Chapter Eleven | All Together

"...And there we go!"

A nail tacked into the wall of the galley held up Usopp's hand-crafted picture frame, Luffy's bounty smiling from within. Quinn's Captain, of course, had his chin on her shoulder and was grinning at his own reflection, still in awe of his first bounty. "Thirty five million," Luffy whispered next to her. "Did you hear Nami when she said that's the biggest bounty in the East Blue?"

"Yup. I'm glad she's not put out about it anymore."

"You're happy about that? You should be happy you got a bounty before Zoro and Sanji!"

"I did shoot a marine in the heart."

"Oh yeah."

"Still… ten million is quite a bit, yeah?"

Luffy hummed. "It's a lot, I think? I mean, they don't even have a picture of you! And you also beat up those marines pretty bad when they tried to ruin the party. You're super cool, so you have an awesome bounty too!"

"I beat up the marines?" Quinn asked, stepping away and frowning at Luffy.

"Yeah, you walked over and just started punchin' em, like wham-" he shot a jab through the air, then a hook, making small noises with each punch. "It was awesome!"

"I… can't say I remember doing that. I was pretty drunk."

"Ha! That sounds just like Shanks."

"And who's Shanks?"

Patting his hat, Luffy grinned. "He's the guy who gave me my hat! He's a super cool pirate and he's really strong, and when I'm a great pirate I'm going to give him the hat back!"

"I guess he's going to have to wait for you to be King then, huh?"

Laughing, Luffy nodded. "Yep!"

"Speaking of, did you listen when Nami said where we're heading?"

"Not at all!"

It was Quinn's turn to laugh, and she shook her head. "Loguetown, she said. Where Gold Roger was executed."

Luffy's eyes were like dinner plates, every bit of him screaming awestruck. "I have to see where it happened!"

With that said he rushed out the door, crowing excitedly about the late Pirate King and how cool it was going to be to see where he died. Quinn stood in the doorway and watched Luffy pester Usopp, Zoro leaning against the railing in front of her. "Oi, Quinn," he started, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "That sword of yours… you're not trained at all, right?"

"Not a bit."

"You're better than I'd have imagined for someone who just picked up a sword for the first time."

"Not technically the first time? I had to use a sword to defend myself when I was twelve."

His gaze flitted away, contemplative. "What kind of sword?"

"Standard longsword? It had a guard, double edge, blade was about yea big," she added, holding her hands out in an approximation of Godric's sword.

"So… stabbing and slashing." He turned around, planting his elbows on the railing and studying Quinn, eyes flicking up and down, pausing on her arms and legs. "You've got plenty of muscle. More than most people, actually. What did you say you used to do?"

Walking up next to him, Quinn hoisted herself up and sat on the rail. "I was an Auror." She bit her lip, unsure of how much to say. It was only a few days ago that Zoro had stared her down and Quinn promised, reluctantly, that she would explain herself. She never said she would explain everything all at once. "The job involved tracking and hunting down practitioners of the Dark Arts, though… that's a loose definition on the best of days. Black Magic was what we really were focused on. Necromancers, Cursemongers, people like that. It was my job to bring in the worst of the worst, dead or alive."

"Dark Arts… Necromancers… you're talking like- like what you do isn't unique," Zoro pressed, and Quinn could tell it didn't come from a place of skepticism or suspicion, but instead genuine curiosity.

"Where I come from? No. What I can do isn't unique."

He let out a breath, somehow capturing the entirety of how he felt about that statement in a single, heavy exhale. It was beleaguered by confusion and a healthy dose of that implacable… how could Quinn describe it? That sort of defeated resignation that undercut a sigh when she learned that someone who had disappeared after a battle was found dead. That her suspicions, or what could be better described as assumptions, were correct – much to her chagrin. That same je ne sais quoi was now painted over him in startling white, and Zoro puffed out his lips in consternation.

"No wonder you don't want to talk about it."

Quinn snorted. "Worse places I could have ended up."

"Uh huh?"

"What, you think so little of yourself?"

