One Piece: Brave New World

by ShadowNinja77

Monkey D. Luffy sets out to find the One Piece in a world that is more expansive than expected, with vast characters and locations. Expanded crew, story arcs, and settings in general. I do not own One Piece or anything else I bring in.

11. The Green Arrow

"What do you think of this one?" Nami asked, holding up a long black and white dress.

"Like all the others, it looks nice on you. Now can you hurry up and pick something so we can go already?" Sabine asked. "We do still have some errands to run you know."

"Ugh, you are such a killjoy. You should learn to appreciate the finer things when you have the opportunity."

"The finer things for me are painting and crafting," Sabine replied, tapping her foot. "Now, are you actually going to buy anything or are you just wasting time?"

Nami rolled her eyes before selecting a couple items. Then after haggling ferociously with the owner over an agreed price, they finally left, the owner either sweating buckets or crying profusely. It was hard for Sabine to tell.

"Alright, where are we headed?" Nami asked, shouldering her bags.

"Over there," Sabine pointed towards a crafts store. It was small and looked a little rundown but she often found what she was looking for in places like that. "I need more supplies for all my gear. Plus, they should have more paint cans. Then we need to stop by the gun store. Need a new pistol after the last one broke."

"Ugh, boring!"

"Hey, maybe you can get a new stick there," Sabine gestured towards Nami's staff on her hip. "One that's more battle appropriate. You know, now that you're a pirate."

Nami stiffened at those words. She hated them. Hated the idea of being a pirate. She'd pretended plenty of times before, joining up with random crews to steal their stuff and escape. It hurt her every time, to even pretend to be one of them. But for her village, she'd make any sacrifice. Still, when Sabine said it now, it hurt differently. This crew was a weird one, calling themselves pirates and yet acting contrary to any other pirate crew she'd met before. And it was…nice, hanging out with them. Even if Sabine had no taste in fashion and the captain was an idiot.

Sabine perused through the different aisles, picking up different items for inspection and, if she liked them, dropping them in her bag. Especially when it came to colors. She'd managed to snag seven more paint colors and get a few refills as well. She also found enough material for a couple dozen more bombs, though they'd have to be small ones.

"Quite a haul," Nami commented, looking it over.

"You're one to talk," Sabine replied, eyeing Nami's clothes. "Anyway, here." She handed over a small pipe to Nami who looked at it with a frown.

"And, uh, what is it?"

"It's a new staff, like I promised. Watch." With a press of a small switch in the center of the pipe, the ends suddenly extended from hidden compartments, revealing a staff almost as tall as them.

"Whoa!" Nami muttered, taking in the new tool. She held it up and then twirled it around, getting a feel for it. It did seem lighter than her wooden staff but it also had more power behind it.

"How is it?"

"Great!" Nami grinned, already imagining all the heads she'd knock with this thing.

"Yeah, I thought you'd like it. Recognized it over there. Not many people use staffs like this, so they're hard to come by. You're lucky one like this is here."

Nami wasn't sure how to respond or even feel about this. Now Sabine was just giving her a gift? She couldn't understand how any pirate would do that. She supposed since she thought they were on the same crew now, then maybe…

But that only made Nami feel more guilty as there was no way she was going to be able to stay on this crew. Not with Arlong hanging over her. Not to mention the fact that she hated pirates and everything about them.

Well, apparently, almost everything.

"By the way, you're paying for that."

Never mind. She hated them.

"I thought this was a gift!" she protested.

"Your mistake. The gift was finding it. You have to pay for it. Or I can put it back for you," Sabine shrugged. "Your choice."

Nami juggled her options: really good staff vs. her precious money. She had a competent staff already and really did need the money more. But, it was a really good staff and she could do more damage with it and thus steal from more pirates. And it wouldn't take too much away from her money. Still, money was money…

"How about you pay for it and I'll let you borrow it every now and then?" she offered.

"Oh look, they do have guns here."

"Don't ignore me!"

Sabine ignored her, completely focused on the small rack of guns on the wall behind the desk. She unconsciously reached for her holster, feeling the empty slot. "Hey, can I get one of those?" she asked the shopkeeper.

He glanced over at the guns. "Sure. Which one suits your fancy?"

As they talked, Nami kept browsing through the aisles though she wasn't finding anything that interesting. It really was just an crafts store with a few other items thrown in as well. She picked up a slingshot and wondered what anyone would do with that. Must be just a kid's toy. Then she spotted several weights propped on a shelf and recalled Shang-Chi asking Sabine to get some for him to help with training.

"Might as well," she muttered, though she wasn't sure why. It would only aid him in becoming a stronger pirate and the world had enough of those. Still, she found herself walking over, planning to pick some up for him. That was, until she did pick them up and nearly fell over from the weight.

"Never mind, he can get them himself," she groaned, putting the weights back. "Jeez, why would anyone need something like that?"

DING!

She looked up as the door opened and felt a slight churn in her belly. She'd unconsciously become used to detecting certain individuals in her line of work and this man seemed like one. The way he strutted into the store as if he owned the place, an arrogant smirk on his face. Two men stood by at the door, their expressions stony.

"Yo, shopkeeper, I'm here for my gear!" he cried out, slapping his hand down on the counter.

Nami didn't miss the bead of sweat coming down the shopkeeper's face as he looked at the new man. "Ah, yes, of course. It's just in the back. I'll get it right away." He then hurried off as fast as he could.

The man started whistling but stopped almost immediately as soon as he spotted Sabine. "Well, hello beautiful," he practically purred, leaning towards her. "Never seen you around before. So, what's a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sabine replied without looking up, weighing two different pistols in her hands. "I'm looking for a new gun. This one seems a bit lighter," she muttered to herself.

"Oh come on, a delicate flower like you shouldn't handle such things."

"Delicate flower?" Sabine asked, an edge to her voice now as she looked over at the man. "And just what do you mean by that?"

The man just laughed. "Here, check this baby out," he said, pulling out his gun from his holster. Sabine couldn't help but notice the long pipe that connected it to a large canister on his back. The gun itself was larger than most pistols and looked like it could hold different cartridges. "This thing can fire different things. Other than bullets I mean. Here, if I put this in," he held up one cartridge, "and pull the trigger, it fires off an explosive round. Cool right?"

Despite his attitude, Sabine couldn't help be impressed. "I'm guessing that comes from the thing on your back."

"Huh? Oh yeah, sharp eyes. It's some sort of pressurized air and when I pull the trigger, it, um, well, mixes I guess with the…stuff in the things here, and well," he then shrugged.

"You don't know how it works?" Sabine said dryly.

"The point is it works. I leave the other stuff to this guy here," he gestured to the shopkeeper who had just emerged. "Ain't that right Jay?"

"It's, uh, Jax."

"No one cares. Anyway, these things make me one of the best fighters in all the East Blue. Have to be to be a top member of the Longbow Pirates."

Sabine froze. Longbow Pirates? She knew the name vaguely. A dangerous pirate crew of this sea who had gone stagnant a little while back with only a few appearances now and then. And yet, somehow, it seemed she and the others and sailed right into their turf. Wonderful.

She could see Nami's expression out of the corner of her eye and could instantly tell what she was thinking. They needed to leave. Now.

"I'll take this one," she said to the shopkeeper, holding up the lighter pistol.

"Very good," he said nervously, adding its amount to the other stuff she had. "And the, uh, well your friend's staff there as well, I assume?"

"Hmm. Oh yeah," Sabine said, turning. As she did, the pirate followed her gaze and spotted Nami and his smile became even more sickly.

"Well, well, well, it must be my lucky day. Two gorgeous beauties at once."

"Oh thank you," Nami replied, smiling easily at him. It amazed Sabine how easily she adapted to her circumstances. "You're not so bad yourself."

"Yes, I know," the man laughed, flexing his muscles. Or just his arm, in any case.

As he was distracted by Nami, Sabine pulled out the money and quickly paid for all the goods, even Nami's staff. They needed to leave quickly and find Luffy and the others to warn them about these pirates. Especially with Luffy constantly running his mouth about being the next King of the Pirates.

Honestly, with their luck, Luffy was already throwing down with the Longbow Pirates' captain.

"And here's your wingsuit sir, all repaired."

"It had better be," the pirate snipped. "Can't be falling out of the sky like an idiot. Alright well, just take the cost out of your weekly tax."

"But…Red Dart already-"

"Are you talking back to me?" the pirate glowered, reaching for his specialized gun.

"No sir! Of course not sir! Always a…pleasure."

Sabine finished packing up all the stuff and turned to Nami. "We should go."

"Hey now!" She almost flinched as the man suddenly grabbed her hand, stopping her. "What's your hurry. We were just getting to know one another."

"Well, I'm afraid that'll have to wait," Nami interjected before Sabine could speak. Or rip his arm off. Or shoot him. "Our ca- uh, boss is waiting for us," she quickly corrected. "So I'm afraid we're in a bit of a hurry right now."

"Oh I'm sure it'll be fine," the man replied. "The whole town works for us after all, so I'm sure he'll be lenient."

"No, he really won't be so-"

"I said it'll be fine." The man's eyes flashed dangerously as he said it. "Come on, we haven't even been introduced yet. The name's Walker Drury, the Killer Moth!"

He said it as a boast but it took all of Sabine and Nami's self-control to not burst out laughing.

How can a moth be a killer? they both thought.

"You may have heard of me," Moth continued. "I have a wanted poster you know. 1 million Berries. Impressive, right?"

"…sure," Sabine nodded. "It sure is. Now look, you seem…delightful but we really need to be going so if you could…" She attempted to move past him but his arm shot up, faster than she expected, and blocked her path.

"Again, what's the rush?" he asked, a smirk crossing his face. "If that shitty boss is bothering you, I can just kill him, you know? So come on, loosen up a little. I'm sure that beautiful face of yours would look a lot better with a smile on it."

Sabine felt her hand clench, ready to grab her gun from her holster and shove it in this jackass's face. She knew she shouldn't be starting something, especially if this man was in fact a member of the Longbow Pirates. But with that arrogant face smirking down at her, she just couldn't help herself.

"You know," she said in a light tone, "there was another guy who said that to me. Want to know what I did with him?"

"No, what?" the man asked curiously, barely paying attention as Sabine deliberately twirled her hair on the side.

"This."

Her tone was so light and jovial that he never saw her fist coming until it struck him right in the face, sending him toppling backwards from the impact onto the ground.

For a second, there was utter silence as everyone comprehended what had just happened.

"You bitch!" Moth screamed, his mouth bleeding from her punch. "You're going to die for that! Kill her!"

His guards came forward, drawing their swords, but her pistols were both instantly up as well, aimed at both of them. A second later, Nami extended her new staff, twirling it expertly.

