Sab was banging her head on the wall in a poor attempt to alleviate her frustration. Luffia outdid herself this time. While Sab was aware that Luffia was not doing this without reason, she could not help but still feel frustrated to confront the situation this way. It didn't help that Kidd consented to this absurd alliance.
Well, from a practical perspective, it wasn't absurd. It was a well-thought-out alliance that would bring benefits in the long run, and Sab would be an idiot to ignore that benefit.
"Damn you, Luffia." She could have escaped this place. Stealth was her specialty, but escaping would mean running away. While that was tempting, Sab could not find it in herself to run away now. With a heavy sigh, she lay on the queen-sized bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering if the answers to her dilemma would be there.
Who knew how long it took her to sleep, and when the morning sun peeked through the drapes of the curtains, Sab knew that she just spent the night in Kidd's base.
Groaning at that realization, she dreaded going downstairs just to see Kidd and his men. What was she supposed to do in this alliance? Be his slave? She would kick his ass if he treated her as such. The thought of exchanging banters with him brought a sense of nostalgia to Sab, reminding her of what they used to be. But whatever was in the past cannot be brought back.
A knock on the door woke her from her musings. With a tensed shoulder, she snapped her head just in time to see the door open.
"Disappointed?"
"Shut it, Killer." She said, biting back a sigh of relief.
"Were you expecting someone else?" The blonde man received an icy glare from Sab, and in return, he raised his hand in defense. "Please don't get mad at me."
"Hmp!"
"I did not plan this."
"I'm aware. But you did nothing to help me!"
"I would help you if you were in danger. Which you are not." He argued. "Look, I know this was not what you wanted. But it's a chance."
"Chance to what?"
"Chance to make it up to yourself and Kidd."
"There's no redemption for what I lost, Killer." She instinctively placed a hand on her flat stomach, missing the bump and heartbeats of her children. Had they been alive they would have been a little over a year old now.
"You cannot bring them back. I know that. Even now, I still felt guilty for failing to protect them. But the least you could do is to bring back what you and Kidd lost. Think about it, Sab."
She shook her head, refusing his suggestion.
"Well..." He dragged a sigh, diverting the conversation. "While you're thinking about that, you might as well go downstairs. Breakfast is ready."
"And you expect me to have a sunny breakfast with him?"
"Unless you want to starve to death." Sometimes, she hated his sarcastic but practical responses.
Left with no choice, she followed him downstairs, meeting familiar faces. Kidd was there, grumpy as ever while sipping his coffee. He did not bother lifting his head to look at her, and it hurt a little. On the other hand, it would be better rather than meeting his eyes and melting at his gaze. Sab wasn't sure if she was ready to confront the emotions he would throw at her after their last conversation.
Without a word, she took the empty seat on the dining table. Unfortunately, it was right next to Kidd. She glared at Killer who ignored her earlier signal to not take the farthest seat.
Wire and Heat were also scrambling to keep their mouths shut, eating their breakfast as quietly as possible while stealing glances between Sab and Kidd. The three of them signaled each other to start a conversation or something to break the icy atmosphere, but all of them were afraid.
"Ugh - " Heat almost choked when Kidd lifted his head to glare at the three of them. Their reactions quirked Sab's lips, almost forming into an amused grin. She may pity them, but she won't break the silence.
And that's how they ended their breakfast, filled with awkwardness.
"Killer." Kidd decided to finally break the silence. Heat and Wire heaved a sigh of relief.
"Yes?"
"Get the men ready. We'll be disrupting Kaido's deals. And deal with Orochi. Once and for all."
Sab immediately stopped drinking her coffee upon hearing what Kidd said. Did Killer inform Kidd about that incident in the abandoned junkyard? Sab had the people that died on that day investigated, and it was not hard to guess they were Kaido's men, but specifically, they were under Orochi's.
"Of course. When do we start?"
"As soon as possible." Kidd left without saying a word to Sab. She was about to call him, her mouth hanging open, but in the end, her voice faded.
Instead of asking Kidd, she turned to his trusted men.
"What are your plans?"
"Who knows." Heat shrugged and earned a familiar scowl from Sab as if she was thinking how idiotic they were.
"Well, we've been gathering intel for who knows how long. And we've encountered them already, so it should be pretty obvious when we should strike. You've been tailing them, right?" Killer asked.
