AN:

Back with another one, finally. lol. I probably rewrote this chapter from top to bottom like four or five times before I was happy with it which is why it took so long. I hate to keep you guys waiting but I really want to be happy with something before I put it out, so thank you all for patiently waiting.

I saw a couple of comments I wanted to address so as always if you don't care you can go ahead and jump into the chapter. Happy reading!

There was a mention of Luffy's bounty being higher and the only real reason why it wasn't is because Robin's bounty is 79.000.000. I think my reasoning for this is because of Robin, at this moment in time, is still more of a threat to the World Government than Luffy is. To simplify it, what happened during the void century becoming public vs. the knowledge of haki becoming public. But I will say this, at first it was going to be around the number they mentioned which was 85.000.000.

I had a question about why Luffy has two names on his bounty and, if I'm being honest, I just like the way it sounds. I definitely probably could have gone with Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy or Monkey D. Luffy: The Black Fist, but I thought it just sounded better combined, lol.

Another comment was about Zoro and Usopp not having bounties and I really think I could have gone either way on this one as Zoro and Usopp weren't really in the limelight after their bounty-hunting stent. I will say, it does make sense and feel like I could have made that work, but I've got some other plans for them so hopefully those pan out the way I want them to.

Also, for those of you wanting to see Levi do some growing, I've got some ideas for that so I'll try not to keep you waiting too long.

As always, I really appreciate you guys sticking around with me and I love all the support. I read each and every one of the comments good or bad so feel free to let me know what you think. Hopefully, I won't have as much trouble with this next chapter, lol. Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 48: Whiskey Peak

"Woah!", Luffy yelled joyously, turning to his friends scattered throughout the deck, "Guys, look at how big those cactuses are!". He turned back and stared at their first destination in excitement, anticipation rising the closer they sailed.

"Don't see that every day.", Zoro mused as he stepped up to the front deck, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji on his tail. He stopped behind where his captain was sitting and the others filed in beside him, the crew all gazing in wonder at the numerous cacti that could have been mistaken for mountains they were so large.

Usopp stared at the approaching island in shock, "The Grand Line really is a crazy place…". He shook his head and rubbed his finger underneath his long nose, a facade of confidence taking over his face, "Nothing the brave Captain Usopp can't handle, though.".

Nami pulled her gaze away from their destination and looked at the boy skeptically, sweat dripping from her brow. He'd been sulking about Luffy's bounty until they caught sight of the island… He hadn't sounded very brave then… She went to comment but stopped herself when two loud thumps sounded from the starboard side of the ship.

"You have our thanks for seeing us safely back home.", Ms. Wednesday announced as she stood on the railing next to her partner, "You shall be hailed as heroes upon your arrival and will receive a reward fitting of the title.". She looked back at the group gathered on the front deck and her eyes zeroed in on the captain of the pirate crew, memories shifting back to only hours earlier.

"LEVI! LOOK!", Luffy screamed, rushing toward the prow of the Merry. He held the piece of paper in his hands out in front of him before leaping off the ship's wood and over its front railing, grinning at his friend's head poking out of the water down below, "IT'S MY BOUNTY POSTER!".

Usopp watched his captain disappear from his vision with his mouth still glued to the floor. He was so shocked that he didn't even realize he hadn't heard the splash that should have accompanied his disappearance,"… Seventy-one million?!".

"Aren't you glad you went bounty hunting with us now, Usopp?", Zoro chuckled, walking over to throw his arm around the sweating boy's shoulders, "I told you we'd need to be strong.". He shifted his gaze to the other two and grinned in their directions, "He did say we'd be turning this world upside down after all.".

Ms. Wednesday eyed the group in shock… That couldn't be right… Right? She looked over at her partner and wasn't surprised to see a similar look of disbelief plastered across his face. He obviously couldn't believe it either. Seventy-one million?… She turned back to the front of the ship when laughter consumed the air and watched the group's captain excitedly land back on the deck… Just who exactly was he?

As the blue-haired woman watched the pirate crew begin to converse once again, she couldn't help but wonder who she and her partner had gotten themselves mixed up with… She shook the thought away and nudged the man still looking wide-eyed at the excited group, "We need to make sure we get to back before they make it to Whiskey Peak.". If they could somehow cash that bounty it would be a surefire way of moving up through the ranks of Baroque Works, and that was exactly what she needed at the moment… To make it up the ranks as quickly as possible.