With a startled guffaw, all of Zoro's tension was dispelled. He coughed a few times, trying to pull himself together. "Asshole-" he choked, thumping his chest a few times. "If- shit. If you're saying what I think you're saying… don't freak out or anything. I don't know." Scratching the back of his head, Zoro frowned. "Luffy won't give a shit one way or another, and I don't think anyone else will either."

"It's gonna' take some time."

"Then take that time. But until that happens, how about I teach you how to wield a sword?"

"Yeah?"

Grinning, Zoro nodded. "You're already a decent shot, but you can't swing that thing worth a damn. I'll teach you the basics for now, but once we hit Loguetown you and I are going shopping, seeing as I'm two swords down and that cutlass of yours doesn't feel right."

"It doesn't feel right?" Quinn asked, drumming her fingers along the rail. "Meaning?"

"When you think of a sword, what do you picture?"

"Probably a longsword. But, with this whole pirate thing I've got going on now, a cutlass or a sabre is the first thing that comes to mind."

"You've been using your sword for your powers – your magic, right?"

"Figuring it out at the moment, but yeah. It helps me visualize things."

Pulling away from the rail, Zoro shook his head emphatically. "A cutlass is too slow, too broad for something like that. It's going to catch the wind too often, and you're going to end up using it in a way that doesn't make sense with how it's designed." He rubbed his hands together, then made a short, stabbing motion, before twirling his hand in a circle like he was-

He was imitating her using a wand, Quinn realized.

Tapping his foot, Zoro repeated his motions a few more times, before he returned his attention to Quinn. "A rapier. That's what you're going to use."

Like the Three Musketeers?

The idea was odd at first. A tiny, stabby little thing that was nothing in comparison to the massive hunk of steel Mihawk wielded, or the slim yet strong trio of swords Zoro was so confident with, but… it made perfect sense. She could flick around a rapier like she would a wand, especially with how strong she'd become since arriving in the East Blue (because there was no chance in hell Quinn would have been able to lift a massive, wooden crate like it was a cardboard box otherwise).

"Alright. Do you know how to use a rapier?"

"A sword is a sword," he stated noncommittally, shrugging at her.

Quinn just sighed.

-::-

Loguetown was gorgeous. Thin, cobblestone streets flanked by buildings capped with clay tile roofs. In the place of alleys were broad canals that wove their way throughout the town, under bridges and past little staircases that ran behind homes that stood on the water, only the barest stretch of stone to find your footing upon exiting the back door.

It was Venice, were it to still be packed to the brim with renaissance figures and merchant sailors peddling their wares at the docks. Quinn almost laughed aloud at the sight of it all once she'd stepped off the Merry, realizing that she was really, properly traveling, even if it was a literal world farther than she would have expected it to be. She was suddenly giddy, beyond excited to try whatever new food she could get her hands on, find books that were completely novel, meet people that were different in a way she never could have imagined. It was incredible.

"No time to be a tourist," Zoro said from next to her.

"Shame, that."

"C'mon, let's go find us some swords!" he announced, giving Quinn a hefty pat on the back that almost threw her headfirst into the ground.

"Christ, you're like Hagrid," she grumbled. Thinking quickly, Quinn laced her arm through Zoro's, giving him a look when he made a strange, affronted noise of complaint. "I'm not letting you wander off and get lost. Not after Cocoyashi."

"Do you have to hold on to me?"

"Apparently, yes."

"Witch."

"Musclehead."

Grinning fiercely, Zoro started taking the longest strides he could, dragging Quinn along as she swore under her breath. "You're such a bitch," she grumbled, having to jog to keep up while Zoro simply marched along, victory in his eyes. "Cattier than Pavarti."

"I don't know any of these people."

"You act like a bratty fifteen year old schoolgirl."

"Well, that's not very nice of you."

Quinn went to fire back when she spotted a sign hanging in front of a shop, the slightly chipped wood emblazoned with a sword and nothing else. No name, no mention of it being a smithy or anything of the sort. Just a sword.

Perfect.