"Oh," the shopkeeper Jax groaned, cowering behind his desk.

"Do you know who I am?" Moth grunted, rising to his feet.

"A piece of shit pirate that needs a good wallop," Sabine replied.

"So no different from the rest really," Nami added.

"When my captain hears about this, you're dead," Moth promised. "And not just you. Your friends, your families, everyone will be dead."

"We'll see about that," Sabine replied, though on the inside she was worried. She might have just brought down a heap of trouble on her crewmates. Still, this jerk deserved it. And she was sure Luffy would have done the same thing.

"I told you to kill her!" Moth ordered his men.

"Right," the both replied, though neither looked too eager to come closer to her guns when they just had swords.

"Try it," she said, keeping her guns level.

"Fine," Moth snapped, reaching behind him. "Guess I'll handle this myself."

Sabine turned to him just as he grabbed his own gun out, both seconds from firing at one another.

DING!

As one, they all froze at the sound, it jarring them from their surroundings. They all turned to face the newcomer who had a mixture of confused and amused on his face. He was dressed in red tactical gear with a bow and quiver slung over his shoulders. His hat was also red though for some reason looked backwards.

"Well now," he said, leaning back on the door, "what's all this about?"

"You!" Moth glowered. "What are you doing here? Last I heard, you were doing some bounty hunting around the Keystone Islands."

"Seems the pirates in that area left town so I came back early," the man replied easily. "Just wanted to place an order for some new arrows. That's not illegal now, is it?" he asked sarcastically.

Moth glared, his teeth grinding together. "Well, whatever. Now you!" he pointed at Sabine who just raised an eyebrow. "Tell you what, you apologize to me and agree to be my personal servant for the next, I don't know, a year should do, then I will forgive you. How's that sound?"

"Counter offer," Sabine replied. "How about I shoot you in the head right now and just walk right out of here?"

"Just try it!" Moth snarled and Sabine was surprised he didn't flinch at her threat. He either didn't think she would do it or didn't care if she did, confident enough to avoid it. "See what happens."

Sabine narrowed her eyes, ready to pull the gun's triggers at a second's notice.

"But you though," Moth said, turning to Nami. "You've still got a chance. Turn on your friend there and pledge your loyalty to me and you won't have to suffer alongside her. Huh? How about it?"

Sabine was worried for a split second that Nami actually would betray her and side with the stronger pirate crew. But she'd barely even had that thought before Nami held up her hand firmly.

"No way," she said, readying her staff. "You're the kind of pirate I really loathe. I'd rather die than join up with the likes of you."

Sabine let a small smile out while the newcomer started laughing loudly. And Moth glared at Nami, seething. "Well, it would be a shame to kill two beauties. So I guess I'll just deal with that one," he looked at Sabine who released her smile, "and keep the other as my personal pet or something."

Nami gripped her staff tighter, ready to give the asshole a good-sized wallop, when the newcomer suddenly stepped forward.

"Hey now," he said, hands up. "Why don't we take this outside, huh? Wouldn't want to do any unnecessary damage to Jax's shop, do we?"

Behind the counter, they could all sense Jax nodding his head vigorously.

"Stay out of this, Roy!" Moth snarled. "Or I'll kill you too!"

"I actually would like to see you try that Moth. It would be very funny."

"What did you say? Well I'll-"

"Enough!"

The door dinged open again and another person walked in. It was a woman with red hair covering half her head and a red jacket over a gray shirt. Across her arms were what appeared to be gauntlets but Sabine noted the small chambers circling it, looking more like some sort of gun. The chambers on the bottom side of her wrist were particularly big.

"Dart," Moth growled. "What are you doing here?"

"Dragon's wondering what's taking so damn long," she replied. "Figured you would be here getting more of your junk. And I'm guessing from the angry girls over there that you couldn't keep your hands to yourself again."

"Stay out of this woman!" Moth cried. "This has-"

Before he could finish, Dart was across the room, her wrist planted against Moth's head, the gauntlet aimed for his skull. "Finish that sentence," she said in a soft voice. "I dare you."

Moth grunted softly but didn't utter a word, eyes wide in anger and fear.

"Now listen up. You may think these tools make you hot stuff but the truth is, you're at the bottom of the pecking order. The lowest of the Longbow Pirates. And honestly, a joke to the rest of us. Remember that. Now, we're not going to keep the captain waiting any longer."

"What about them?" Moth demanded, gesturing to Sabine and Nami. "She punched me and pointed a gun at me! She deserves-"

"Jeez, you're a pathetic excuse for a pirate. If you still have business with this woman, feel free to track her down after your meeting with Dragon. But don't even think about dragging the rest of us with you. Far as I see it, this is a personal matter, not a crew one. So deal with it yourself. Later. Now get moving."

Dart grabbed the back of Moth's neck and tossed him towards the door, the man barely catching himself before he could fall. He glared over his shoulder at Sabine and Nami. "You two better watch yourselves," he threatened. "I will make you pay for today."

"Anytime pal. Let's see if a guy called 'moth' can back it up," Sabine replied mockingly.

He gave her one last glare before making his way out. He stopped just on the threshold, throwing another glare at the man called Roy who was still smirking at him,

"Always a delight Moth," Roy said, tipping his hat.

"Don't get cocky! I did a little research today. Want to guess what I found out about your little friend back home? Hmm?"

Roy's face drained of color and his expression turned to one of stone. His fingers twitched, clearly eager to grab something or even just punch the man, but he held firm. "The day you say anything slightly important is the day that pigs will fly. Now get out of here, I think your breath is poisoning the air."

"You…you'll regret this Roy," Moth promised before stomping out, looking more furious than before.

"Ooh, I'm so scared," Roy muttered.

"So, you're a Mandalorian?"

Sabine looked up at Dart at the question. "Yeah. What of it?"

"Never met a Mandalorian before," Dart replied. "Under different circumstances, I'd challenge you to a duel here and now."

"Personal or pleasure?"

"Oh, pleasure all the way," Dart chuckled, licking her lips a little. "Always wanted to test myself against one of you lot. Don't see too many Mandalorians in the East Blue. Shame that. And yet here you are."

"Well I'm kind of busy right now and it seems the same is true for you," Sabine replied, nodding her head to where Moth and his guards had just left. "But I do like a good challenge. So you just let me know the time and place."

Dart grinned savagely. "That I will," she promised before heading out herself, pausing briefly to give Roy a look. "Good to have you back," she said, tilting her head in a mocking way. "Found your wife yet?"

"Shut it!" he snarled.

"Ooh, guess not. Too bad. She was a good one, wasn't she? Guess you're still not enough to make her come back. You or little Lia-"

"Keep her name out of your mouth!"

Dart just laughed before walking out the door, slamming it shut behind her. As soon as she had, Sabine finally let out a breath and eased up on her holsters.

"Damn," she muttered. "Of all the places to dock, we had to come to the island where the Longbow Pirates were."

"Who are the Longbow Pirates?" Nami asked curiously. "I haven't heard of them."

"I don't know too much-"

"You came here and you didn't know about the Longbow Pirates?" the man called Roy asked incredulously. "You're just asking to get killed, you know that right?"

"Hey! We didn't ask to-"

Sabine held up her hand, stopping Nami's tirade. "So who are they?"

"They're one of the more powerful and vicious pirate crews in the East Blue led by their captain, Dragon Richard. They've taken over the whole damn city and are building up an armada to take on the rest of the sea."

As he said that, both Sabine and Nami recalled the fleet of ships by the docks. So Shang-Chi was right, Sabine thought. A pirate crew that powerful? That didn't bode well for them. They had to find Luffy fast though, knowing him even only briefly, he'd probably already landed in whole crapload of trouble.

However Nami couldn't help but wonder about a certain fish-man pirate who stood in these pirates' way of domination. Personally, she hoped they just wiped each other out though she already knew who the victor would be.

"We need to get back to Luffy," Sabine said.

"Right," Nami nodded. "We were supposed to meet back at the boats. Let's hope those morons were actually able to find a ship."

"Ha!" They both looked over as Roy snorted. "In this town? Forget it. Almost every vessel belongs to Captain Richard. There are only a handful that don't and those are all privately owned, including mine. I'd suggest you just get back to your own boats and try another island."

"See, I told you it would be better if we went to that other place in the Gecko Islands," Nami complained.

"Oh, you mean Syrup Village?" Roy asked, tapping a finger against his chin. "Yeah that definitely would have been better. They actually have a pretty sizable shipyard there."

"See!"

"Ok, whatever, how could we have known that?" Sabine complained. "Well, at least we know now. Come on, let's go find the others and tell them."

However, when they arrived back at their boats, no one was there. "What are those idiots doing?" Nami growled, looking around. "Are they still looking for a ship?"

"Probably. It doesn't seem like it's in Luffy's vocabulary to quit," Sabine replied.

Roy, who had accompanied them as he was going the same way, chuckled at that. "Sounds like your captain is quite a handful. So, you're pirates huh?"

Both of them froze. "What, uh, what…makes you say that, heh?" Nami asked warily, stiffly facing him.

"That," he said, pointing at Sabine's artwork on the main flag. "Can't think of any other reason for someone to douse their mainsail in so much paint than to cover up a pirate flag."

"Well, you see, it's not really what you think, heh heh," Nami stammered nervously. "We sort of stole that boat from some pirates when we were escaping from them and-"

"Yes, we're pirates," Sabine interrupted, rolling her eyes and ignoring Nami's shocked look her way. "What's it to you?"

"Oh, I don't really care. Just curious. Anyway, it is getting late and trust me you do not want to be out on these streets this late at night. Why don't you come by my inn and stay the night? We'll look for your friends in the morning."

"Really?" Sabine questioned dubiously. "You'd do that for strangers?"

"No, I'd do that for potential customers," Roy replied with a smirk.

"Oh, ok then," Sabine nodded. "Lead the way."

"This is coming out of your haul," Nami hissed as they followed Roy down the streets.

"Jeez, what are you, a tax collector? Just relax about the money."

---

"Oh come on! I promise we can pay!"

"I said no!"

"It's a lot of money!"

"I don't care!"

"All of our money, I swear!"

"Luffy!" Shang-Chi interjected. "We still need to buy other stuff, remember?"

"Ok, fine. But almost all our money, I swear!"

"I would still say no if it was all your money!" Emiko replied, shaking her head firmly. "Why isn't this going through your head? I'm not giving up my boat for any price. So forget it."

Shang-Chi and Zoro were seated by the bar, both chowing down on pork stew. Once learning that Emiko was the owner of the boat, Luffy had begun pestering her non-stop to let him buy off the boat from her and judging from her expression, she was at most ten seconds away from skewering him.