Mr. Nine immediately caught on to the meaning of the words and turned to face the woman at his side, looking at her incredulously. He knew what the usual protocol for newcomers was but… He turned back and looked at the group beginning to disperse… As nice as everyone had been, the last few days on this ship had made him very wary of their traveling companions…

The blue-haired woman shook the memory away and nodded to the man at her side, turning to jump into the ocean. They needed to prepare everybody on Whiskey Peak for the jackpot that was rolling their way in the form of this pirate crew. However, just before the soles of her feet pushed from the wood, the two were roughly pulled back down to the deck by their collars, yelps leaving both of their mouths.

The sounds of the bounty hunters' backs smacking into the floorboards were followed by loud groans and they both slowly sat up while tenderly rubbing at their bruised skin. They looked at each other for a moment in confusion when they righted themselves before turning to find the captain of the ship they'd been traveling on standing directly in front of them.

"No heroes.", Luffy stated, looking down at the pair from behind the shadow of his straw hat, "We're pirates…". He stepped between the two and let the light hit his eyes once again, lifting the bounty hunters by their coats and easily setting them back on their feet, "Got it?".

The pirate captain smirked at the shaking figures before lightly patting them both on the shoulder and stepping back toward the front deck. If he wanted to be a hero he would have listened to Gramps and joined the Marines… He shook the thought away with a shiver. That sounded terrible…

Sanji watched the woman and her partner take a moment to gather themselves from over his captain's shoulder before addressing the boy himself, nodding to the two now shakily stepping back up on the railing, "Just gonna let em' go?". He couldn't help but be slightly disappointed at the thought. Even with everything that'd happened back in Lougetown, he'd enjoyed spending time with the beautiful Ms. Wednesday and was sad to see their time together come to an end. He couldn't care less about the other guy… He didn't even remember his name…

Luffy chuckled at the question, making his way up the stairs back to the front deck. Just when he went to reply, an orange blur rushed past him and he was almost blown off his feet, just barely catching himself on the railing. Before he could even turn, two screams burst into the air along with the greedy voice of his navigator.

"NOPE!".

"Is this really necessary?…", Ms. Wednesday asked in exasperation. She was trying her best to hide the panic rising through her. This was not how she'd planned on things going…

Nami finished tying the woman's wrists behind her back and clapped her hands together at a job well done, "You were the one that tried to leave.". She turned Ms. Wednesday toward her and sent the other girl a smirk, "Besides, you heard the captain. We're no heroes.". She winked in her direction before turning away and stepping back up to the front deck.

"Alright, boys.", the orangette said, looking over Luffy's shoulder at the quickly approaching island. She looked at her crew mates gathering behind her before turning back to her captain, "I don't know what to expect when we land. So, what's the plan, Luffy?".

The straw-hatted teen looked at the orange-haired girl and sent her a wide smile, "The plan, is no plan!". Laughter broke through his lips at the groan that left his navigator's mouth and he turned back to the island as they drifted ever closer to their destination. He had no idea what to expect when they landed and that just made it that much more exciting! He went to say more but stopped himself when he caught signs of a large crowd gathered around the area where they would more than likely be docking.

"Looks like we might be in for a fight, Captain.", Zoro said, his eyes finding the crowd the other boy was staring at. With the ever-decreasing distance between them, he began to hear the dull roar of the people surrounding the docks and a grin matching the one the boy next to him wore rose to his face, the three katanas at his side beginning to vibrate ever so slightly.

Usopp gulped loudly and couldn't help but think the verdet may have been right. That was a lot of people… And, the closer they sailed, the more agitated they seemed to become. He shook his head and let a fair amount of false bravado seep into his voice as he cleared his throat, "I think someone should stay behind to watch our precious vessel and, because of its importance, I will volunteer to take on this duty.". He wasn't scared… He just couldn't tell if the people gathered at the docks were angry or happy and it was making him slightly nervous. Who the heck would be happy to see pirates?…

"Nope!", Luffy exclaimed jumping up from his place and rushing over to the railing where their prisoners were still standing, "That's Levi's job!". He leaned over the side of the ship and gripped the wood in anticipation, "Besides, you gotta come have fun with us, Usopp! It's our first island on the Grand Line!".