"Right there," she said, pointing it out and tugging Zoro towards the shop.

"Finally."

"It's been five minutes."

"It's been weeks. I feel naked without my swords."

"Well, we'll fix that up real quick. How much money do we have?"

"Hundred and fifty thousand berries."

"Let's hope that's enough then."

Pushing the door open, Quinn let go of Zoro and squinted as her eyes adjusted to the dim light. Some part of her was fond of the fact that everything here was lit by lantern, candle, and torch, and it was a funny thought to know that something that had long irked her about the wizarding world was something she now craved.

"Hello, hello! Welcome to my humble shop!" the man behind the counter crowed, throwing his arms wide. He was middle-aged, with a strange haircut that would do better shaved rather than be allowed to lay in thin tufts that barely covered his scalp, a bit of a greasy air about him. In the corner stood a woman wearing a blocky pair of glasses, her own hair, black as night, held up in a tight ponytail. "What kind of weapons are you interested in? We have all kinds, from sabres to broadswords, katana to scimitars, and all in between! Here at Loguetown Arms we've got any blade that will fit your needs!"

"We've got one hundred fifty thousand berries," Zoro announced, striding up to the counter and propping one elbow on it, unimpressed by the shopkeepers pitch. "We need three swords. Two katana for me, and a rapier for her," he added, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder at Quinn, who nodded absentmindedly, her attention captured by the array of blades hanging from the walls or tucked into wooden racks that clung to the walls. They shined brightly, though there was a strange barrel in the corner that had about two dozen swords tossed into it haphazardly. A literal bargain bin.

"Eh?" She turned to see the previously cheery expression of the shopkeeper replaced by a look of disdain. "You're only going to get dull pieces of scrap for that much."

"I don't really care if they're dull. I'll work with what you've got."

"Listen, brat, I'm not running a-" The man froze as his eyes skimmed over the lonely sword at Zoro's waist. "Could I… could I have a look at that sword you've got there?"

"Zoro…"

He put his hand up, and Quinn knew in an instant he was going to entertain the shopkeeper's request. "Sure thing, old man." He took the blade out of its scabbard and placed it with a touch of reverence onto the counter. "Take a look."

Slowly, the shopkeeper ran a finger across the back of the blade, trembling slightly. His eyes, jittery, constantly flitted between the sword and its owner, far too alike Mundungus Fletcher for Quinn's own liking. "This sword's no good," the man blurted, slapping his hand on the counter for good measure.

"Bullshit. I see that look in your eyes," she interrupted. "What's so special about it?"

The woman who had been browsing when they walked in pushed forward, staring at the blade with astonishment. "That's the Wado Ichimonji!" she breathed, hand hovering over the sword. "The Straight Path of Harmony!"

"Listen, lady, I think you might be a bit confused-"

"Confused!?" Whipping a book out of her back pocket, the woman quickly flicked through it until she found what she was looking for, slapping the book on the table and jabbing her finger at a rendition of Zoro's sword. "This is it! It's an exact match! This sword is a work of art!"

"And you're trying to swindle my friend out of it?" Quinn asked, danger in her voice.

Swiftly, Zoro jammed the sword back into its scabbard. "It's not for sale anyways."

"Whatever. No good brats. Look, there's swords worth fifty thousand in that barrel over there," the man growled, pointing at the one Quinn had spotted earlier. "Pick three and get out of my shop."

"Three?" the woman asked. "For your friends?"

"Two are for me," Zoro said, stooping over the barrel and glaring at it as if it would reveal its secrets to him. "One's for her."

"Then you use three swords? That's just like that one bounty hunter… Zoro? Roronoa Zoro?"

"Yeah, I've heard of him."

"He's incredibly skilled by all accounts, but using a sword just to make money?" Shaking her head, the woman sighed loudly. "That's unforgivable."

"Unforgivable?" Quinn asked. "How, exactly?"

"All the greatest swordsmen in the world are bounty hunters, pirates, or- or any other kind of brigand! Isn't that terrible?"