She sighed deeply, not sure what to do about this. She'd barely gotten any sleep last night because of her activities and with Roy away, she had to take care of the inn since Lian was still too young. She had a pretty nasty headache after dealing with one asshole after another, most of them drunk, and so she really had zero energy to deal with a rambunctious ball of energy that was currently trying to buy her boat from her.

Her boat. It had taken every penny she'd managed to scrape together from working here to pay for it. It wasn't much, maybe double the size of normal sailing boats, but it was enough to one day get away from this place and start her adventure.

Eight years. That's how long she'd been waiting. Eight long years. And soon, she'd finally start off and make her mark on this world. And it all rested on that one boat. She just had to keep her promise first, no matter how long it took.

"I promise we'll take really good care of it," Luffy pleaded.

"No means no!" Emiko growled. "That boat is my ticket out of here. Soon as I finish my work, I'm using it sail off to…well, I don't know. That's the fun of it."

"Oh!" Luffy nodded, eyes wide. "I get it. You need that boat to follow your dreams, huh?"

"Uh." Emiko hadn't really thought about it like that but in a sense, yes. "Yeah, you could say that."

"Ok, I understand. But we still really need a boat. Hey!" he suddenly gasped, pressing himself so close to her that she had to back up. "I have a great idea. Why don't you join my crew?"

"Yo…your crew?" she stuttered for a second, taking in Zoro and Shang-Chi's simultaneous eye rolls at Luffy's words. "Wait, are you…pirates?"

"Yep!" Luffy said cheerfully. "I'm the captain and right now I'm looking for a crew and a ship to sail on. And then, one day, I'm going to be King of the Pirates!"

He said it with such resolve and energy that for a second, there was silence. Then, almost the entire inn broke out into hysterics.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"That kid? King of the Pirates?"

"Water just squirted out my nose!"

"Mine too!"

"Bwahahaha! That little runt? Get real!"

Even Emiko couldn't stifle her laugh, looking at the ridiculous kid in front of her making such a claim. The King of the Pirates was supposed to be the strongest, most powerful pirate who had crossed the Grand Line and taken down every other pirate in their path. The only one to do that had been Gold Roger. This kid…there was no way.

Yet he didn't seem bothered in the slightest by everyone's laughter. Neither did his two apparent crewmates who just kept eating, watching everything going on with minimal interest.

"You really think you'll be King of the Pirates?" Lian asked, the only one not laughing. In fact, she seemed genuinely curious.

"Yep!" Luffy replied cheerfully. "I'm going to cross the Grand Line, find the One Piece, and become King of the Pirates!"

"What makes you think you'll be the one to do it?"

"Cause I said so," Luffy shrugged and Emiko stopped laughing to openly gape at him. "I say I'm going to be King of the Pirates and I'm going to make it happen. That's my promise."

"Wow," Lian said, grinning back at him. "That's cool."

"No, it's not," Emiko corrected. "It's delusional. Every pirate out there thinks they're going to be the ones to find the One Piece and become King of the Pirates. You're no different from any of them. You ask me, the Pirate Emperors have a better chance than anyone, especially some rookie, no-name from the East Blue who doesn't even have a ship yet."

"Hey, we'll get a ship!" Luffy defended. "If you join my crew then we'll take yours."

"Ha!" Emiko laughed. "You must really be delusional or at least believe that I am if you think I'll join your crew. Besides, my boat is just a sailing boat, not a ship. It wouldn't last long against the Marines and other pirates. So you're looking in the wrong place."

"Aw man," Luffy complained. "Fine, guess I'll just go ask that Dragon guy for one of his."

Just like that, the inn became deadly silent. All the other patrons stopped laughing and looked away except for a few who gaped wide-eyed at Luffy. Emiko was among those, not believing what she'd just heard. "What?" she asked. "You think you'll just go up to Dragon and ask for one of his ships?"

"Yeah, why not?" Luffy said, shrugging as if it was no big deal.

"Why not?" Emiko almost choked in disbelief. "Do you not know who he is?"

"Some bigshot pirate here, I know. One of the worst in the East Blue, right Shangy?"

"Not my name. But yes," Shang-Chi nodded. "He's one of them."

"And you want to just walk up to him and ask him for a ship?" Emiko asked again. She could already picture it. This idiot wannabe pirate walking right up to Richard's headquarters, asking for a ship, and then getting beaten up by his crew. They'd killed for lesser things. She had to admit, she admired the guy's spine for saying such things so carelessly, as if it really was no big deal. But there was a line between bravery and stupidity and this was it.

"Hey, just do yourself a favor and get back on whatever small boat you sailed in on and go find some other island. Maybe you'll find a ship there to sail away into your dreams. But that doesn't happen here. People here don't have the luxury to escape, to even dream, because of Dragon Richard and his Longbow Pirates."

"Why not?" This time it was the apparent swordsman, Zoro, who asked. "There are still plenty of boats around here. Why not just get one and go?"

Emiko let off a laugh. "Oh, like it's that easy, huh? If people would leave they could. This is their home. Where else are they going to go? They barely have enough money to keep roofs over their heads and food in their bellies. What, you think they have enough to start over some place new? Get real. Sure, every now and then someone ups and leaves but most can't afford it. This…" she held out her hands, not just around the inn but for all of the Glades, "this is the best they get."

The three wannabe pirates sat there in silence for a moment, absorbing what she said. "So, he really is running you all dry?" Shang-Chi asked. "To fund his armada? That's what Zoe said."

"That's right," Lian chimed in. "He keeps taxing us more and more, paying for more of his ships and for more mercenaries to work them. We barely have enough to keep going. If not for the Green Arrow, then-"

"Lian, hush!" Emiko hissed at her but it was too late.

"The Green Arrow?" Luffy asked, tilting his head. "Who's that?"

"I admit, even I haven't heard of this," Shang-Chi asked, equally curious.

"It's nothing," Emiko replied. "Just an urban legend."

"No it's not!" Lian argued. "He's real!"

Emiko felt a clench in her gut. She's real! she wanted to say but couldn't. It was hard to shake off the male image of the Green Arrow, especially given Oliver's goatee back in the day had been a dead giveaway at the local hero's gender.

"Who's the Green Arrow?" Luffy asked again. "Sounds cool!"

"He is cool!" Lian agreed, jumping up a little with excitement. Emiko had to admit, she liked how excited she got about the Green Arrow. "He steals from the rich and gives to the poor. He was a big deal almost a decade ago when he took on some of the biggest pirates and crime lords around here. Then, after a big battle with one bad guy called Komodo, he sort of faded away."

Emiko trembled slightly at that name, memories flashing through her mind, but she pushed them back. She wasn't there anymore. She was here.

"But now he's back!" Lian said happily.

"He is?" Shang-Chi asked, eyes narrowing.

"So cool!" Luffy gushed.

"Yeah. A little while after Dragon Richard and his crew showed up, the Green Arrow reappeared and starting causing havoc for them, stealing from them and giving it all back to the people. He's even stolen from the Marines."

Zoro laughed. "Bet that pissed them off."

"You have no idea," Emiko said under her breath, remembering all the Marine patrols that had appeared after she'd done that. She'd barely managed to do anything after they started snooping around.

"He runs around in a green hood and always uses a bow and arrow. And his arrows are so cool! Each one can do something different. One shoots out a rope so he can climb walls and stuff. Another ties up bad guys in an instant. Another releases a gas that stops people and puts them to sleep. And another can split into more arrows. And there's even one that can explode!"

"So awesome!" Luffy cheered, stars in his eyes.

"That does sound pretty cool," Shang-Chi acknowledged. "So who is he anyway?"

"No one knows who he is. Some think he's the guardian spirit of the island, sent to protect it from all harm. Others think he's a retired Marine seeking his own form of justice. And some believe he's a ghost, come back from the dead to protect his home."

"The second one is the most plausible," Shang-Chi commented.

"That's so awesome!" Luffy said.

"So which one do you believe, kid?" Zoro asked, taking another swig of his sake.

"Oh, I don't know," Lian shrugged. "To me, he's just a guy helping us out. What more do I need to know?"

Emiko smiled. Ever since Oliver had left, she'd done her best to protect the home he'd loved so much and it hadn't been easy. Especially when Dragon Richard showed up. She'd never thought she'd actually take up the mantle but she'd wanted to do what he'd done, provide a symbol of hope for the people of the island to show that someone was fighting for them. And it was moments like this, with Lian vouching for her, that made it worth it.

Of course, it didn't last long.

"Well, if you ask me, he needs to pack up that bow of his before he gets us into more trouble!" one of the patrons listening in complained loudly, drawing their attention. Emiko frowned, recognizing the man as Lane Quentin, a former militia man who'd been 'retired' when Richard's men arrived and was now struggling to make a living. She'd just dropped off some money for him and his daughters a little while ago. Why was he complaining now?

"What do you mean by that?" Zoro asked.

"Yeah!" Lian cried. "The Green Arrow's a hero, here to help us!"

"Help?" Quentin spat. "I was just forced to pay double the usual amount by those damn Longbow Pirates all because of the Green Arrow! Damn nuisance keeps stealing from them and makes more trouble for the rest of us. I've got two daughters to feed! You think I can afford this shit?"

"It's true," another patron added, Ramirez Rene, glaring down at his drink. He was a former Marine before being discharged due to his attitude towards his superiors. "They upped the taxes today, claiming it was because of the Green Arrow. Apparently he stole another large amount last night and ol' Dragon's not too happy about it. Taking it out on the rest of us all to make the Green Arrow pay." He spat in his drink, shaking his head.

Emiko felt like she'd just been shot with an arrow. The Longbow Pirates were really doing that? No, of course they were. The thought made her clench her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms. She so wanted to end this, to just march into his damn mansion and take him down once and for all. But she couldn't. She closed her eyes, willing the tears not to fall. No matter how much she wanted to make that bastard pay for all this, she wasn't strong enough. Not yet. Last time had been proof of that.

"That's…that's not the Green Arrow's fault!" Lian cried.

"Yeah, that's not fair!" Luffy cried as well. "He should be picking a fight with this Green Arrow, not the people! What a coward!"

"Ha, you think that matters to people like him?" Quentin asked, shaking his head. "All pirates are the same. They just take from the rest of us, leaving us all with nothing while they keep going in pursuit of greater glories. Richard here wants to conquer the East Blue. Then he'll decide that's not enough and set out to conquer the Grand Line as well, claiming he'll be King of the Pirates." Quentin shot a glare Luffy's way. "So tell me, boy," he spat, "how are you any different from the Dragon and his crew, huh?"

