A/N: Hey readers! Vote in the poll on my page if you haven't. I'm sure some of you have noticed that I currently cannot be messaged. I will change this in the future, but for now I need a break from the excessive amount of DMs I receive. Thanks for understanding!
Chapter 19
Akali had successfully taken out everyone that had tried to prevent her from leaving the black market. As she fled, her nunchaku were clenched tightly in one fist while the caged animal she had saved was in the other. It was hard for her to run due to the creature weighing her down, but she managed to escape the area before any of the Mafia's reinforcements could arrive. She breathed heavily as she finally slowed her pace and found a secluded spot behind a nearby building to rest. She tossed her weapon around her neck and placed the animal on the ground, kneeling down to observe it. Its eyes were wide with fear and it curled in on itself as she reached her hand out.
"You're safe now," Akali said, moving cautiously to open its enclosure, "I won't harm you."
The animal appeared to understand her words and it noticeably relaxed as it watched her closely. She carefully removed the muzzle from its face, her fingers nimble as she worked on undoing the knots. After the ties were broken, it began to chew on the rope binding its limbs together, eventually freeing itself.
"See? I'm not so bad," She assured while scooting back to give the creature space to exit.
Once it felt comfortable enough it began to inch forward and she remained still to avoid frightening it. He was smaller than she had initially thought and he gave her a sniff before rolling on his back to reveal his belly. She smiled at his innocence and rubbed his stomach softly, causing him to squirm in delight.
"You're a pretty cute guy, huh?"
His ears suddenly perked up and he quickly dashed away at the apparent sound of footsteps.
"Akali! Akali, where are you?!"
It was Laura who had called out her name and she soon rounded the corner with Elsie and Remi in tow. The trio were relieved to have found her although they wondered why she seemed to be hiding. Akali immediately stood to greet them, dusting off her pants in the process.
"Hey, we were looking everywhere for you!" Laura exclaimed as she rushed over to her.
"What's with the cage?" Elsie asked as she looked behind Akali to inspect it, "Is there something in there?"
"No," Akali replied while crossing her arms, "Not anymore."
Laura tilted her head in confusion, "Why do you need a cage then?"
"Wait, where were you?" Remi questioned, trying to keep the girls focused.
"I was investigating the black market," Akali admitted though she was now avoiding eye contact, "And I've gathered some useful information."
"Aww, no fair, that sounds-" Elsie began before Remi raised his hand to stop her from finishing.
"So, what did you learn?" He asked, ignoring the glare the sniper sent his way for interrupting her.
"The Mafia controls it and they're selling everything they can get their hands on," Akali explained as everyone listened, "But it's more to it than just goods. They were auctioning off an animal when I was there."
Laura raised an eyebrow, "An animal? Why would they be doing that?"
"To sell as a servant, play thing, who knows what else," Akali answered, disgust evident in her voice.
Remi's attention went to the cage and realization dawned on his face, "Don't tell me..."
"I had to rescue it," Akali confessed, having no regrets for her actions, "I don't want to think about what would have happened if I didn't."
"Well, that's certainly one way to piss off the Mafia," Remi remarked as he began to pace thoughtfully, "Maybe this can be a good thing."
"What do you mean, Remi?" Laura questioned, turning to him for clarification.
"Remember that deal I mentioned earlier?" He reminded them, waiting for Laura and Elsie to nod before continuing, "The man I spoke to needed us to disrupt the black market. I'd say Akali's stunt here took care of that."
Akali's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Wait, so you're glad I stirred up trouble?"
"Yes, and no," He responded while rubbing his chin, "We'll have to leave sooner than later because we have another target on our backs, but at least we're one step closer to getting our ship."
"I want to meet this guy," Elsie stated, curious as to who their client was, "He sounds like my kind of person."
"I think heading to the shipyard is a good idea," Laura said while glancing around for any signs of Mafia members, "We could be found if we hang around here."
Alicia and Ricky soon arrived at the Isle of Greed and the captain had chosen to land on the beach. After she transformed back into her human form, she watched her lieutenant begin to walk in a circle to stretch his legs. Not far from them was a heavily damaged marine ship that had broken pieces of the vessel surrounding it.