Scoffing, Quinn wandered over to join Zoro, sifting through the barrel with a scrutinizing gaze. Rapier, rapier, rapier…

"Man's gotta' eat," Zoro grunted simply, attention stolen away. "I don't see anything wrong with bounty hunting."

Meanwhile, the shopkeeper had gotten involved in the conversation, banging his fist against the counter. "Bad guys are good for business! Things were great until that monster took over this town!"

"Captain Smoker isn't a monster!" the woman shouted.

"He's got a Devil Fruit, don't he?"

The woman sniffed in annoyance, looking away. "You have my sword, don't you? Give me it and I'll get out of your hair. Jerk."

"Yeah, yeah…"

Letting out a relieved sigh, Quinn turned her attention back to the matter at hand. She poked through the barrel until she came across a rapier, and although it was a bit blunted and wasn't of the greatest quality, she could tell that after giving it a good sharpening it would do just fine. "Anything in there catch your fancy?" she asked Zoro, looking around for a place to sit while he picked out his swords.

"This one," he proclaimed, grinning at the first blade he'd picked. "There's something about it that just… this is special."

From where she was standing, Quinn could feel magic on the blade, something she hadn't noticed before. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, and whatever magic suffused the weapon bordered on malicious, although it didn't quite reach that point. It felt almost alive, in the same abstract way any old artefact did. The Mirror of Erised, her cloak, the Philosopher's Stone… all of them had an undefinable sense of self that, while not intelligent or aware in the same way a person was, gave the impression that those objects were alive so long as you stretched the definition of the word near to its breaking point.

"Boy…" The man spoke seriously for the first time since they'd entered the shop. "That blade is-"

"-Cursed?" Zoro finished his sentence for him, holding the sword up to the light. "I like it."

"Did you not hear me? Everyone who's ever wielded that blade has died."

"Then why carry the damn thing?" Quinn shot, scoffing at him.

"I don't know! Every time I go to throw the sword out I forget to do it!"

Definitely magical, she thought, poking at the blade with her own magic. It pushed aside her curious prodding, the sword's attention focused on the man holding it. "It's testing you," she told Zoro, who smiled at her words.

"Testing me, eh? Then what about this?" He hefted the sword in his hand, weighing it, before making a motion as if to toss it into the air. "My will against its own. I think that would do."

Before Quinn could say anything, Zoro whipped the sword into the air, holding his arm out beneath its fall. She cursed mentally as it spun, looking for all the world as if it were about to shave through his arm at the elbow. Time seemed to slow down, and she was forced to watch as the sword fell down, down, a gasp escaping Quinn when instead of lopping off Zoro's arm, it rolled off the inside of his elbow, the edge of the blade never making contact with his skin. It slid from his arm as if juggled by an entertainer bordering on daredevil, sinking into the floorboards up to the guard, like they weren't even there in the first place. A devilish grin split Zoro's face from cheek to cheek, and he opened his mouth to proudly announce, "I'll take it."

The shopkeeper and the (very naive, Quinn might add) woman nearly fell down in shock, awed by Zoro's incredibly brave, incredibly stupid display. Quinn, meanwhile, could feel approval seeping off the sword that was wholly directed towards Zoro. It would not cut him, it would not fail in battle. This sword had, somehow, picked up on his dream to become the greatest and was more than eager to accompany him on his journey.

"You're something else, kid…" The shopkeeper whistled lowly, shaking his head all the while. "Take this. Take both, free of charge," he continued, taking a sword off the centre rack behind the counter and holding it out towards Zoro. "Her name is Yubashiri, and she's the best we've got."

"I can't buy that…"

"Did I not say free? C'mon, don't make me change my mind. Same goes to you, girl, seeing as you're with him."

"You sure?" Zoro asked.

"Absolutely. And… my apologies for trying to swindle you earlier. It's been a long, long time since I laid eyes on a proper swordsman. I hope both Kitetsu and Yubashiri will serve you well."

"Ah." Zoro pulled the cursed sword, Kitetsu, out of the floor, twirling it in his hand. "So that's your name."