Sanji laughed when the sniper began to scramble for another excuse. "Oh, come on, Long-Barrel. I thought you used to be some big-shot bounty hunter. Don't tell me you're scared?", he lightly teased, more laughter leaving his lips when the sniper's head immediately shot back up with steam shooting from his nostrils.

Usopp's back straightened and he crossed his arms in front of his body, taking the most confident pose he could. However, just before he went to respond, the dull roar of the crowd at the docks suddenly began to grow louder and the two turned to look over the side of the ship. In the light of the setting sun, what met their vision was a shadowed crowd that looked like they were in the midst of preparing an attack on the incoming vessel… Or… Maybe not?…

Nami was broken from her stupor when she realized that they would need to dock and ignored the ever-increasing volume of the people watching their approach, "Levi! Can you stop us when we make it in?". A rumble she couldn't understand the meaning of came from somewhere under the water and she turned to her captain expectantly.

"He said yes.", Luffy smiled, eyes drifting back to the boisterous crowd awaiting their arrival. It was strange, the closer they got, the people began to seem less angry and more… Excited?

Ms. Wednesday eyed what she knew was the town preparing for their usual greeting and turned to the girl who'd tired her and her partner up as the ship slowly drifted to a stop, "I promise there's no need for thes-".

"WELCOME!", a loud voice interrupted from the ground below.

Everyone on the Merry looked down to the dock to find a man with very strangely styled long blond hair standing in front of the gathered crowd. And, now that they were closer, they realized the people looked like they were getting ready for a party.

"… What the hell?", Zoro said quietly, his incredulous eyes shifting through the multitude of forms. His gaze narrowed and drifted back to the strange-looking man who'd addressed them, hand never leaving the still vibrating handle of his red-sheathed blade… Something smelled off… He glanced over at Nami, catching her eye, and could tell she was thinking along similar lines, shaking his head to look back at the man making to speak once again.

"My name is Igarappoi, the mayor of this town, and we here at Whiskey Peak would like to congratulate you on your entrance to the Grand Line, as it's no easy feat!", the blond man exclaimed, eyes shifting through the occupants of the lamb-headed ship. He met the gaze of a familiar woman and paled when he realized that she and her partner both had their hands tied behind their backs, scrambling momentarily before finding himself once again, "I see you've already met some of our people and I would like to kindly ask that you release them so the festivities may begin!".

Ms. Wednesday watched the forms around her and Mr. Nine anxiously while they looked at each other with skeptical eyes… Why did it feel like things wouldn't be that easy?…

"If you wouldn't mind me asking.", Nami interjected before any of those on the deck could respond, "How long does it take for the log pose to set here?". If she was being honest, she didn't like the thought of staying on this island for very long. Something about the whole atmosphere just felt… Off.

The mayor of the town waved the question away with a dismissing laugh. "Oh, come now! There's no need for that, you've only just arrived!", he exclaimed, motioning to the large crowd at his back, "These people have prepared a glorious party for you and I feel like it'd be a shame to let it go to waste! So, if you'll please release those two, the festivities can get underway!".

The words seemed strange to the ears of the pirates looking down on the dock from the deck of their ship, however, before any of them could get a word in, their captain's excited voice pierced through the air and each of them groaned internally.

"PARTY?!".

As Ms. Wednesday sat at a table in the center of a crowded room watching her orange-haired jailer and the girl's green-haired friend drink her compatriots under the table, she couldn't help but think one thing… How the hell had it been so easy?…

Almost immediately after the mention of a party, the captain of the pirate crew that had captured them had practically dive-bombed into the crowd while everyone else watched on in bewilderment. It hadn't taken the rest of the boy's friends long to join in, however.

The woman had tried to reason with the orangette about releasing her, along with the man who'd greeted them upon their entrance who she knew to be Mr. Eight, but nothing they'd said even seemed to reach the girl's ears. She just kept repeating the same thing every time they tried to convince her that there was no need for the bindings, "Money first.".

The thought made Ms. Wednesday want to groan in irritation as she looked over at the hanging head of her partner still bound beside her. Hopefully, with the direction things were moving, they'd be able to free themselves soon. Her eyes drifted back to the table where the orange-haired girl and her crew mate sat and she jumped slightly when they both slammed another mug onto the table.

"That makes twenty each!", Nami yelled with little more than a light dusting of red covering her cheeks, throwing her hand up to high-five the boy next to her.