"They're definitely on this island somewhere." Alicia said as she gestured towards the wreckage.
Ricky rubbed his hands together excitedly in response, "Oh, this is gonna be fun!"
"Remember, our goal is-"
"To bring them in alive, I know," He replied, cutting her off, "You've told me like a hundred times, Cap'n."
"In your case, I have to," She remarked while crossing her arms, "You're not exactly the best at following instructions."
To prove that the Marines did not discriminate against any type of person, Shona had decided to enlist a man with the attention span of a child. Ricky was almost incapable of comprehending rules and he was easily distracted. Despite his glaring flaws though he was skilled in combat and his Devil Fruit gave him unique abilities to say the least.
"It's not my fault people make things so boring!"
"Come along, now, Rossler," She commanded as she began to stride in the direction of the city, "We're wasting precious time."
Remi led the girls back to the shipyard to meet West, the man who would be giving them a vessel. Cindy greeted them warmly at the gate and she escorted them to the main building where she said West would be waiting. As the group followed her, Laura found it hard not to stare in amazement at the beautiful designs of the ships and Elsie enjoyed pointing out all the features and fine details.
"So, how long have you been working for West?" Remi inquired as they stopped outside the warehouse.
Cindy hummed as she considered his question, "Maybe five or six years now. People usually call him 'that no good, dirty, rotten, good for nothing, sneaky scoundrel', but I find he's an excellent employer!"
Remi sweatdropped at her answer, "I see, he must really leave an impression then."
She knocked on the door as she had once before and they all listened for a response.
"Cindy?" West shouted from within, not bothering to open the door yet.
"Yes, it's me, sir!" She replied loudly to ensure he would hear, "And you have some visitors!"
He eventually exited the warehouse, giving them a nod of acknowledgment before turning to Remi, "I didn't expect you back so soon. I take it you completed your task?"
"Yeah, one of us managed to take care of some business early," Remi responded while pointing a thumb toward Akali, "She interrupted the black market's auction today."
West smiled at the news, but suddenly a crash could be heard from shipyard's entrance and the group looked to see what had caused it.
"I know you're in there, West! You think you can ruin my plans and get away with it?!"
A fancily dressed man and woman had breached the gate, their appearance catching everyone off guard.
"Who the hell are they?" Elsie asked, glancing between the newcomers and the rest of the group, "Friends of yours?"
"That's Lusadanté, head of the Arvo family's Mafia, and his consigliere, Emelina," Cindy explained while keeping her voice down, "Whatever they're here for, it can't be good."
As the intruders approached, West stepped forward to address them directly, "What do you want?"
"Don't play dumb with me you no good, dirty, rotten, good for nothing, sneaky scoundrel!" Lusadanté spat out accusingly at him, "You think you're slick, don't you? Thought you could just send in some little rats and mess up my auction?!"
Emelina took a moment to survey the area, her gaze landing on Akali, "You! You're the one who stole our merchandise!"
"Oh boy," Laura muttered under her breath as she realized the situation was taking a turn for the worse.
Akali remained unfazed by the confrontation and she looked at the mafia woman with indifference, "And what are you going to do about it?"
"Yeah, what are you going to do about it?" Elsie repeated defiantly in a taunting manner.
Emelina released a laugh from beside her boss's side, "Do you think that they'll protect you? West and Lusadanté have a deal of their own. Him and his butler are not allowed to interfere with our business. Though I should have made sure indirect meddling was part of the agreement as well."
"She's right," West admitted nonchalantly as he and Cindy moved out of the way, "I cannot get involved in this fight. I hope you'll understand, it's nothing personal."
"Well, isn't that convenient?" Remi replied in a sarcastic tone through clenched teeth.
"It's still four against two though," Laura said while placing her hands on her hips, "And there's no way-"
She paused her sentence abruptly when she caught sight of two marines also entering the shipyard.
"-that we're going to lose..."
A/N: Next chapter is going to be a blast! Thanks for reading!