Another pulse of magic and happiness emanated from the sword. Looked like it had chosen well. "Good to go, then?" Quinn asked, lacing the rapier through her belt and patting it a few times to make sure it was snug. "Or are you going to stand there eyefucking that sword until it gives you its number?"

Choking on his own spit, Zoro whirled on her with the most offended expression she'd ever seen, a laugh bursting from her lips at the sight of it. "Why- you-" he spluttered, gaping at her. "What the hell?" Still off kilter, he pushed past her and grabbed his other sword off the counter alongside an extra scabbard., giving the owner a sharp nod before glaring at Quinn. "Let's go."

"Thanks!" she cheered, waving at the man as they left, Zoro grumbling all the while.

"I change my mind," he said as they walked out, turning down the street and walking towards the square. "You're worse than Nami."

"I mean, you were looking at the thing like-"

"Not another word."

Another laugh, and Zoro kept muttering under his breath, although that didn't stop him from shooting the occasional glance at the swords at his waist with a pleased expression. He walked a little higher after that, his slouch gone and a hungry gleam in his eyes that spoke of a hunger for battle. Well, that was fast, she mused, before frowning. Damnit, he's going to put me through the ringer once we get back to the ship.

And it looked like Zoro had thought the same thing, giving Quinn a dangerous look. "Your training starts once we hit the Grand Line."

"Lovely."

"I'm not the one who couldn't keep her mouth shut."

"I get it, I get it. Jeez. Let's just go find Luffy and the rest of the crew and get out of here." She inclined her head towards a gaggle of passing Marines as she spoke. "Lots of movement around town and knowing Luffy something's going to happen."

"Don't remind me." Zoro gave her what could pass as a pleading look. "You can be in charge of him."

"You're the first mate, that's all on you."

"I said don't remind me."

They looked at each other for a moment and then broke out into laughter, and that was how the rest of the crew found them, cackling like a couple of lunatics on the outskirts of the town square.

"Do I even want to know?" Nami asked as she approached, a couple of shopping bags slung over one arm. Usopp nodded beside her, frowning. Off to the side, Sanji walked up with a heap of fresh groceries thrown over his shoulder, waving.

He looked around, stomping a cigarette beneath his shoe. "Where's Luffy?"

"Dunno'." Quinn shrugged, standing on her toes to peek over the crowd. "I don't- oh shit." She pointed ahead and everyone looked to see Luffy standing on top of some scaffolding, his hands on his hips and a grin on his face. "That's…?"

"Gold Roger's execution platform… should we get him?" Usopp asked.

Cupping her hands around her mouth and pushing a bit of magic into her voice in an improvised sonorous, Quinn shouted, "Oi! Luffy! Get down from there!"

As she spoke, something in the middle of the square exploded, rubble flying everywhere and screams following with it. People began to panic, running every which way and Quinn squared her stance, ready to bolt through the crowd and grab Luffy should she need to. "Straw Hat!" someone roared, and a clown (a bloody clown?) came rushing out of the crowd, a woman at his side. "I've come to get my revenge!"

"Buggy?" Luffy shouted, frowning at the man.

"The one and only!"

Quinn just gaped at it all. "Who the fuck is Buggy?"

"Him," Zoro and Nami said in unison, pointing at the clown.

"I'm getting Luffy," she announced, pushing towards the scaffolding. Halfway towards it, ignoring the monologue of the clown and his, admittedly, beautiful companion, a bloody pillory slammed down on Luffy's shoulders and pinned him to the platform. "Fuck."

She broke into a sprint, elbowing what she realized were pirates out of the way. Her rapier was drawn from her waist in a flash and she skewered some bastard who looked straight out of a circus through the gut, pushing him aside. "Move!" Quinn roared, a chill running down her spine when she looked up to see the clown standing over Luffy with a sword in his hand.

"Today is the day I punish you, Straw Hat, for all the world to see! Any last words?"

"Last words?" He hummed, eyes glittering. "My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm going to be the King of the Pirates!"