Zoro burped loudly and smacked the girl's palm with his own in camaraderie, smirking at the man next to them laying face down in his own vomit. He snatched up another mug much more deftly than someone twenty deep should have been able to and stood from his place at the table, raising it into the air. "I told you I'd never lose again, Luffy!", he yelled over the loud music and voices filling the space.

The words went unnoticed as a leg of chicken disappeared into Luffy's mouth, his hands shooting out left and right to grab various food items from the feast set out in front of him. He was in heaven. These people just kept bringing him food and he was loving every second of it. The Grand Line was the best! He hoped every island was like this one! His hands continued to dart out while he kept eating, completely unaware of the panicked chefs in the kitchen running out of food at a frightening pace.

Another woman sat at the table across from Nami and Zoro, dressed in the garb of a nun, and couldn't help but gape at the multitude of empty mugs littering the table. What the hell were these two… The dark-skinned woman wiped her bewilderment away and a smile replaced the jaw-dropped expression she was wearing as she stood and motioned to the kitchen, "Two more for these two! They're unstoppable!".

"There I was, all alone and the only defense against the pirates' invasion of my home… But, I stood my ground!", Usopp dramatically shouted to the crowd surrounding him, hand clenching into a fist, "Because the great Captain Usopp never falters in the face of overwhelming odds!".

Sanji sat in the middle of a group of women as they listened to the long-nosed teen tell his stories and he couldn't help but sigh in bliss. The black-haired woman next to him leaned into his side and he shivered slightly at her touch, the momentary vision of a scarred face and a pair of grinning ruby-red lips entering his mind. He breathed deeply and pushed the thoughts away, looking down at the top of the woman's head with a rueful smile… He was definitely different now. This kind of contact from someone of the opposite sex would have usually sent him to the moon…

The blond was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt a weight on his other side and his smile turned more genuine as he relaxed into the soft embraces he was held in. Even though he was different… Like Mosshead had said… He was still the same.

Time passed in the blink of an eye while the celebration continued through the night and to the wee hours of the morning, many more stories told, many more drinks had, many more women talked to, and much MUCH more food eaten. The Straw Hat Pirates accepted the generosity of their welcome without batting an eye and partied to their heart's content until each and every one of them could party no more… Or so it seemed.

Ms. Wednesday looked around the wrecked space incredulously, her eyes landing on each of the passed-out pirates scattered throughout the room. Sweat dripped from her brow when she glanced at the groaning people of Whiskey Peak beginning to gather themselves together… These pirates had literally probably just run them dry… If they didn't manage to cash the bounty on this 'Straw Hat Luffy', they were looking at some seriously hard times ahead…

The blue-haired girl turned away and nudged her shell-shocked partner, the man seemingly just barely able to pull his eyes away from the two pirates passed out at their table, "Let's get out of these ropes. Ms. Monday already left and I think Mr. Eight is waiting for us outside with her.". She eyed her surroundings and her gaze eventually landed on a small knife on the next table over, quietly moving through unconscious bodies to make use of it.

It took a moment for the words to register, bewilderment still clearly on his face, but Mr. Nine eventually shook his shock away and nodded, quietly standing from his chair as to not rouse the sleeping figures at the table with them. He still could barely believe the two were alive… That was an absurd amount of alcohol… Plus the sleeping medicine… He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a quiet thump at his feet and looked over to find his partner rubbing her wrists uncomfortably.

"Damn, those were tight.", Ms. Wednesday scowled, eyeing the person to blame for her red wrists before turning and quickly cutting the rope keeping her partner's hands held behind his back.

The thick cord fell to the ground and the man rubbed his wrists tenderly, eyes still locked on the two at the table… Were these people even human?… He turned and his gaze found their captain snoring loudly on the floor… Hadn't he been fat a couple of hours ago?… He shook his head and turned back to the two at the table, his gaze landing on the katanas at the verdet's side where they were leaning against the table… They looked valuable… If they were going to cash the bounty on their captain, his crew would be arrested along with him… So, he probably didn't need those… Right?…

Mr. Nine steeled himself and stepped around the table as quietly as he could, stopping in front of the weapons in question. He took one more glance at the green-haired teen's snoring form before slowly reaching out toward the swords. Just before his hand gripped the blade in the black sheath, a small growl coming from the swordsman's mouth made him jump in alarm and he immediately backed away in panic, sighing in relief when he realized the sound had once again been replaced by soft snoring. Maybe it was best if he left those alone…