"Yes. Disrupting them was one of our goals. After all, Orochi holds an important position in the World Government. Who knows how many innocent lives were inflicted by their wickedness."
"Indeed. Oh well. I think you could help us gather more intel. That's your specialty, right?" Sab can only nod. What choice does he have anyway? If she leaves this in their hands, who knows what kind of plans they would come up with? Or if there was any plan of some sort to follow.
The way she sees it, this is how their cooperation would be like, where she will be in the shadows to help. Quitting the Celestial Law Firm was never an option, not when they were in the midst of their plans.
Her stress level reached new heights with this alliance. Is she supposed to be a prisoner here? What kind of prisoner would be free to roam the place without restrictions? Was she supposed to leave? She was lost in her thoughts, especially with how Kidd was ignoring her all the time.
All. The. Damn. Time.
As if she didn't exist. She found it relieving when she was not prepared for another confrontation. But as time went by, the longer she stays in this place, the more she could feel the impending stress and annoyance building up every damn time Kidd ignores her.
He won't even talk to her at all! It was as if she didn't exist!
"Right." Ann raised an eyebrow at her when she went to their hideout after the annoyance she felt in Kidd's house. Not all the members knew of this alliance. It was for safety precautions in the event of leaks. "First, you wanted to strangle Luffia to death for forcing you into this alliance. Well, you were the payment - "
"Don't treat me like a commodity!"
"- and complained he ignored you."
"Ann, while this alliance makes sense in Luffia's perspective, and our overall goal, his attitude leaves a lot to be desired to complete this alliance."
"A lot to be desired. Right. First, you told me you don't want to confront him, fine. That is understandable. I hated Luffia's idea and the way she put this through. But now, you're complaining about the way he was treating you? You weren't a prisoner, were you?"
"Yes. But! Agghh! He's a pain in the ass!"
"How do you want him to treat you? You understood perfectly well how complicated your situation was." The elder sister pitied the younger for what she had to deal with. She would have lost her mind if she was in Sab's position.
"I don't know anymore!" If Luffia did not force this situation, she would have been fine avoiding him like the plague. For years. Forever. Every time Kidd looked at her, the glances, gone was the hatred, but replaced with a void that Sab did not know how to deal with. She would know how to deal with hatred like she had been doing for the past two years, but not the sorrow, pain, and void in his eyes directed at something.
It would make a lot of sense to be hated. Not ignored.
And while Sab was having an existential crisis, Luffia was sitting at the back probably eating her popcorn.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Marco was out of it as usual. On the outside, he looked calm, but anyone from their group, especially his siblings knew how untrue that was. Behind his beautiful blue eyes was an unstoppable rage directed at Ann. It worried everyone.
They cannot fathom the turmoil he was going through when they also felt anger because of Ann's betrayal.
Haruta felt even more conflicted after her recent discoveries. After confirming that the bombs were removed and disabled, she received another news about a bounty circling in the streets issued by the World Government.
Wanted: Ann Ortiz aka Firefist. Dead or Alive. 450,000.
That wasn't the first time the World Government released a bounty on someone. Had it not been for the consequences of releasing the bounties on Emperors' heads to the general public, they would have done so publicly. The repercussions of such actions would lead to non-stop warfare between the World Government and the Mafia Groups. But in cases where World Government decided to put a bounty on someone, everyone in the streets knew that someone have done incredibly damaging to the World Government.
"What did she do?" Haruta was baffled while recollecting the intelligence she gathered about Ann. Firefist was indeed a menace in the streets, often causing troubles everywhere she wanted to, leaving ashes on the ground. While her actions in the past had led to a few buildings burning down, Haruta could not think of anything worthy of getting this large bounty in one go.
After organizing her thoughts, she went back to the Whitebeard's mansion, carrying grave news that might shock everyone. She briefly wondered if she should report this to Pops instead of announcing it to every commander, especially to Marco. The mere mention of Ann's name had him flinching, eyes flaring with murderous intent.
"Haruta! Just in time. We were about to start the meeting if you had been a minute late!" Izou complained before dragging Haruta to her seat next to her. Not everyone was present. Only Pops, Marco, Thatch, Izou, Vista, and Blenheim. Just her luck that most of the people present were the people Ann interacted with the most.
The meeting went on regarding the standings of the companies they handle as well as the movements of other Emperors. The possible Alliance between Kaido and Big Mom were always in their minds given the amount of activities the two had been doing, leading Whitebeard to suspect that the alliance might be in place not far off in the future.