The entire square fell silent, and Luffy grinned out at them all, ending his little speech with a succinct, "Sorry guys! I'm dead!"

"Not on my watch," she growled, and turned on the spot just as clouds gathered overhead, an unnatural chill in the air. Quinn appeared behind Buggy with a crack, and the clown spun around in shock just as her sword fell, not a hint of hesitation in her strike.

Sneering at him, Quinn's sword carved through Buggy's chest and she gaped when he was neatly bisected from shoulder to hip, the pieces of him floating in the air. Devil Fruit, she realized, kicking at his legs which split again to dodge her strike. "New crewmate of yours?" he asked, laughing. "And you didn't tell her about me?"

"Is that you, Quinn?"

"It's me," she huffed, trying to come up with a way to get the clown away from Luffy.

"Looks like I'm not dead!"

Just as Luffy said those words lightning struck, blinding and deafening Quinn. She felt more than heard as the scaffolding collapsed, a pair of rubber arms catching her by the waist as she fell. Quinn held tight to Luffy and gasped as they hit the ground, blinking the light from her eyes to see her captain smiling at her. She didn't have time to wonder about magic lightning and clowns with Devil Fruits, and instead focused solely on Luffy.

Let's go! She saw him mouth, and nodded in reply. They bolted from the smouldering wreckage, a sudden deluge of ice-cold rain plastering her hair to her cheeks, and Quinn's mind raced as the rest of the crew disengaged from their fights and fell in line, a gaggle of circus themed pirates lying on the cobblestones around them. Her ears were ringing something fierce, and she pressed a palm to the side of her head as they sprinted to the docks, pushing people out of the way, and set to work on fixing her hearing. The ringing was soon replaced by the sound of shouting voices, clashing steel, and Luffy's hysterical laughter as Nami shouted at him.

"Sorry I'm dead? Is that all you have to say?" she shrieked, whipping out her bo staff and smacking a marine across the face as the authorities joined the fight. "Asshole!"

"What was I supposed to say!?" Luffy shouted back, his foot whipping out and mowing down a handful of marines as they jumped towards them, rifles raised in their direction.

"Save me?"

"No. That's what you say!"

An animalistic noise of frustration burst out of Nami, while Zoro laughed loudly as he cut through the encroaching horde of pirates and marines that sought to block their path. "Everyone get to the ship!" he shouted, urging them on as he leapt to catch the sword of the woman from the shop, her face contorted in anger.

"Pirate Hunter Zoro! I'll be taking those swords from you!"

"Like hell!"

When Sanji went to enter the fray, Quinn grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him along. "Zoro will be fine!"

"But-!"

"I said he'll be fine, now move!"

He swore under his breath, but that didn't stop Sanji from laying kick after kick into anyone who tried to block their path. Quinn took out her pistol and fired shots at the ground, kicking up rubble and tossing anyone caught up in the subsequent explosion out of the way. She and the rest of the Straw Hats kept running, Usopp rapidly loosing a veritable gift basket of ordinance from his slingshot. Luffy flowed like water through the mess, his entire body bending as he dodged every weapon swung his way, until a surprised shout leapt from his throat when a cloud of smoke smashed into him and pushed him into an alley.

"Keep going, I'll help him!" Quinn shouted, immediately rushing down the alley after her captain. She followed the thick, white cloud of smoke, bursting out the other end of the alley to see a hulking marine looming over Luffy with a strange looking bludgeon pressed to his throat. Quinn could feel the thrum of seastone even a few feet away, whatever magic fueled the substance reeking of the ocean.

Her sword came crashing down on the back of the marine's neck, carving through it like it wasn't even there. She cursed aloud to see wisps of smoke bringing his body back together, and the man turned to glare at her, two cigars clamped between his teeth and a set of heavy snow white eyebrows slammed together in a permanent frown. "You must be the other one… Quinn D. Potter," he growled, turning his attention back to Luffy and ignoring her. "I'll get to you in a minute."

