish swiftly.

"Oi! Siren! Where are you going? Luffy is in the opposite direction!"

She jumped down to the streets below and grinned up at him. "Don't worry about me! I just forgot to take care of something! We'll catch up with you soon!"

And she disappeared around the corner of a building. Zoro snarled, his veins popping in anger. That baka! She was badly injured. What was she thinking, running off like that by herself?

"Careful, marimo. You look like you'll give yourself an aneurism," Sanji smirked.

"Shut up, Pirate C," he growled.

They argued until there was no more time for banter. Instead, he redirected bullets, cut bomb shells in half and knocked off climbing soldiers. But no matter how busy he kept himself, his mind kept wandering to Magina.

You'd better be fine, siren. Otherwise, I'm going to kill you."

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Magina knew as soon as she landed on the saddle that she had to act fast. Sogeking was getting farther away by the second. Of course, she was the only one to notice that the marksman was missing. They wouldn't be able to turn around and grab him. She skirted around a battalion chasing the King Bulls.

"Don't let them get away, men!"

Magina kept running, avoiding the main streets as much as possible. But no matter how many side streets she slipped into; she was still spotted.

"You there! Halt!"

Magina was quickly surrounded. How many Marines were on this island? Their numbers seemed never ending!

An officer stepped forward, "Give yourself up, pirate scum."

She swallowed, checking how sore her throat felt. She was a little dry, but she would be able to sing. Magina had a new song that she wanted to practice, and this was the perfect opportunity. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth and began singing.

"Who are you?

Who am I?

Friend of foe?

Truth or lie?

Where do I go?

When do you stay?

Why am I here?

What do you say?

Where do I stay?

How can you go?

Who am I now?

How do you know?

Who am I

And who are you?

Foe or Friend

Or lie so true?"

There was a tense moment when no one moved. The Marines looked back and forth at one another. Magina felt sweat trickle down the side of her face. Did it work? This wasn't what she expected at all.

"Um, so I guess I'll just leave you fellows alone now…" Magina began leaving before she was blocked.

"Well, Miss, you have a lovely voice but you're still a pirate. By the law, what we have to say is that you're under arrest. Now, will you come peacefully, or will we have to capture you?"

Magina understood as soon as a few more soldiers stepped forward. The song wasn't powerful enough—a line threw off the whole intention of the song. Her mind raced as she desperately tried to change the one line that messed up the song. She sang again. Maybe if she took away their voices, it would create some chaos. All she needed was a little time so that she could run away.

Of course, that didn't really stop the soldiers either. It created some confusion though. Soldiers opened their mouths to shout orders, but only loud braying calls came out instead of words. The officer resorted to hand gestures to get his message across and they still came. Magina ducked around a corner. This wasn't working like she had hoped. What was another line she could use? What would work best? The scream of a mule brought Magina back to the situation. She breathed in again and sang once more.

"Who are you?

Who am I?

Friend of foe?

Truth or lie?

Where do I go?

When do you stay?

Why am I here?

Your feet like clay.

Where do I stay?

How can you go?

Who am I now?

How do you know?

Who am I

And who are you?

Foe or Friend

Or lie so true?"

The braying stopped and instead several shouts and exclamations replaced the animal noises.

"Huh? My feet won't move?"

"It's like my feet are too heavy to do anything! What is going on?"

She sighed in relief. Well, at least they wouldn't chase her any longer… She turned a corner, straight into the back of another officer. Magina stumbled back, rubbing her nose. She had to be more careful. She would never hear the end of it from Zoro if she was captured because she was being careless.

"Careful, Captain. That woman is a siren! She's very dangerous!" the officer warned while trying to move his feet.

"Oh? A siren? Very interesting."

The brute of a man turned around and gave her a long, hard stare. She glared back. She wasn't intimidated by size. Magina jumped back when the officer swung a giant maul in her direction. The confusion song would take too long to sing, she would be beaten into the ground before she sang the second verse. Her mother's lullaby was nearly as long. Did she have a shorter song that she could sing?

"You won't be able to dodge forever!"