A quiet whistle caught the man's attention and he looked up to find his partner motioning for him to follow her out of the door along with everyone else who wasn't currently sleeping. He stood still while the others began to file out of the room behind the woman and took one last nervous glance at the verdet before following the others through the exit… Surely he wasn't still awake somehow… Right?…

The sound of the door clicking shut behind the man sent a rousing through two of the forms still remaining in the room and a pair of black eyes snapped open, its owner lifting his head off the table to glance around the space. He immediately met Nami's gaze as she rose alongside him and nodded in her direction. "Can't say I didn't see this one coming.", he sighed, making to quietly stand from his chair and stretch his muscles.

A similar sound left the orange-haired girl's mouth when she stood alongside him and she watched him slide his swords into his belt, "You and me both.". She turned to look at their other three friends when the swordsman stepped away and debated whether to rouse them from their slumber but, before she came to a decision, it was made for her.

"Let them sleep.", Zoro provided from his place now by the window, "I think we can probably handle things ourselves.". He cautiously glanced through the dirty glass, finding that it led into an empty alleyway, and smirked to himself before turning back to the orangette already searching the room for anything that looked valuable. He softly cleared his throat and nodded at the window when the girl looked his way, "I'm gonna see what's goin' on outside… You do whatever it is you do.".

Nami had to resist the urge to scoff and nodded her confirmation, watching the swordsman climb through the window while, surprisingly, not making too much noise in the process. As soon as his green hair disappeared from her vision, she was immediately back on the prowl. Almost immediately, she caught sight of the jewels hanging from the cord around her captain's neck and had to remind herself that she'd already gone down that road once… But… Maybe… She quickly shook the thoughts away and looked back toward the window Zoro had exited out of, glancing around the room one last time. There was probably nothing of any real value left in there, so she might as well follow him.

The orangette shrugged to herself and made her way to the window, looking at her friends one more time before quietly making her way through the open pane of glass with a cat-like grin rising to her face. She was about to rob these people blind.

"Listen, I'm telling you we need to be careful with these people.", Ms. Wednesday cautioned from her place in the circle of gathered individuals.

The group sat just outside the building the people in question currently resided in, in the center of the dirt street, and besides Ms. Wednesday herself, her partner, and Mr. Eight, the proclaimed mayor of Whiskey Peak, there was one other. The person was obviously female but without the nun robes covering the rest of her body, the large muscles covered by her ebony skin made her look far more masculine than any of the others standing in the circle, including the men.

"Look, Ms. Wednesday, we've got over a hundred of ours here.", the massive pink-haired woman argued, scoffing at the idea that the sleeping pirates could prove to be a threat, "You really think they could get through all of us?… While they're asleep? Not to mention, we watched two of them drink more alcohol than anyone I've ever seen… ".

Red rose to the blue-haired girl's cheeks and she stumbled over her next words, "I- I… I'm just saying… Their captain has the largest bounty to ever come through here and I just… I think we should be wary.". She went to mention some of the thingsi she'd witnessed while riding on their ship but stopped herself, unsure if she would even be believed… She looked over to her partner looking for some sort of assist but found him staring back at the door to the building instead of paying attention to the current conversation.

"Ms. Wednesday is right.", Mr. Eight said in support of the words, ruffling through the inside of his coat to pull out a yellowed piece of parchment. He held it in front of him and unrolled it so the taller woman could read it.

Ms. Monday gaped at the bounty poster, her eyes drifting back to the door where a literal jackpot lay sleeping without a care in the world, "Holy shit… Seventy-one million?! That brat?!".

Ms. Wednesday turned back to the woman with sweat dripping over her brow. She was only now realizing that it was probably the first time Ms. Monday had heard that particular bit of information considering she and her partner had been held prisoner all night…

"Ms. Wednesday, Mr. Nine.", Igarappoi said, grabbing the two's attention and rolling the paper up to stick back in his jacket pocket, "You two should go write up a report on all that's happened since you left and send it off to the boss. The Unluckies should either already be here or will arrive soon, so once you're finished leave it in their mailbox.". He turned to address the only other woman in the group when they nodded their confirmation and sped off in the opposite direction, "While they're doing that, Ms. Monday, I think you and I should begin securing our 'prize'.".