Emiko turned, interested to hear the answer as well. She didn't really have too much of a problem with pirates in general. Over the years, before Dragon Richard had shown up, there had been several that passed through. Some had been a problem and she and Roy had taken a few down. But others had been actually nice or at least not vicious like they 'were supposed to be.'

"I don't go around attacking innocent people," Luffy replied. "When I want to fight someone, I fight them directly. I don't go around threatening other people to get to them. That's a coward's way of fighting."

"Exactly," Zoro agreed. "If this Dragon Richard had any sense of pride, he'd come out and fight the Green Arrow openly."

A few patrons stared wide-eyed at the words of the two. Quentin snorted, turning away, but Emiko could tell even he was a little impressed. Rene smirked, nodding appreciatively. And Lian just gaped, awestruck. "Wow," she said. "You guys are so cool!"

"Yeah we are!" Luffy agreed. "You know what, I don't think I want this Dragon guy's ship anymore."

"It's not like we could have used it anyway," Shang-Chi chimed in. "I already told you, those things out there are galleons. We only have five crewmembers. We need a smaller ship."

"Oh right." Just like that, Luffy turned back to Emiko who glared right back at him. "So, do you thin-"

"NO!" she cried. "I'm not giving you my boat. I'll need it soon. Once I've finished up here, I'll use it to head out and…you know, make my own way in life."

"You have no idea what you're going to do," Zoro commented, taking another swig of sake.

"Shut up!" Emiko growled, her face reddening a bit. "That's not the point! It's about the freedom to make my own way in life."

"Exactly!" Luffy nodded in agreement. "That's what being a pirate is all about. Being free from everything."

Emiko frowned, never having heard it that way before but she guessed he did have a point. She wasn't sure what she'd do once she left. Oliver had left because he wanted to experience the world, wanted to go out beyond Star Island and test his skills out there. To see how many people he could help. Now, it was almost her turn. She had been training these last eight years all for the purpose of setting out on her own too. All her life she'd been isolated one way or another. Now, she was so close to sailing off on her own adventure.

So close and yet so fucking far.

"Still, an adventure like that doesn't mean much on your own," Luffy said, shaking her out of her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"All the best adventures happen with a loyal crew by your side," Luffy told her, grinning. "I'm already having the best adventure of my life and it's all thanks to these guys," he gestured to Shang-Chi and Zoro behind him. "And Nami and Sabine. And it's only going to get better from here."

"Thanks. But I prefer working solo," she replied.

"Alright. But adventures are meant to be shared. Otherwise, it would get pretty lonely."

Emiko opened her mouth to respond but she didn't know what to say to that. Fortunately, she didn't have to say anything as the door opened and Lian let out a gleeful cry, running full speed to the red-haired man walking in. "Daddy!" she cried, leaping into his arms.

"Hey sweetie," Roy said, hugging her tightly. "How's my little girl?"

"Nami! Sabine!" Luffy cried out, seeing his crewmates walking in as well.

"Luffy?" Nami asked, surprised. "You're here. You're all here," she added, seeing Shang-Chi and Zoro as well. "We went back to the boats and couldn't find you. What are you doing here?"

"Drinking," Zoro replied. "By the way, my mug is empty," he said, shaking it.

"Looking for a boat," Shang-Chi explained. "Got a tip that one, the only one not belonging to Dragon Richard, was here. But the owner doesn't want to part with it," he nodded his head toward Emiko who glared back at him. "So, we're back to square one. What about you? You get the money exchanged?"

"Yep!" both girls nodded cheerfully.

"And none of you are touching my haul," Nami warned, patting her pockets to make sure the money was still there. Wasn't quite all she needed but she was close to a hundred million now. So very close.

"Wouldn't dream of it. Don't want to lose a finger," Shang-Chi replied dryly, earning a laugh from Zoro.

As this was happening, Emiko walked up to Roy. "How was your trip?" she asked.

Her stomach dropped when he looked at her, his hard stare boring into her. So he knew then. Damn. "It worked out," he replied. "Turned in a gang of bandits and collected their bounties. Should keep the place running for a few more months."

"Great."

"Hey Lian, I need to have a private word with Emiko. Why don't you help out all the customers right now and later we can make Oliver's famous chili for dinner. How does that sound?"

"Yeah!" she cried out.

Roy set her down, letting her get back to work, before he shot another glare at Emiko and jerked his head to the back, already walking that way. Emiko sighed and followed, already knowing what was going to happen. She barely had to wait after walking through the kitchen into the storage room before Roy slammed the door behind them.

"What were you thinking?" he growled.

"I was thinking I had to do something before people starved. Or starved even more," she argued. "You know what's happening out there, I can't just do nothing."

"Oh, and doing something is helping?" Roy argued. "It didn't take me long to see what your little activities have caused. People here are worse off now. I warned you over and over this would happen. Every time you piss them off, they retaliate on the people. How is that fair to them?"

"Well how is it any better to just let those assholes walk all over us?" Emiko challenged. "We can't just let them take and take. We have to do something!"

"Oh yeah?" Roy glared at her hard. "And look how well that went last time."

Emiko shrank back, crossing her arms. She knew all too well how last time went. She still had the scars to prove it. "Oliver would be on my side," she said quietly.

Roy sighed, his anger subsiding a touch. "Maybe," he said. "Ok, probably. But that doesn't change much. Look, I know you're trying to, I don't know, fill in for him. Honor his legacy. But is this what he'd want?"

"He was a hero here," Emiko argued. "You know what he did for these people. What he did for…me," she finished softly, remembering his words and actions back then.

"Is that what this is about?" Roy asked, his softer tone making her look down to the floor. "You still feel like you owe him something? You don't. You know that."

"I know," she said. "It's just…I made him a promise, ok. And, right now, I just feel like I'm failing him."

Emiko heard Roy sigh deeply. "Yeah, I feel the same sometimes with everything that's happened. Sometimes I feel like if he saw what I let happen here, he'd be ashamed. But that's not Oliver. We both know that, right?"

Emiko nodded. Yeah, Oliver wasn't really one for tossing around the blame too much. He just wanted to get the job done. He did the blame game afterwards, when they'd finished and even then it was more of a teaching moment than a reprimand. That was who he was.

"Look, Oliver was in another league and if you ever tell him I said that, I'll deny it," he warned, earning a chuckle from Emiko. "But even I don't know if he could take on all the Longbow Pirates."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Emiko asked. "Just wait for them to leave? You know that'll never happen. They plan to conquer the whole East Blue. Pretty soon, everyone will be under their thumb."

"Yeah, not exactly," Roy smirked, leaning against the wall.

Emiko frowned. "What? What's with that look?"

"The East Blue may be small and considered to be the weakest of the seas but that doesn't mean everyone in it is weak," he said. "First off, if he wants to conquer the East Blue, he'll have to deal with Arlong eventually."

"Arlong?" Emiko blinked, the name sounding familiar but she couldn't quite put a face to the name. "Who's he?"

"The pirate with the highest bounty in the East Blue. Rumor has it he's settled around the Conomi Islands for a while. Plenty of bounty hunters have gone after him, Marines too, and none have taken him."

"So, he's just like Richard here."

"Not quite. Arlong's a Fish-man."

"A Fish-man?" Emiko gasped. She didn't know much about Fish-men except they were way stronger than humans, their skin practically bulletproof, and that they all had some kind of aquatic abilities, usually derived from some kind of sea creature. Hence the name. "Is he really that strong though?"

"We'll see. Even so, he's not the reason I've been away so often."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to bring that up," Emiko cut in, glaring again. "What is up with that? Lian's getting worried about you. This time it was a whole month."

"I know, but I'm looking for someone. There's another rumor going around about a powerful but fair Marine captain somewhere in the East Blue."

"Marines?" Emiko rolled her eyes. She'd had enough trouble with Marines. "How are they going to help? Ol' Cyrus will just lead them astray for an extra cut."

"Not this guy. Captain Smoker they call him. I don't know if the rumors about him are true but if even half are then he's the guy we need. I've been checking out all the Marine bases, trying to find a clue. I got held up at Shells Town though since their command is a bit of a mess. And I got into some trouble at Lothal for asking questions. Apparently there was an incident recently. But I'm narrowing it down and I'm getting close. Look," Roy took her hands. "It's not that I think what you're doing is pointless. I know you're trying to help but right now, Richard will just use what you do to hurt more people. So I'm asking, just for now, to take a break. Give it time. Either Richard will leave to confront Arlong and lose and our troubles will be gone or, I'll find Smoker and get his help."

Emiko raised an eyebrow skeptically. She wasn't sure about all this. A lot seemed it was based on just rumors. She preferred dealing with the here and now, like how Richard was taking more and more money from the people, leaving them starving. And that she could help them. She'd already begun distributing the money she'd taken last night.

But, as much as it hurt her, she knew if she kept at it, it would just do more harm than good. Richard had already proven that. And as much as she wanted to stick an arrow in his and all his crewmates' fucking eyes, she couldn't. She hated it, but she wasn't strong enough. They were just too powerful for her.

"Fine," she relented. "I'll give you more time to see if your theories pan out. But I won't just sit back and watch forever."

"Yeah, I know," Roy sighed. "I hate it too, you know. If it wasn't for Lian, you know I'd be the first one through those doors to take them out. It's just…"

"Yeah," Emiko nodded sadly. He wasn't strong enough either. And if he fell, they would come for Lian. That was something that could never happen. She hated that they couldn't really fight back, that they were forced to work around the problem instead of directly at it. But that was their lot in life right now.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Roy lean in close. "I know things are hard, but they will improve. This won't be forever. I promise."

"Thanks Roy," she said, wishing she could believe him. But she'd experienced firsthand how powerful Dragon Richard really was. It would take a lot more than words to convince her that he could be taken down.

"Now come on, let's not leave Lian hanging."

"Right," Emiko nodded, shaking off her feelings. As she did though, she thought about the people out there still starving. She could still distribute the money she had but she didn't think it would be enough, especially after Richard's retaliation. And she had promised Roy she wouldn't go after the Longbow Pirates' money anymore.

But that didn't mean she couldn't go out again. There were still plenty of people out there with large accounts just waiting to be plundered. Yes, that could work.

She hid her grin as she walked back out into the inn, already planning the night's escapade.

---

"Hmmm," Luffy said, rocking back and forth on his legs. "So we did get the money and the supplies?"

"Yep, though you didn't get my exercise equipment like I asked," Shang-Chi pointed out, checking the bags.

"Yeah, those were like super heavy," Nami told him. "If you want them, you have to get them yourself."

"Very well. Looks like everything else is in order."

"But still no luck on a ship, huh?" Sabine said, taking a drink.