Magina took a big breath and landed in the middle of the soldiers. It was a gamble, but she used it to help the crew before. It had to help her now! Before anyone could grab her, Magina opened her mouth and sang as loud as she could.

"Now, your memory will fade

Your orders forgotten

And you will not remember

Only a blank will remain

The clear turns to grey

Your duties forgotten

As hazy as dying embers

These memories will not retain."

The giant hammer, which was poised to strike, faltered. Magina let out the breath she held and quickly scampered away. Now she was close to where Sogeking landed. She even heard him muttering shakily.

"In any case, I left the crew. Should I just run?"

It took every ounce of control that she possessed to stay hidden and listen. Usopp continued talking to himself and his song was at war. She might learn more if she stayed quiet. Why would Usopp leave the crew? Was that the reason for Sogeking and the mask?

"N-No! I won't run away! My name is Usopp! I am a man! I only went so far to hide my identity so that I could follow them! This is a crisis! Robin is sacrificing herself to protect all of us! No matter what, I can't run away this time!"

She considered stepping out then. Magina didn't doubt that she was strong enough to protect Usopp. It was certainly a better idea than the 'Disguise-Myself-as-a-High-Ranking-Official-and-Sneak-Through-Plan' that Usopp came up with. He started screaming before she decided to reveal her location. She could hear the panicked strains of his song. What was happening now?

"Eek! What is this? A flood? Help me! Help me! I'm drowning!"

The massive bulk beside her started shaking and a loud wailing began. Magina covered her ears. What? She looked up, realizing that the tall hill she hid behind was actually a giant. The crying intensified when the giant spoke.

"So regrettable! We messed up! Only 50 more years and we would have saved our bosses! But pirates broke through the gates today! Dammit! So sorry, bosses!"

Usopp calmed the giant down enough to get the full story. Magina climbed the giant's back, finally sitting on top of his elbow in order to listen closer. There was a rage slowly building in her nakama. And it broke when the giant tried calling him a liar. She was spellbound by the story.

"We really met those two at Little Garden! What will convince you?! The way they laughed? Right, then—'Ge-ge-ge-ge-ge'!"

Usopp broke off the one laugh, coughing and sputtering. He wheezed for a little while before mimicking another laugh.

"Or 'Ga-ba-ba-ba-ba'!"

Tears streamed down his face and Usopp choked on the air he breathed. Still, even if he was about to fall over, Usopp wasn't done trying to convince the giant.

"What else did you need to know? Their weapons? Maybe their armor? I know everything! We really met them! It's a big fat lie that they were captured!"

Magina leaned forward and finally spoke. Usopp scrambled to put the mask back on. "He's telling the truth, you know. I've been sailing with him long enough that I can tell when he's lying. Right now, his song is completely clear of deception. Well, except for…" and she hopped down before tapping the mask, "except for this. Everything else he told you right then is 100% true."

"And who are you?" the giant demanded.

"My name is Magina. I wish that I could tell you that I also saw the giants on Little Garden but I slept on the ship the whole time. He is telling the truth. There is no lie in his song. Besides, for weeks after Little Garden, he talked about nothing else but Elbaf, the island of giants and true warriors of the sea."

Eventually, the flood of tears slowed and then stopped.

"We have been fooled long enough," the giant stated, rising to his knees and placing his hand on the ground.

Usopp hopped on, extending a hand to help her up. The giant rose to his feet. Two thuds later, another giant stood beside the first. They were put on the shoulder of the taller giant. She caught cheering from the soldiers below and she grinned. Things were about to get a lot worse for the Marines. They just didn't know it yet.

Yay! Two in a row! Keep your fingers crossed, gang. I posted a chapter, and I edited a chapter and now it's time to write a chapter. It's great that I still have a couple weeks in October to finish writing Chapter 21. Hope you all enjoyed C. 19. It has one of my favorite dialogues in the Enies Lobby arc and Magina got into a little bit of trouble too. (Always a blast, lol.) Will Zoro get lost without Magina? Will Sogeking and Magina make it safely to the rooftop with the rest of their waiting nakama? Tune in next month to find out!