"Sorry but…", a voice from somewhere above called down to the two who remained behind with the rest of the people there, "Would you mind letting them sleep a while longer?.".The sound of a sword being drawn from a sheath filled the air and silver steel glinted in the moonlight above the figure's head, "They're tired from the long voyage. Plus…"., A wide grin rose to their lips, "I got an itch to scratch and this seems like the perfect opportunity.".

The two spun toward the voice in alarm, immediately readying themselves for a fight, and just barely spotted a figure through the darkness of the late night/early morning looking down on them from the rooftops.

A growl left Ms. Monday's lips and she raised her fists in front of her, "How the hell are you awake?! You were passed out cold!".

Zoro laughed lightly before his grin widened and he eyed the large woman predatorily, "A true swordsman never drinks more than he can handle.". Kitetsu flashed through the air to rest at his side, "And I think I've got you guys figured out.". He walked to the edge of the rooftop he stood on and looked out to the many forms that surrounded him, " You trick pirates into celebrating their passage on the Grand Line.".

The verdet let his gaze roam the crowd and got a rough count of the enemy combatants, his grin growing ever larger, "Looks to be about a hundred of you.". He bent his knees and launched himself off the roof, feet slamming into the ground directly in front of the door while the rising dust partially obscured his form, "I don't know who the hell you are and I don't really care.". He slashed his blade through the floating particles and they scattered, leaving him in plain sight once again.

Kitetsu came back up, stilling in the air, and Zoro held it to point in the direction of the two standing in the middle of the crowd, letting his predatory gaze settle on the man who'd proclaimed himself mayor of Whiskey Peak, "If it's a fight you want, I'll take you on… All of you.".

The tension in the air was palpable as a moment of silence passed, the large group of bounty hunters staring at their soon-to-be adversary and waiting to see who would be the first to make a move. They didn't have to wait long.

"KILL HIM!", Mr. Eight suddenly shouted, removing something from the inside of his black coat. At his words, a roar left the crowd of bounty hunters and their weapons were in their hands in an instant, all of them rushing toward the swordsman with the intent to kill.

Zoro watched the blond man pull out what looked like an… Instrument?… He couldn't help but scoff even with the many bounty hunters converging on his position. What the hell was a saxophone going to do in this situation?… Rapidly approaching footsteps brought his eyes away from the golden saxophone now aimed in his direction and he was met with a wall of bodies, all with weapons pointing in his direction.

Gunfire ripped through the area and the soles of the swordsman's boots dug into the soft dirt at his feet, cracks ripping through the ground when he pushed off to the left. The storm of bullets passed through empty space and impacted the building at his back but he paid it no mind, the first of his victims entering his vision.

A cutlass burst down toward the verdet's head and it only took the flick of his wrist to push it off course, Kitetsu flashing outward to find the man's throat. Blood flowed down his katana as he held it there and the blade seemed to almost hum in delight. Without a second thought, he ripped his hand outward and a head fell to the ground at his feet, specks of blood splattering across his face.

The swordsman didn't even watch the body fall before he was on the move again, blood spurting into the air with every strike of his katana. Bodies fell like dominos as the wave of carnage that was Roronaoa Zoro moved through them like a shadow in the night, screams of fear and pain consuming the air around him. The large grin never left his face as he barreled through enemy after enemy, the look made even more demonic from the blood now covering the majority of his form.

Zoro skid to a stop when he met a wall of barrels aimed in his direction, eyes widening. He dove to the ground just before the shots were fired and could feel the wind of the projectiles pass over his head, however, he was already rising to his feet once more. Before the group could even think to fire again, Kitetsu had sliced through the air, a bright purple arc leaving the edge of the blade and lighting up the surrounding darkness with an ominous glow as it traveled.

Screams of fear were suddenly cut off and replaced by short and sharp intakes of breath when the slash met the group of gunners, their bodies falling to the ground in halves. He didn't stay still long enough to watch the copious amounts of blood stain the dirt underneath them as he was already on the move once again, eyes pinging through all the shouting people trying to kill him. There were still a ton of them…

The swordsman quickly sheathed his blade before anyone could reach him and hovered his palm over its pommel, feet digging into the dirt below, "Ittōryū:". His legs extended and he seemed to almost disappear from the area, the surrounding bounty hunters looking for him in confusion.