"Nope," Luffy said sadly. He could still see it. A large pirate ship with the Jolly Roger waving proudly, one donning his prized straw hat to symbolize his crew. His crew standing beside him, all sharing the greatest adventure of a lifetime. And him, on the masthead, always his favorite spot, looking out at the horizon for new adventures. But so far, it seemed it was still just in his mind. He'd hoped to change Emiko's mind but he couldn't take someone else's dream from them.

"We could always steal one of Dragon Richard's ships," Nami offered. "He has so many I doubt he'll notice one's missing for a little while."

"No!" Luffy said firmly.

"We can't," Shang-Chi said at the same time. "First, there are far too few of us to operate a ship of that size. Second, I don't think we want to cross a man like Dragon Richard right now."

"What, don't think you're strong enough to handle him or his crew?" Zoro asked, smirking.

"I don't know them, so I can't say one way or another. But I do know his crew outnumbers us ten to one. Those aren't odds I like. So it's best to leave without causing too much trouble."

Nami shrugged. "I guess that makes sense. Surprised you thought of it too," she said to Luffy.

"Oh I don't care about any of that," he replied. "We're not stealing our ship. A ship is not just a ship. It's part of our crew. We need to find the perfect one and we're gonna get it the right way."

"What kind of pirate are you?" Nami asked dubiously. This guy was seriously throwing her whole viewpoint of pirates around. She wondered if he even knew what pirates were.

"I'm a different kind of pirate. One who won't steal a ship. That's not how we're getting it."

"Don't worry, we have plenty of money to buy one," Shang-Chi said. "But it looks like Star Island's a bust."

"We did hear that Syrup Village, the other island, actually has a shipyard," Sabine chimed in. "We'll probably get better offers there."

"Great!" Luffy grinned. "Then that's where we'll go first thing tomorrow. But right now, I'm hungry again." With that said, he proceeded to order another round of everything he could get.

"At this rate, we'll spend all the money on food rather than a ship," Shang-Chi muttered. "And drinks," he added, shooting Zoro a look.

"Oh lighten up and grab one would ya?" the man said, downing another mug. "You're too stiff all the time."

"I don't like drinking and…am I that stiff?" he asked, turning to Sabine.

"Yes," she said, taking her own swig of sake.

"Hmmm," Shang-Chi eyed the mug in front of him, unsure. He'd never really drank anything before, his father always monitoring his diet. And after he'd left home, he hadn't really indulged in anything. But he supposed, amongst crewmembers, one drink wouldn't hurt. "Very well," he said, lifting up the mug and taking a small sip. "Blegh!" he cried, spitting it back out. "What on earth is this?"

"HAHAHAHA!" Zoro roared out, Sabine chuckling beside him. "First-timer, huh? Don't worry, you'll get used to it after a while."

"I don't think I want to get used to it," Shang-Chi said, pushing it away from him. "I'll just stick with water."

"You know," Luffy said, chewing around a mouthful of stew. "Part of me still wants to go beat that Richard guy's ass."

The others all stared at him, some in disbelief like Nami while others more in curiosity like Zoro and others in concern like Shang-Chi. "How come?"

Luffy shrugged. "With everything he's done around here, sounds like he needs a good ass-kicking. Besides, Buggy was kind of a disappointment. I want a real fight, you know?"

"I get that," Zoro nodded in appreciation.

Shang-Chi nodded as well but was more cautious. "Still, with the amount of men he has, it's not a good idea to cause trouble."

"Yeah, I know. A ship is more important anyway," Luffy agreed. "How far away is this Syrup Village?"

They all turned to their navigator who was already mulling it over. "If the wind holds up and I can get us on the right currents, shouldn't be more than a day or two."

"Yay," Sabine said unenthusiastically. "Another day stuck on that tiny boat. Well, at least now I can work on my crafts, make some more smoke and paint bombs."

"Not on my boat you won't!"

"What is your deal?"

Luffy couldn't help but laugh as Nami and Sabine dove into their argument. Meanwhile, Zoro and Shang-Chi had begun arguing themselves with Zoro trying to convince Shang-Chi to drink some more sake while the other steadfastly refused. This was the life. This was what he wanted. A crew, having fun together, on the grand adventure. It was turning out better than he expected. And once he had his ship, it would get so much better than before.

As he thought about that, he saw Emiko and Roy come back in. His eyes followed the black-haired girl curiously. He didn't know much about her, barely anything, but he could sense something there. A kindred spirit maybe. He wasn't sure, most of this stuff confused him. But there was something about her that drew him in and he couldn't help but wonder how she might fit in amongst his crew.

It's too bad she has her own dream, he thought. She would have made a good addition.

"You're not setting foot on my boat!"

"Oh yeah, just watch me!"

"I said I don't want any! And what is that, your seventh cup? You're going to die right here if you keep that up!"

"Oh please, this is nothing! I can have double this and still be fine."

And Luffy just laughed as he finished off his stew, already asking for more.

Of course, it didn't last. At that moment, the doors burst open and everyone went quiet as three men sauntered into the inn. Zoro looked up from his sake, eyeing them carefully. Shang-Chi looked them up and down, his guard rising fast. Nami and Sabine caught onto the mood quickly, noting how everyone looked away. Even Luffy noticed how quiet everything had gone and eyed the new people with some interest.

The men slumped into one of the booths, two of them draping their arms over the backrest behind them while the third remained somewhat more composed.

"Hey! Some sake over here, damn it! And I want the latest special, on the double!"

"Right away!" Lian grinned at them, taking the pitcher of sake from the counter away from Zoro and bringing it over to them.

"Hey," Zoro complained. "I wasn't done with that."

"Shush," Shang-Chi told him.

"Did you just shush me?"

"Shush!"

"You shush!"

"Both of you shush!" Nami growled, knocking both of them on the heads.

"What the hell is this?" the man growled as Lian placed the pitcher in front of him. "Why am I being served by a tiny little brat like you? Where's the real waitress around here?"

"I am the waitress," Lian defended but most of them could see she was trembling a little.

"A little baby like you? Fat chance of that! After all the work we've done today, guarding all those ships, I just want to sit back and relax, drink my sake, eat my food, and take in the view of a lovely lady serving me. Is that so wrong? What I don't want is some damn blue-haired little brat doing it! What is this, a damn nursery? Aren't I right?" he asked his companions.

"Damn right," the one across from him, his arms also draped around the back, replied, glaring at Lian.

"I just want a drink," the more composed one said, taking the pitcher and pouring himself some sake.

"Whatever man. So hey, you," the first man said, pointing right at Lian. "Go get the real woman here and get her to serve. Otherwise I'll kick your ass, you here?"

Sabine could feel her blood boiling and had a hand on her guns, ready to test them out here and now. She could see a few of the others feeling the same way, but before they could do anything, Roy stepped forward.

"Hey buddy," Roy called out, his voice as hard as rock. "Next time you threaten my daughter, your ass is the one that's going to be kicked, got that?"

"And then I'll stick this broom down your fucking throat!" Emiko promised, holding up said broom.

"Emiko!"

"That's…something," Shang-Chi muttered.

But if the man was intimidated, he didn't show it. Instead, he just fired a grin Emiko's way. "Well now, was that so hard? I've got my drink and now I have a fine young woman to serve me. Get me some good grub and I think we'll call it even. No need to call in the rest of the Longbow Pirates…yet."

Everyone froze. Luffy could see them all averting their eyes except for Emiko who glared at the man with utter hatred. It was only when Roy placed a hand on her shoulder that she calmed down a little. She then shot the man a killer smile. "I'll go get your food right now. Will only be a few minutes."

As she left, Lian came back over to them as Zoro asked for another pitcher of sake. "Who are those guys?" Luffy asked as she handed Zoro his drink, Shang-Chi rolling his eyes at it all.

"They're lower rank pirates, newcomers for the crew," she replied. "The one in the back is Shuffleton. He's actually alright, just comes in for some food and drink and leaves everyone alone. But the other two are horrible. Ros and Nudocerda. They joined up with the Longbow Pirates about a month ago and already causing trouble wherever they can."

"Didn't they used to live around here? Why would they join up if the pirates were making their lives miserable?" Sabine asked.

Lian shrugged. "To them, it's a way out. They get power now and can use it however they want. Who's going to stop them?"

Nami grimaced. That was how her entire village viewed her now and it hurt her every time she returned home. To know that there actually were people like that in the world made her want to stick her new staff right into their stupid faces.

"Doesn't sound like real pirates to me," Luffy said, regarding them.

"No offense, but I don't think you know what real pirates are," Nami told him.

Before they could say anything else, the back doors opened up again and Emiko stepped out with a steaming plate in her hands. She walked over to the pirates' table with a clearly fake smile on her face, placing it in front of the one Lian called Ros. "There you are? Anything else?"

"Well, your company would be nice," Ros grinned, digging into the food.

"I would like my food as well. Same as him," Nudocerda said, gesturing to Ros's plate.

"Coming right up. And I'm afraid I have other people to serve as well so I won't stay long," Emiko said. She turned to Shuffleton who was still sipping his sake. "And anything for you?"

"Some soba is fine. And I prefer it cold."

"Right away."

"Aw, let that brat bring it," Ros complained. "Stay awhile, keep us company. A pretty young thing like you shouldn't be working anyway."

"First he wants a waitress to serve him and now he doesn't? What is up with this guy?" Zoro asked, confused.

"I can think of one thing," Sabine growled.

"Ew," Nami muttered.

"Sorry, but I have to get back to work now," Emiko said, doing her very best to push all her anger and revulsion down. After she'd caught these two ogling her and wolf-whistling when they first arrived, she'd done her best to stay in the back whenever they came back, getting Henry to cover the shift instead. But it wouldn't work now. She couldn't start any trouble, not after everything that had happened. She just had to bear it and-

"Well come back soon, sweet cheeks!" Ros said and then slapped her on the ass. "And bring that beautiful thing with you."

"Oh damn," Roy muttered, shaking his head.

"Oh boy," Lian murmured, her eyes widening to take in the show that was about to unfold.

It took a second for Ros to realize Emiko wasn't moving. "Hey, you change your mind? That suits me fine. You know, why don't you plop that gorgeous piece right on my lap and we can-"

That was all he managed before Emiko's foot rose up, smashing into his face and sending him crashing out of the booth. He only let out one groan before the foot came back around for another hit, knocking him out cold.

Nudocerda bellowed in rage, rising up to avenger his fallen comrade, but he was too slow, the tray in Emiko's hands hitting him in the head and laying him out flat. Emiko then drove her fist into his soft gut before letting out her other fist into his chin, knocking him back and out cold alongside his buddy.

"Wow," Luffy murmured, staring alongside his crew at the scene. "She's a good fighter."