Shanks remained as neutral as possible, not joining the fray, and wanted to stand to the side and kept his territories. And Teach had been nothing but a menace, but he stayed clear from the Whitebeard's territory now that they are serious about their shoot-to-kill with that traitor.
As the conversation continued, Haruta almost felt relaxed that no topics about Ann were brought up.
"Any news?" Marco asked her, expecting an answer regarding Ann. Concealing the information would lead her nowhere for they would hear about it sooner or later.
"There is." His eyes lit up, eager to listen. Everyone watched Marco turn murderous, worried for him. While his dating experiences also involved a lot of betrayals, none of it affected him. Sometimes Thatch would tease him about being nonchalant after killing the spy they planted in their ranks to get close to him or seduce him. Although that may be the case, Marco always knew about it, smart enough to play along and get back at them harsher than ever. His instincts honed after years of being in the Streets, always alert for betrayals. He built his reputation as one of the smartest men in the street, always calm and composed. Some even started calling him cunning for he seemed unguarded when he wasn't.
Then Ann came along. Destroying that barrier to pieces.
"What is it, yoi?"
"World Government put a bounty on her head. 450. Dead or Alive."
"450?!" Thatch exclaimed. "Are you serious?!"
"Yes. I just received this. Apparently, they placed the bounty in the streets, but not the general public." She explained, lamenting this news.
Whitebeard remained silent while watching his son take the news. Not many might be able to read what was in Marco's mind, but Edward Newgate knew too well the turmoil he was feeling, masked by the murderous intent.
"Say, Haruta," Izou said. "What did Ann do to the World Government again?"
"Not that much. Well, a few buildings burnt down was nothing. We've done worse than that and we never had a bounty this high on the initial release." All commanders have bounties but because their group was the largest, some attributed the bounties to their second in command within their units. So the bounties were pretty spread out.
"But that could attribute to the fact that a few actions were not performed by ourselves," Vista said.
"True, but getting this high is quite unexpected. Something is not right. What do you think Pops?" Everyone looked at Whitebeard after Blenheim's question except for Marco who was still in deep thought.
"Unexpected. You said that Big Mom knew something about her, didn't you?" He looked at Izou who witnessed the exchange between Ann and Big Mom's group.
"Yes. But I have no idea what they meant. I can't guess."
"I have a few ideas, but let's keep it at that. We will find out sooner or later."
"It doesn't matter if World Government released a bounty. Nothing will change. She is still our target."
None of them disagreed. While they are curious about Ann's identity, an enemy is still an enemy. Yet, it seems Whitebeard thought otherwise.
"Remove the order of shoot to kill." He said, causing Marco to snap his head toward his father.
"Sorry, yoi?"
"You heard me, Marco."
"She's an enemy, yoi."
"Capture her when there's a chance is all I ask." Whitebeard knew that absolving Ann's crimes in their group would not be acceptable.
"I can't promise that, yoi."
All Whitebeard did was raise an eyebrow at his son before shaking his head. Stubbornness runs in the family after all. All he could hope for is that there won't be a day when Marco regrets anything.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
The news of Ann's bounty reached different parts of the dark streets. Some rejoiced, some curious, some worried.
The Strawhats all looked at each other, silently questioning the motive behind a huge bounty on Ann's head. Robin's eyes were particularly darting meaningfully at Luffia who kept staring at the bounty they received. It detailed the amount and Ann's picture.
The more Luffia stares at it, the more she loathed the World Government. Without meaning to, her fingers started clenching around the paper till it crumbled.
'They've begun,' she thought to herself.
Zoro who was a well-known bounty also received the notice. His green eyes never left Luffia's, drinking in the way her expressions changed from anger to sadness, before resuming the blank state of innocence.
"Ann will lay low for now." She broke the silence before asking a few things directly connected to their group as if she was dismissing the topic of Ann's bounty. This cut off any questions that her members had. It was Luffia's way of telling them not to ask questions when she closed the topic already.
They built a habit of remaining silent, trusting their leader to talk when she wanted to.
Zoro for his part kept the questions to himself. The past few weeks had been mind-boggling. He watched Luffia fight as if he was seeing a different person. It was as if she wasn't the person he knew anymore. The ruthlessness in a Mafia group was not new to him, but it felt odd to see Luffia order an attack that shed the blood of the enemies to the ground.