"Lion's Song", a clicking sound rang through the air as Zoro finished sheathing his blade and he turned to watch a line of ten or so people fall to the ground, blood flowing heavily from the singular deep cut consuming all of their chests. He breathed deeply and prepared to unsheath his blade once more but never got the chance, the deep voice of a woman sounding at his back.

"Alright, I've seen you kill enough of my coworkers… Time to die.".

The verdet turned on his heel, eyes widening, and his vision was consumed with a fist covered in brass knuckles. Metal impacted the skin on his forehead and a grunt left his lips when his back smashed into the ground, a cloud of smoke covering his form along with the large dark-skinned woman who'd attacked him.

The surrounding combatants slid to a stop while they waited for the dust to clear, most nervously holding their weapons at the ready with a white-knuckled grip. Surely a hit like that from Ms. Monday of all people would have at least knocked him out… Right?

A groan rose from an orange-haired figure rummaging through what seemed to be yet another empty house… Well, empty of anything she would want to steal…

Nami rose from her position next to the large empty chest in front of her and kicked it in frustration, its lid slamming shut from the impact. A yelp left her lips and she tenderly tested her foot on the ground, scowling at the empty container. She sighed and turned away to look over the rest of the sparse house. She'd combed over pretty much all of the one-room building but had found nothing… Just like all the other buildings she'd entered… It had brought her to a conclusion that frustrated her to no end. These people had absolutely nothing… She just knew those two bounty hunters had been lying about the reward…

The orangette shook her frustration away and let her eyes roam over the room one last time, looking for anything she may have missed. As luck would have it, her eyes caught a loose floorboard and she felt a jolt of excitement in her stomach. In an instant, she was lifting the piece of wood from its place on the floor and was met with a simple burlap sack. She glanced at it curiously before shrugging to herself and lifting it from the small space, already opening its flap to get a look inside.

What met Nami's vision when she saw its contents had her groaning once again but she still reached inside and fetched the items. The first was a book, and when she opened it she realized it was some sort of diary… Something she had absolutely zero interest in. However, that didn't stop her from opening it and reading a few of the entries. From what she could tell, the writings were a woman's and, apparently, she'd left her island to pursue adventure. She went to read a few more of the entries, but stopped herself, wanting to examine the other two items.

The girl set the book on the ground and glanced at what looked like some sort of log pose but different. The glass sphere was encased in wood and when she flipped it over to look at its front, she realized that something was carved into the wood. It was a single word and it read: Selune… What the hell was this thing?… It took her a moment of looking between her log pose and the strange one in her hand before she thought she began to understand. If her assumption was correct, she was holding onto a log pose that stayed locked to one particular place. If her assumption was wrong… Well, then she had no idea what this thing was…

Nami looked away from the strange 'compass' and eyed the last item. It looked to be some sort of priestess garb and the only thing that kept it from being completely generic was the large, ornate, crescent-shaped moon resting in the center of the breast area. She went to unfold the clothing but stopped herself when she heard footsteps, panic shooting through her body. She quickly pocketed the log pose before shoving the other two items back into the sack and placing it back into the small compartment under the floor.

The orangette slid the floorboard into place as quietly as she could and desperately glanced around the space, looking for anywhere to hide. Her eyes landed on the empty chest she'd looked through only moments ago and she rushed toward it, opening the top just as the rushed footsteps stopped at the door. Without a thought, she jumped inside and shut the top, keeping it open just enough for her to peer out.

The lock to the front door clicked and the wood swung outward, a panicked woman going directly for the floorboard that had only just been replaced. "Oh god…", she said to herself, lifting her bag and throwing it over her shoulder, "I should have listened to Priestess Luna.". She left the secret compartment open without care and rushed back to the door, a shiver of fear running down her spine as she rushed through and left it wide open, "I don't belong anywhere where demons like that can exist.".

Nami watched the woman exit as quickly as she could and could only think one thing as she slowly pushed the top of the chest back open… Just what the hell was Zoro doing out there?…

End Note:

Some of the dialogue between Zoro and the bounty hunters is pulled directly from the manga, chapter 107. Just thought I'd put this little disclaimer out there. Hope you enjoyed it and would love to hear what you think! See ya in the next one!