"Indeed," Shang-Chi nodded.

"I don't think I could pull off those moves," Sabine muttered.

"Would have been better with blades," Zoro added.

"You would say that!" Nami told him.

"Yeah, I saw that coming," Shuffleton murmured, taking another swig of his drink. "What can you do?"

Emiko breathed out carefully. It had all happened so fast that she needed a few seconds to collect herself. Once that asshole had slapped her behind, her mind turned red with rage and she didn't remember much, just acting on instinct. But she probably messed up by knocking out two members of the Longbow Pirates. She turned to the third member and cleared her throat. "You, uh, you going to turn me in?"

Shuffleton regarded her over his cup. "Not particularly. Those two had that coming. When they wake up, I'll just remind them that if they try anything, the top members of the crew will hear about it. And neither Red Dart nor Silencer has any problem killing them for what they did. So just make my meal today free and we'll call it a night."

Emiko shrugged. "Done."

She pulled the two idiots off the floor and dragged them out the doors, tossing them onto the street where she no longer cared what happened to them. But the second she turned around she came face-to-face with Roy. "Oh," she said nervously, looking to the side. "Look, I'm sorry that-"

"Don't," he interrupted. "If you hadn't kicked their asses, I would have. That was crossing a line. And don't worry, they really won't make any complaints to the higher ups. While I hate all Longbow Pirates, I do know Red Dart pretty well and she'd definitely go after them instead of you."

"Oh, whew," Emiko muttered.

"Still, they won't take this lying down," Roy said, looking at the two morons' prone forms. "And next time we may not be able to get away with it."

"Yeah," she sighed, rubbing her head. "Damn these guys. Why couldn't it have been the normal asshole. Then I could have beaten him up without all these complications."

"Wait, normal asshole," Roy said, frowning. "How often does this happen?"

"You mean some ugly bastard trying to touch me? More times that I can count. But they always regret it, usually after getting some broken bones or busted faces or both. And definitely a ball-kick. They're lucky I didn't add that to their tab," Emiko said, glaring at the two on the street.

Roy blinked, obviously unsure how to take that. "Damn Emiko, I'm so sorry."

"Ah it's fine, I deal with it my way and these guys are great practice for my punches and kicks."

"Alright then. But I think I'm going to permanently move Lian to the kitchen in a few years."

"Oh yeah, for sure."

---

Lian had just given Shuffleton his soba when Luffy suddenly sat down next to him, causing the man to look at the boy in the straw hat in surprise. "What do you want kid?"

"Why'd you join up with the Longbow Pirates?" Luffy asked, tilting his head.

Shuffleton blinked, not expecting that question. "What does it matter to you?"

"I'm a pirate too."

"Are you now?" Shuffleton wasn't sure whether to take him seriously or not.

"My new friend over there said you and your friends became pirates cause you wanted some more power in this city. Is that true?"

Shuffleton sighed, leaning back. He had a feeling this was going to drag on for a bit. At least he didn't have to about his soba getting cold since it already was. "They're not my friends," he said.

"They're your crewmates, aren't they? Don't you view all your crewmates as your friends?"

"Not at all," Shuffleton replied. He didn't think of a single person among the Longbow Pirates as a friend. "They joined cause they wanted to feel strong and powerful, like most people who signed up. I did it because Dragon Richard pays his crew and I need the money. To me, it's just a miserable job that gives me a good paycheck and lets me keep my home. That's all."

"But that's not what being a pirate is about."

Shuffleton shrugged. "I don't have time to care about that. Never wanted to be a pirate. I was part of this town's militia before, helped keep it safe. But now…now I work for the bastards who took that from me just so I can take care of my family. Now, leave me alone kid. I don't get many chances to relax and that girl rid of me of those bastards, giving me some peace and quiet for once."

Luffy stood back up but he didn't just leave yet. He had one more thing to ask. "If your dream is to be a part of the militia, why don't you just do that again?"

Shuffleton sighed, shaking his head. "How? Richard would kill me in a heartbeat. Face it kid. Around here, you don't chase your dreams. You just deal with the hand life gave you and everyone's got a pretty shitty one."

Shadows began to form over Luffy's eyes but he did leave, letting the tired man eat his soba in peace. But his own thoughts refused to leave him alone for the rest of the night.

---

"So," Dragon Richard said, "what do you all have for me?"

His five crewmembers all stood in front of him. Brick and Kodiak were closer and had an odd look in their eyes that told Richard that they had something to tell him. Killer Moth was glaring at the wall which meant he was angry about something while Red Dart standing next to him just rolled her eyes. Silencer, as always, staying in the back near the shadows, completely unreadable.

"The increased payments have been going well," Brick informed him. "Naturally there have been complaints, but our people keep saying most of it is going towards the Green Arrow as planned."

"Good," Richard nodded. That was what he liked to hear. He needed to flush this damn archer out of hiding and take care of him permanently.

"There was one problem," Kodiak chimed in, causing Richard to raise an eyebrow at him. "Three of our men were taken out by a group of sailors that just arrived."

"Some sailors took out three of our men?"

"What a bunch of losers," Killer Moth laughed.

"Who were they?" Richard asked curiously.

"We don't know. We found their boats and, well, it's hard to tell what kind of sailors they are. One of them covered a sail up completely in paint. The other boat just had a normal sail though."

"Hmm." Richard scratched his chin, mulling it over. "That means the painted sail might have a Jolly Roger emblazoned on it and they wanted to cover it up."

"So…they're pirates then?" Red Dart asked.

"Unlikely. Probably just thieves who wanted to get rid of the pirate logo. Still, they did assault our men which we can't let slide. Find them. And confiscate their boats. We can always use the lumber."

"Right," Brick nodded, smacking his fist into his hand. "I'll track them down, no problem."

"And I'll take them out," Kodiak grinned.

"What? Why you?"

"Because I'm stronger."

"You want to test that, shield boy?"

"Anytime, rusty!"

"Enough!" Richard said, raising a hand. "I don't care who deals with them, just get it done. Now, what other news. Silencer, was the money moved?"

The woman gave a stiff nod in response.

"Good. Dart, what about the Marines?"

"Good for now, but Broderick seemed to be getting impatient. He says he wants the Green Arrow dealt with now or else he'll start mustering his troops throughout the island."

Richard sighed. That was exactly what he didn't want. Those damn Marines would interfere with his own militia and thus his plans. "Well, that brings us nicely to our final bit of news. Moth, what do you have for me?"

Moth stepped forward and Richard was glad to see him lose the attitude he'd come in with fast. If he hadn't, Richard probably would have had to kick his ass first. He didn't tolerate annoying shit like that. "I don't know if you're aware of this or not but one of the Green Arrow's last acts was against this big bandit chief or something called Komodo. There was a battle and that guy lost. After that, the crime and piracy in the area went down so the Green Arrow sort of faded away."

"Yes, I did know all that," Richard nodded, feeling impatient now. "I hope you have more news for me."

"I do. You asked me to look into changes around that time, specifically arrivals and departures. Well, there wasn't anything major at first but I kept asking around and stumbled onto something. You know that annoying bounty hunter Harper?"

"Yes," Richard nodded, his impatience rising further. "And you and I both know he's not the Green Arrow."

"Right. But he is an exceptional archer. Which got me thinking about if he knew who the Green Arrow was."

Richard had connected those dots before but never looked into them as he knew Harper couldn't be the Green Arrow given how often he left in search of bounties out in the East Blue. As well as that, after that night, Harper knew what would happen if he or anyone he knew crossed Richard. He'd taught those lessons before and they'd always worked so he hadn't thought a repeat performance was necessary. But perhaps, in this instance, he'd been wrong.

"Go on."

"Right, well, that inn he runs? It didn't originally belong to him but some other guy called Queen Oliver. He was this famous guy years back, used to be this big, rich party boy in the central island but then he vanished for a while, lost at sea they say, and when he came back he was changed. Wanted to help out the people and all that nonsense. And not long after that, he hired Harper at the inn."

"So you think this Oliver guy is the Green Arrow?" Red Dart asked, an eyebrow raised. "I've never heard of him before."

"Yeah, me neither," Brick added.

"That's because he left several months after the Komodo incident. I don't think he's the Green Arrow, I think he was the Green Arrow and he helped train Harper."

"We already said Harper's not the Green Arrow either," Kodiak growled.

"Yeah, but what about his sister?"

That got a pause, even making Silencer look up from her position. "Sister?" Red Dart asked curiously. "What sister?"

"That girl," Richard said before Moth could reply. "Emiko."

"Oh…her," Dart nodded.

"Who?" Brick and Kodiak asked simultaneously.

"The one who attacked us when we moved in here, remember?"

Both men frowned, thinking it over, before their eyes cleared in recognition. "Oh right, that brat," Brick nodded.

"Yeah I remember now," Kodiak added.

"Hmmm, his sister huh?" Richard mumbled, half to himself. Yes, that would make sense. She would want to continue the legacy of her brother. And she had heart, proven the night she'd attacked them. But he'd thought he'd taken care of her that night. She may have survived, but he'd been sure her spirit had been broken so thoroughly she'd never dare defy him again. He knew he'd put that fear in Harper. But evidently this girl might have been made of stronger stuff.

"Good work Moth. That gives me an idea."

"We're going to take her out too boss?" Brick asked, smacking his fists together audibly.

"Not yet. We have no proof just now and if we randomly go after people, the Green Arrow might sink into hiding or leave altogether. And if it really is Emiko, I want to make her suffer for the inconveniences she's caused me." He tapped his chin, mulling it all over. "I don't think she'll attack us again, not after we turned the people against her since she knows where we'll retaliate. But she will want to help them so she will hit someone. If I had to guess, I'd say one of the more wealthy citizens of the central island. Silencer," he called, getting her attention. "Stakeout the Verdant Inn tonight and if she does make a move, follow her. See everything she does and do your best to confirm her identity. But don't let her know you're there."

"I could easily kill her," the woman said in a soft, lethal voice.

"I know. But I want her alive for now. Just confirm her identity for me. I'll take care of the rest."

Silencer nodded and Richard leaned back in his chair. It seemed things were going quite nicely after all. Once the Green Arrow was taken care of, he could finally complete his fleet and begin his conquest of the East Blue. All the major players would fall before him. Arlong, that Clarisse brat, even Black Amunet. No one would match his power. And then the sea would be his.

He couldn't wait.

---

"You're going the wrong way."

"Eh?" Zoro looked up, trying to find the voice but all he saw in front of him was a wall. He slowly turned around, his mind just a tiny bit fuzzy. "Where'd you all go?"

"Turn around," Shang-Chi sighed. "I told you not to drink so much."