Not to mention her sisters. Were they blood-related? He was not sure and based on his observations, it seemed that the Strawhats' members may not hold the answer either. Luffia's actions begged a lot of questions in Zoro's mind but, often they get sidelined in favor of holding onto their bond. He thought that what he didn't know would not kill him, and if Luffia wanted him dead, she would have done so when she had the chance.
But something was amiss. He just could not point out what it was. Perhaps it involved a secret Luffia could not divulge.
'She won't lie to me,' he consoled himself, a reminder when the disturbing suspicion about the sisters' identities resurfaced. And he would hold onto Luffia's words for as long as he can.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Rayleigh could only sigh. The news reached him. If the World Government caught wind of Ann's identity, it would be a matter of time before they discover Sab and Luffia too.
"It is not too late to pull the children out of Grandline." Scopper Gabban said while looking at the notice they received from the streets.
"And draw more suspicions? Sab is pretty deep into the World Government, working for the Celestial Law Firm. And Luffia has a group she belongs to."
"And the snitch?"
"Nothing. After all these years, nothing." Unless they sniff out the snitch from Roger's former group, their allies cannot rally to retaliate against the World Government. The risk of being done from the inside would be more dangerous than fighting against their former enemies. They would be hit before they knew it or fall into a trap they cannot get out of.
Roger had been smart enough to order not to reform the group after leaving Grandline. At the moment, his former allies cannot reveal themselves until they are sure there are no spies in their midst. If not, the sisters' plans would be thwarted to nothingness. All sacrifices will be in vain.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
When Sab heard about the bounty, she fumed before dialing Ann's number.
She picked up almost instantly.
"Have you heard of it?" There was no pleasantry in the call, not when the news was grave.
"Yes." She answered, almost resigned.
"They shouldn't - "
"They can," Ann answered. "From the looks of it, they knew who I am. Otherwise, they wouldn't give me a bounty this high."
"This made things more complicated." Sab could think of possibilities on how things will go from now. With the attention of not just the Mafia Groups but bounty hunters on Ann, it would be hard for her to get out of hiding before being chased to her death. "You should lay low for now."
"You know that I can't, Sab."
"You have to! You can't get out of there as Firefist! You will never know who will target you."
"I know that. I am not saying I will go out as Firefist. I could go, vigilante. I can't sit still waiting for nothing."
"You should just group with Luffia in the meantime if that is the case."
"Sab, that would bring unnecessary attention to Luffia's group. While her officers knew about me, not everyone does. Many will question my presence even if I am disguised." She argued, disliking the idea of bringing Luffia into the chaos that her bounty produced.
"Are you telling me that you will still act alone?"
"Yes. But I will be careful, okay? I promise."
"I still worry."
"We don't have much choice." The exhaustion in her voice was evident but so was the determination to continue. They dug too deep to pull out now. Or more like they couldn't pull out now more than ever. They invested a lot of time, effort, sweat, tears, and blood to fulfill their desires to seek revenge for their parents to think of going back.
Should they go back or pull out, where would they go? They have no place to turn to, no home. Even if they hide till the day they die, they would die with regrets in their hearts. How were they supposed to face their parents?
While the idea of giving up was tempting, Ann will never do it. Her pride will never allow her to fall back. If the World Government thought that this will scare her, they were wrong. She was more determined to finish what they started.
"Just carry on with your tasks, Sab. Intercept the World Government as much as you can. I'll do what I can on my end."
"We are focusing on Orochi," Sab said.
"I'll go after Big Mom."
The call ended right there, leaving Ann to herself, thinking how she should move now that her identity have been exposed. The only good thing she was thankful for was the fact that World Government did not expose her identity as Gol D. Ann.
Perhaps they cannot afford the possibility of retaliation from Roger's allies. It is also possible that Big Mom was behind the scenes, tipping her identity to the World Government. How she found out, Ann still could not guess. With her identity known to the World Government and Big Mom, this left her no choice but to make sure that Big Mom's group will suffer tremendously for that information.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
If there was one who was happy after hearing Ann's bounty, it was Perospero. The humiliation he suffered in Ann's hands will never go unpunished. He swore this.
"Now, I just have to trap you somewhere. I will surely deliver your head to the World Government. Or maybe I should give your other limbs to the Whitebeards as a gift."
He ominously said, smiling to himself, dreaming of the day when Ann would fall into his trap where death awaits her.