Quinn plunged her sword into his side, opening a hole in the marine that swiftly closed once she'd drawn the rapier back. He's made of smoke just like Luffy's made of rubber, she told herself, deciding to try something different.

Raising her rapier high, she brought it down in a flash, a massive gust of wind dissipating the marine and sending a cloud of smoke billowing across the open ocean.

"Impressive," a deep voice spoke from behind her, and Quinn whirled around to see a massive, cloaked figure standing over her. She could make out the vague pattern of a jagged, diamond patterned tattoo that carved its way across the left side of his face. The man jerked his head towards where the Going Merry waited, keeping his eyes locked on the approaching form of the marine, only the upper half of his body made of flesh and bone, a whirling funnel of smoke below his waist. "Go on then, I'll take care of him for the two of you."

"Who are you?" she uttered, hoisting Luffy up and beckoning him on.

"A concerned party," was the only thing the man said in reply, his hand flashing out to catch the marine's arm when it came launching towards them. A black sheen coated his skin where it made contact with the smoking marine, who turned to her and Luffy's impromptu saviour with fear in his eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

The man just smiled. "The world is waiting for our answer," he intoned, and with that said, he threw his arm out and an incredible gale launched Quinn and Luffy away, sending them skidding down the street right into the path of Sanji and Zoro.

"Move! Move!" Zoro shouted, hoisting her up as Sanji did the same for Luffy. "It's a goddamn monsoon!"

Quinn couldn't tell up from down at that point, sprinting headlong towards the ship and barely pausing at the sight of a fucking lorry-sized lion hunkered down next to the Merry, licking something off the stones. She ran up the gangway alongside Zoro as Usopp and Nami shouted at them, their voices lost in the wind. Quinn almost fell over once she made it on deck, panting, and as soon as Sanji and Luffy joined them, Usopp let go of the rope still mooring them to the dock, Nami unfurling the sail and whooping as it caught the fierce wind and pulled them away from Loguetown.

"What… what the hell was that!?" Quinn shouted, hands on her thighs, staring with barely contained shock in the direction they had come from, where the mysterious figure had intervened on her and Luffy's behalf.

Giggling, Luffy threw his arms in the air. "I have no idea!"

The ship rolled up and down the waves, carving through the sea as they pulled further and further away from Loguetown and Luffy's almost-execution. "Look there!" Nami exclaimed, pointing at the distant glow of a lighthouse. "Know what that is?"

"Not a damn clue!" Zoro answered, fighting with some of the rigging.

"Beyond that is the entrance to the Grand Line!" She turned to the rest of the crew and grinned, a far sight from the terrified woman Quinn had seen on the Conomi Islands. "Are you guys ready?"

Clapping his hands, Sanji grabbed a barrel and dragged it over to the middle of the deck. "This calls for a celebration! A declaration of our dreams!"

He threw one foot on top of the barrel, smirking at the crew. "Well?"

Luffy's foot joined his, then Zoro's, Sanji's, Nami's, and finally Quinn's. Sanji smiled, a soggy cigarette clamped between his teeth that was barely smoking. "I'm going to find the All Blue!" he announced, squaring his shoulders.

"I'm going to be the King of the Pirates!"

"I'm going to be the world's Greatest Swordsman!"

"I'm going to draw a map of the world!"

"I'm going to become a brave warrior of the sea!"

They all turned to Quinn, her heart in her throat, and she shouted the first thing that came to mind. Something childish, something she would have wished for when making it through the day was still her greatest worry. A want, a dream, rooted in the long dark shadow cast by her parent's death and the fame that chased her every step thereafter. She yearned for, dreamed for something all her own.

"I'm going to become the greatest witch that ever lived!" she screamed, throwing her fist in the air.

Soon, the rest of the crew joined her, whooping, roaring, laughing as they pointed their fists towards the sky. The rain poured down on them in a torrent, the distant crack of thunder echoing across the roiling ocean, and on that little caravel that tumbled over great, foam-capped waves, something magical was born.

The Straw Hat Pirates, ready to take the world by storm.