"My tolerance is fine. At least I didn't spit up my first cup."

"Well, I'm not trying to walk into a wall right now, so…"

"Will you two shut up?" Sabine said, walking up past them to the second floor. "So which rooms are ours?"

"I booked two," Shang-Chi said. "Rooms 108 and 109."

"Alright, well you all have fun," Nami said, making a beeline for the door with the numbers 109 shining on it.

"Oh no you don't," Sabine said, stopping her. "We're sharing a room. I may like these guys a little but that doesn't mean I'm sleeping next to them."

"Well, you're not sleeping next to me either!"

"Oh yeah? Then I guess you're sleeping outside cause I'm sleeping in there."

The two continued to argue the whole way down the hall until they reached the door where they then realized neither of them had the keys. "Oh Shang-Chi?" Nami cried in a slightly flirtatious way. "Could you please toss the keys to me?"

"What's with the voice change?"

"What, you don't like it?" Nami asked, a twinkle in her eye that Sabine really didn't like. "Don't tell you can't do it?"

Sabine glared at her before raising her voice a pitch and putting on a brilliant smile, turning to Shang-Chi in what she hoped was a flirty way. "Don't listen to her, could you toss them to me please?"

Shang-Chi stared at the two of them, very confused. "What are they doing? Why are they smiling like idiots?"

Zoro, who'd finally managed to find the stairs after almost walking into the kitchen and then the bathroom, followed his gaze and frowned as well. "Now that's a little creepy."

"Wonder what they're up to," Luffy commented, tilting his head.

"Here," Shang-Chi said, tossing the keys their way, not caring who caught it. Both girls rushed for it but Sabine, being slightly more fit, reached it first and snatched the keys out of the air.

"Ha!" she cried triumphantly, turning back to the door and opening it with a flourish. "And that's how it's done. Now, do you want to sleep in here or outside?"

"Ugh, fine! But don't hog the bed!"

"Relax, there are two beds!"

"And I like long hot baths, so don't disturb me!"

"Why would I want to disturb you?"

"And don't touch my money!"

"You seriously need to calm down about your money!"

The door slammed shut behind them and the hallway was quiet again. Shang-Chi and Zoro both sighed before making their way to the door next to it, the number 108 nailed at the top. However, they'd only made it a few steps before they realized that Luffy wasn't following them.

"Captain?" Shang-Chi asked, turning back around to see Luffy staring over the balcony to the inn floor below where Shuffleton was still eating. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, just a feeling," he replied. He thought back to what some of the other customers had said, what Lian had said. What Shuffleton had said. What even Emiko had said. This whole island…it was like a cage. He thought of Gray Terminal, of all the people there with no hopes and dreams, forced to give them up because of other, more powerful people.

And he kept wondering if he should do something about it here.

He was distracted when Emiko walked by again. "Hmmm, you know at first I just wanted her boat. But now I kind of want her on my crew too. I didn't know she was a fighter."

"Really?" both Zoro and Shang-Chi asked. "It was so obvious."

"Hmmm?" Luffy looked up at them. "How do you guys know that?"

"Her stance."

"Her hands."

"Her muscles."

"The way she talks."

"The way she acts."

"Basically everything she does was a hint," Shang-Chi explained.

Both Shang-Chi and Zoro were warriors and the longer they had stayed in Emiko's company, the more they had noticed. One of the first things had been how she held herself compared everyone else in the room. Now it wasn't always easy, Luffy being a prime example, but in some cases it seemed glaringly obvious as it was with Emiko. When she'd been arguing with Luffy, both had noted how she seemed ready for a fight. Then they had noticed her hands and the callouses on them from wielding something every day. Zoro had the same from his swords. Her stature and physique also gave away how hard she trained, especially in her arms. It wasn't easy to see but her movements had given some of it away. All that and more had led them to the same conclusion.

"Wow," Luffy murmured, looking at her again. "Now I really want her on my crew."

"Well, that is her choice. But, you being you, she'll probably be worn down soon enough," Shang-Chi commented, thinking back to how Luffy got him on his crew.

"Sounds about right," Zoro nodded, also thinking back. "Now, I'm going to go get some shuteye."

"Yeah," Luffy nodded as well. "Everything else can wait. I'm tired."

"Hold up," Shang-Chi said, stopping the two. "We're currently in enemy territory. It would probably be best if we had someone on watch for the night."

"Alright, thanks for volunteering," Zoro said, walking away again.

"Yeah, thanks," Luffy agreed.

"Not just me!" he growled but it was too late, the two already opening the door to the room. "Oh whatever," he muttered, following after them. He supposed if they were leaving tomorrow he could stay up the night without much problem and just rest on the boat. He'd done it before in his father's training, going without sleep for differing periods of time. Now he could actually put it to the test.

He stopped at the door, glancing at the one next to him and thought about the girls inside. As tough as they were, they were still the most vulnerable of the new crew. And most likely to be attacked by, as what his mother put it, 'disgusting perverts.'

He walked into the room, seeing Zoro and Luffy already settling down, and left the door open just a half inch, barely noticeable. He took a seat next to it and got into his meditative position, breathing in deep. If he kept up this state, he would be able to sense any oncoming threat with ease and still get some rest.

What a strange turn my life has taken, Shang-Chi thought, seeing Luffy and Zoro already fast asleep. He could picture the girls sleeping just as soundly next door. They'd only known each other a few days and yet they somehow felt like…

The hurt came slowly but still painfully. No, he wasn't ready to call them family. They weren't a family. The beginnings of a crew, yes. But Shang-Chi wasn't ready for familial ties. Not after what had happened to his last ones.

Ignore all that, he thought, diving further into his meditation. Focus on the here and now and not on what once was. That will not help you here.

Still, those thoughts lingered long into the night.

---

Once the sun had gone down for a few hours, Emiko carefully opened her window, her favorite bow and a quiver full of arrows over her shoulder, and stepped out onto the roof. She scanned the area, pulling her mask up to cover her face and lowering her hood as well. She then took off, lightly running across the roof until she reached the edge, leaping off without a hint of hesitation and landing softly on the next roof. Without pause she kept going, running right across it and the next roof over.

It was easy here. All the buildings in the Glades were shoved close together as there were just so many people here crowding for room. It would get a little harder to move around once she made it to the central part of the island where there was more room between the buildings. But, she'd managed it before and she would today.

She'd already picked out her target. Hunt Adam, one of the richest men on the island and in deep with Broderick's circle. Stealing from him would both help out the people in the Glades and, bonus, hopefully derail some of Broderick's and by extension Richard's operations. His mansion was located on the eastern side of the island, close to the shore and only a few miles from the Glades.

Within a few minutes, she'd reached the wall separating the Glades from central. For most, it might seem insurmountable. But Emiko had gone over it so many times that she had it down to a tee. One grapple arrow to the top section of the wall and she was good, swinging right onto the wall and landing softly on her feet. Then, a pull of a switch and the wire holding her began to recoil, bringing her right up to the arrow. She grabbed the side of the wall and pulled herself up, putting the arrow back into the quiver as she scanned the area below. The housing complexes for the less wealthy (but still better off than living in the Glades) lay below and she hopped down onto the roof, already racing across it and making her way to where Adam's house was.

Unbeknownst to her, a silent shadow was right on her tail, watching her every move.

Silencer never lost sight of her as she kept her distance. She was sure now it was Emiko, but she needed real proof for Richard. She just needed one glimpse of that face and she would know. But for now she would just have to wait and see.

Emiko came to a stop as the mansion came into a view. Like the few others she'd spotted, it was stationed right in the middle of a residential neighborhood, everything about it screaming 'look how awesome and rich I am!'

"Well, I think it's time we changed that," she muttered and started moving again, nocking an arrow. She ran over to part of the roof where she had a clean shot and fired, her arrow landing smoothly in a wooden beam. She then just repeated, swinging over and climbing up the wall to the top until she landed on the roof.

"Time for the easy part, huh?" she muttered.

From here she could easily see all the armed guards roaming around. But they were all idiots, not really paying attention to what was going on around them. She saw a few just smoking while looking out at the sea, a couple playing cards, and some others idly twirling their weapons around. They clearly never imagined for a second that anyone would dare attack. Time to prove them all wrong.

No one was on the roof. Another big mistake. Emiko was able to easily move right across, keeping her feet light so that her footsteps couldn't be heard from below. She reached the central chimney, most likely connecting to the dining room, and attached a grapnel to it. She then clipped the rope to her belt and shimmied down the chimney, thankful she was skinny so that she was able to do this.

Just as she was about to reach the bottom, she scrunched up, grunting from the tightness as she flipped herself over until she was upside down. She lowered herself again until her eyes went past the edge. A quick scan told her there were no guards here so she kept going until she reached the bottom. She leaned back against the chimney wall, kept one hand on the ground, and unclipped herself, letting gravity take back control.

It was only thanks to leverage and her arm strength that she didn't fall on her head. Still it was a strain, even when she brought her other arm back down. She slowly maneuvered her head so that she slid across the fireplace until her whole body was out of the chimney and lying flat on the floor.

Emiko allowed herself five seconds to catch herself before she was up again, fading into the shadows of the wall. She moved quickly, dashing over to the door and opening it silently. She moved down the hallway, heading to where the master bedroom was. She had noticed it on her way in, a large balcony overlooking the sea. That was almost certainly where the bedroom was and thus, where Adam's safe was. She would have gone straight from the roof to the balcony but it appeared this Adam guy wasn't all that stupid as the roof hung over the balcony too much to drop down to it.

It was only a few seconds but Emiko swiftly found the first few guards, instantly ducking next to an alarm clock as they appeared.

"…can't believe we have to do this."

"Hey, it pays well at least."

"Yeah, but do we really have to do this all night? We should at least take shifts."

"Yeah, but…I get lonely."

"…Are you freaking kidding me?"

"I also get tired ok and having someone to talk to helps."

"Do you mean to tell me I could have been sleeping this whole time?"

"Well…kind of?"

"You bastard!"

"Hey, keep it down! You don't wan-"

"This friendship is over!"

"Hey man, don't be like tha-"

"Over!"

They didn't even notice Emiko as they passed by, too absorbed in their argument. Emiko gave them a look, rolling her eyes. While it would be best not to attract any attention, she did kind of hope to have some sort of fight here. She always liked a good brawl ever since her mother read her those stories as a child. While her relationship with her mom was…complicated, to say the least, those stories would always be cherished. Ever since then, Emiko had dreamed of tearing her enemies apart, dealing pain and misery to all who dared cross her. She imagined smiting them down with her arrows, slashing them apart with blades, utterly destroying them.

Of course, dreams and reality were very different. She had thought Oliver was the enemy. But it turned out he was the only one on her side. Then, after he left, there hadn't been many enemies to smite, just random weaklings making small trouble.

And then Dragon Richard had showed up and she'd, for an instant, thought that this was her moment. That these were true enemies that she would conquer, laughing over their graves in the end. But reality had a different idea in mind.

She closed her eyes, shutting that memory out. It didn't matter anymore. She had a job to do.

"Hey man, just talk to-" the second guard started to say right up until Emiko walked behind him, whacking him on the head and knocking him out. The first guard, turned, surprised, but was soon whacked as well, falling beside his partner.

"Well, look on the bright side," Emiko told them. "Now you get to sleep."

She sighed in disappointment, knowing that she shouldn't have hoped for a better fight but still kind of wishing for one. She took hold of one of the guards and propped him up on a nearby couch. When she put his partner next to him, she positioned them in a way that made it seem like they'd fallen asleep together, not been knocked out.

"Alright, how many of you guys are left?" she wondered aloud.

Quite a few as it turned out. As she made her way through the mansion, she ran into several more guards, one literally as she was turning a corner but he was too surprised to avoid her punch. They were all weak and incompetent and easily taken down. Sometimes she did use her arrows just to get some practice in. But she couldn't use anything other than the sleep arrows which, when having penetrated through, unleashed a special concoction that put the target right to sleep. She wished she could use the others but they caused too much commotion. And while that could mean a great fight, it might also run the risk of Hunt getting away which was not an option. She would need him to open the safe.

She finally made it to the right room, exactly where the balcony was. She grinned with relish, ready to teach Hunt a lesson. She then lifted up her leg and kicked the door in as hard as she could, opening up…the bedroom?

"What?" she questioned, looking around. This wasn't the master bedroom. This was just a small room with some comfy chairs and couches leading to a smaller balcony. She walked out onto the balcony and cursed as she looked up, spotting the larger balcony above her. She was on the wrong floor.

"I guess his chimney doesn't go to the top floor," she muttered. In fact, it went to the ground floor, meaning she needed to go all the way up in order to reach Hunt. She should have realized when she was climbing down. That fireplace was way too deep for it to be on the top floor.

"Hey what was that noise?"

"There's an intruder here!"

"Get them!"

"Oh, I guess I am getting a fight after all," she murmured, a wild grin spreading across her face. "Goodie. I'll just need to make this fast before Hunt gets away."

The first two guards came running into the room and struck the trip wire she managed to set up, sending them sprawling. Emiko raced from behind the door, meeting the next two head-on with her bow and knocking them down. She didn't wait to knock them out, already moving and nocking an arrow. She loosed it at the coming guards, already nocking another as it was in the air. Shoulder, leg, and hip. All three guards went down, screaming out in pain. Emiko didn't kill, the notion of taking a life unless absolutely necessary not sitting well with her. Not after what happened with her father. Or fathers. But causing extreme pain? Yes, that she could do.

"Come on assholes, I'm gonna fuck you up!" she cried, charging forward.

She made it to the stairs unimpeded but found a couple guards racing down towards her. An ankle shot to the second one sent him tumbling into the first and both of them all the way down as she ran past them.

"Die!" one guard screeched, leaping at her. She moved an inch to the side and let him fall onto the other two.

"All the way up," she muttered, moving at least three if not four steps at a time. More guards came and like all the others, they went down just as easily. Less than a minute later, she had reached the top floor. "Here we go," she said, racing up the last step.

BANG!

It was pure reflex that saved her. She saw the glint of light and heard the soft click an instant before and was already ducking when the gun went off, the blast destroying the wall behind her, the bullet taking a few of her hairs as it passed by.

"Just for that, you get one of my favorites," she declared, pulling a special arrow out. "Needle twister!"

The arrow struck the ground right in front of the gunman and all the other guards, small needles attached all along the sides. As soon as the arrow made impact, the jolt triggered the needles, launching them all out in every direction, impaling all the guards in the vicinity. Emiko grinned as their cries filled her ears. "Nothing quite like it."

She came running to them, firing several arrows in rapid succession and taking out a few before she reached them, using her bow as a bat to knock two into the wall. She kicked one in the kneecap, laying him out, and slammed her own knee into another man's face.

"Grab her!"

"Kill her!"

"Don't let her escape!"

Emiko snorted, stuffing her fist into that particular moron's face. "I'm not the one who should be thinking about escape, idiot."

She leapt up and dropkicked one, causing a domino effect for the others behind him, before falling into a handstand and twirling around, kicking out wherever she saw another guard. Her kicks weren't too powerful but it gave her some breathing room to get back on her feet and knock them out for good.

A few managed to get swords and knives out but they clearly had little to no training with them, swinging them around so wildly they were more a danger to their allies then to her. All it took was a little dodge to get one wannabe swordsman to overreach so she could grab his arm, twist it, and take his sword from it. She then used it to disarm the other swordsman and take them out as well.

The knife-wielders were a different story as they were a bit more dangerous. But not nearly as dangerous as her.

"Got you now, huh?" one crowed after backing her into a wall.

"Not really. Just wanted some space from the others."

"Go to hell!"

He charged forward but Emiko just moved a few inches to the side, grabbing his arm as the knife passed her, and snapped it like a twig. He barely had time to howl in pain before her other fist sent him dark slumber. She then threw her knife at the other guy, impaling him in the shoulder and causing him to fall to his knees. He screamed for a few seconds before she knocked him out too.

"Alright then," she said, nodding in satisfaction at the hallway filled with groaning and unconscious guards. "That's enough fun. Time to get serious."

From the corner of her eye, she saw one of the guards shakily lift up the gun. Before he could bring it up another inch, she had another arrow nocked and loosed, a net springing from it and tightening around him as soon as it reached him, constricting him right against the gun as he fell.

"Over here! Come on!"

Emiko sighed at the coming noises away from the master bedroom. Seemed the rest of the house was onto her. Also, how many guards did Hunt have on his payroll anyway? Seemed a bit excessive.

"Henry, I hope this works," she muttered, picking out another arrow and loosing it at the floorboards leading to the coming noises. As soon as it hit, the canisters on the side of the arrow broke open and an oozing green liquid pooled out, covering most of the width of the hall.

"There she is!" the first guard cried, sword raised as he turned the corner. But he barely made a step before the floor collapsed beneath him and he fell screaming down to the next floor. The next two guards tried to stop themselves but were going too fast and fell screaming behind him.

"Acid arrows. I guess they do work."

There were still a few more guards coming her way though and she didn't have more time to waste. So she pulled out another favorite arrow and loosed it at them, already running in the opposite direction as it struck.

FOOM!

The giant, inflatable cushion exploded out, sending the guards flying into the wall and one down the stairwell.

"Damn, I love that one," Emiko grinned. That one was a Lian original and it was a joy to watch it in action. But she had to hurry now. In case she missed Hunt, her backup plan had been to use the acid arrow to break into the safe. But now that that was used, she needed him. Her lock-picking skills were…fine. But she would prefer the easy way tonight.

She made her way down the hall, reaching the corner that should, by her calculations, lead to the main bedroom where Hunt would be waiting. And, if she was right, there would be several guards at the entrance.

"One last trick," she said, pulling out a particularly bulbous arrow. She nocked it, took a breath, and then turned and loosed it before the four guards at the door could react. She quickly dove back behind the corner before the guards could fire their guns and covered her ears tightly.

BOOM!

The explosion rocked the mansion, dust spewing down the hallway. Emiko shook her head from the slight ringing and nocked a normal arrow as she stepped out to survey the damage. The doors had been completely obliterated and all four guards were down, either unconscious or groaning in pain. She walked past them into the main bedroom, eyes scanning the room quickly and landing on Hunt as he cowered behind a suit of armor.

"Wh-wh-what do you w-want from me," he stammered nervously.

"Your safe," she said simply. "Open it. Or you'll be choking on your own blood."

Hunt hesitated and Emiko loosed, the arrow striking the armor's helmet and knocking it clean off, the arrowhead piercing through the metal. Hunt shrieked before racing over to the wall, removing a picture from it to reveal a safe inside. In seconds it was unlocked.

"Thanks so much," Emiko said before knocking him out with a swift punch. "You just made a lot of people happy."

She gathered up as much of the money and gold and jewels inside as she could and put it in the bag she'd brought with her, cursing Hunt as she did. "Why on earth would you keep them as jewels?" she muttered, cursing for the umpteenth time as several rubies fell from her grasp and tumbled on the floor. "Wouldn't it be easier to just trade them in for money?"

Soon, she had a giant bundle of wealth over in hand. "Whoa, shit!" she exclaimed as she threw it over her shoulder, stumbling for a second before she recovered. Yeah, this would be a bit tricky. But she couldn't wait any longer. She was sure with the noise made, more people would be arriving soon. She was lucky she'd gotten as long as she had.

She nocked a grappling arrow and went out to the balcony, eyeing the roof above.

"There he is! It's the Green arrow!"

"Time to go," she said, leaping off the balcony and firing the arrow at the chimney, the arrow landing just on the edge and catching itself, its hooks holding fast. She gave a quick wave to the charging guards before swinging herself along the side of the house, letting the momentum carry her past the mansion and right towards the wall. She yanked out a small knife and cut the line at the right second, dropping directly onto the wall. She took a second to orient herself before she was off, dashing into the night before the guards could even begin to chase after her.

---

In the shadows, Silencer followed along the mysterious archer with ease, always keeping the figure in sight while not giving away her own position. Soon, they returned to the Glades, the archer dashing right towards a particular builder.

Verdant Inn.

Silencer watched as the archer went to a specific window and hopped inside. She pulled out a small spyglass, holding it up to peer into the now lit room. And at the exact second, the archer pulled down the hood revealing their face.

Queen Emiko.

Silencer nodded in satisfaction, pulling out a small transponder snail. Richard picked up on the first ring.

"What is it?"

"We have confirmation. It's her. She's the Green Arrow."

---

We're back! Sorry for the delay but a lot's happened in the last few months. And now we've returned. I hope you enjoyed this chapter cause I really loved putting it all together. And now that I have a more concrete idea of how the rest of the arc will go, the release should be more smoother from now on.

When writing Emiko, I realized quickly that some of the characters' personalities were beginning to blend so I decided to lean into her more ruthless side from the Lemire run. I also may have added in some Spensa from Brandon Sanderson's Skyward which I highly recommend.

I also added a few Easter eggs for the new characters to come down the line.

I'm not sure how much longer this arc will last. For sure two chapters, maybe three, and then that'll be it. I've got some cool fight scenes lined up so see if you all can guess who's fighting who.

Until next time, thanks for reading and leave a review if you can!