Coco: Hello, hello, and how are you today?~
This chapter gave me a bit of trouble as it was coming up short and I was having the hardest time adding on to it. I could have used some of the material I used for the next chapter, but I didn't want to risk that one running short. So, I rewrote this one a lot. But it's now ready for you to enjoy!
A day passed, and the cold had been replaced with the sweltering heat of a summer island. The temperature was climbing still, causing Wren to shed her thick, long layers of clothes. She replaced the winter friendly clothes with a simple white, cotton dress with quarter sleeves that stopped before her elbows. The dress went down to her ankles with slits on either side that went up to her knees. The neckline of the dress was modestly cut and stopped just right above her bosom.
She sat under the large lawn umbrella that Sanji had been kind enough to put up for her. The shade offered some reprieve from the blazing sun that hung overhead. Havel was resting underneath said chair to escape the heat in the cool shade and enjoying a small bowl filled with rose lemonade that Sanji had made earlier.
Wren had a half-finished glass beside her on the table as she was reading through the notes on Alabasta, Crocodile, and his organization. She has read over the notes so many times she was certain they were seared into her brain at this point. But still she read over them…not wanting to miss a single detail. Wren let out a quiet huff as she reread the same line twice.
'Am I really so worried that I can't concentrate on something as small as reading?' she mentally questioned in annoyance.
It has been some time since she's handled something like this on her own. She took a backseat on missions such as this ever since she became Corazon and was forced to stay closer to home. The only time she left Dressrosa was on business for Doflamingo and there was so little time in between for her to do much else.
'This would be easier if I didn't have to worry about these add-ons,' Wren thought as she glanced towards Luffy and Chopper who were looking out at the ocean.
She knew Luffy and the others were different than most. They genuinely were good people, but they were nowhere near the skill needed for her not to worry about their involvement.
'But it isn't just them who might cause trouble,' Wren thought as Vivi's face came to mind. 'Vivi will be a problem too. Her want to protect her country entirely is going to throw kinks in my plans. She won't be able to look at things logically as she's too far invested on what happens to the people of Alabasta.'
Not that it's surprising considering it was Vivi's homeland, and it was her people. It was only natural Vivi have her entire heart and soul into wanting to protect it all. However, it was because of that that Wren knew that she and Vivi would most likely bump heads before this entire mission was over.
Wren came out of her thoughts as the sound of wings beating reached her ears. She sat up in her seat to peek past the umbrella to see a large brown, bird flying past the ship.
"Hey, seagull!"
Wren's attention turned on Luffy as the boy called after the bird. Chopper and Nami, who were at the front of the ship as well, watched as the bird suddenly turned. It came barreling towards the ship, which had Nami screaming. Luffy laughed excitedly at this even as the bird swooped down towards the ship. As it flew away, Wren frowned when seeing the bird had snatched Luffy into the air.
"It has to be by some miracle that that boy is still alive." Wren deadpanned.
Havel, who came out from underneath the lawn chair, laughed in agreement as Chopper went running past them in a panic. Wren heard Chopper shout for Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp to help Luffy who could still be heard laughing from above. Seeing as the boy wasn't showing any sign of distress, Wren went back to leaning back in her seat.
A few short moments later, Luffy drilled the large bird onto the back deck. The ship bobbed against the waves due to the force. The shaking caused Wren's glass to tip, but she reached out to tilt it back where it belonged.
"What was that noise?" Vivi, who came out from inside, questioned as she came to stand beside Wren's chair.
"Nothing of importance," Wren replied as she reopened her book.
However, before she could read another word, Havel hopped into her lap and laid out across the book. She gave him a look of irritability.
"If you read much longer, your eyes will go cross." Havel warned.
"Considering I only have one functioning retina to read with, I don't believe I need worry about that." Wren retorted.
Havel only hummed in return as he made himself more comfortable. Wren sighed in defeat knowing the feline wouldn't be moving anytime soon. Which she supposed was fine considering Nami called for everyone to gather to discuss what they'd do when once they reached their destination. It didn't take long for the boys to gather around as Nami sat on the arm of Wren's chair.
"So, what is Alabasta?" Chopper asked.
"It's the country where Vivi's father rules." Nami explained.
Chopper aahed in understanding as he looked at the princess who wore a concerned expression on her face.
"Yeah, except there's this guy named Crocodile who's trying to take over the country right now." Usopp added.
"And Crocodile is one of the Shichibukai." Sanji added.
At the mention of the Shichibukai, Doflamingo flashed through Wren's mind. All seven of those pirates were trouble. However, her former captain will always remain the one she deems as the cruelest…and the most dangerous. All Shichibukai were strong and powerful. However, not all of them were monsters like Doflamingo.
"Who are those guys?" Chopper questioned.
"They're pirates who were given authority by the World Government." Nami replied.
Wren silently bit her lip. The reflex to scoff at the mention of the World Government and its terrible decision to pardon pirates in exchange for their power was almost too strong to ignore. However, she refrained from making a sound as she drummed her fingers silently on the table.
"The government actually supports pirates?" Chopper asked.
"Yeah, pretty weird, huh?" Usopp asked. "And the Shichibukai are incredibly powerful. You see, they go around defeating other pirates, one by one. And that's why the government supports the Shichibukai. The idea is to have the pirates get rid of all the other pirates."
"That isn't entirely correct," Wren cut in. "It's true the Shichibukai can be used to take down other pirates, but mostly the government leaves them to their own devices. Only calling them when really needed to fight against much larger threats like the Yonko."
Her companions' eyes widened when hearing this, and Chopper gulped as he wondered how scary these Shichibukai were considering that they could fight against pirates referred to as emperors.
"For their services, their crimes are pardoned and their bounties taken out of circulation." Wren said. "This puts people in the false sense that these pirates are loyal to the government, but in the end, they are still pirates. They will do as they wish in the end and depending on their new offences…the government sometimes looks the other way. After all, isn't it odd that Crocodile has gotten so far with his plans without the government noticing?"
Vivi's face paled as she looked down. The thought that the government might have known all along what Crocodile was up to and had done nothing put a cold, heavy feeling in her stomach.
"Maybe they truly haven't noticed. We'll never know for sure." Wren continued with a nonchalant shrug. "Either way, it's best to expose Crocodile and his wrong doings as publicly as possible. That way the government has no choice but to acknowledge Crocodile for his crimes and strip him of his title."
Though Wren knew that even with Crocodile out of the picture another pirate would be chosen to take his place. And there was no guarantee this pirate would be more like Crocodile and Doflamingo or like Mihawk or even Jinbe.
"I see," Vivi said. "I never even considered worrying about the immunity given to Crocodile by the World Government. Would they truly ignore an entire country's suffering just to keep Crocodile as an ally?"
Wren, who had picked up her glass to take a sip from her lemonade, glanced over at the princess who wore a troubled expression. Wren finished her sip then placed the glass down with a small sigh.
"Yes," Wren replied bluntly. "I've seen it happen before. Donquixote Doflamingo has the bloodiest history of all the current Shichibukai and yet the World Government looked over all of it to grant him pardon. Now, he sits as king over an entire country."
Vivi bit her lip and clutched the front of her shirt tightly as an image of Crocodile sitting on her father's throne came to mind. The thought made the heavy feeling in her stomach grow causing a sense of nausea to settle.
"Crocodile seems to be planning to make himself king here." Wren went on to say. "And while is bounty is one of the smaller of the Shichibukai—sitting at 80 million—he's still dangerous and shouldn't be underestimated."
"Small?!" Nami and Usopp exclaimed. "What's small about 80 million?!"
Wren looked at the pair with a quirked brow as she tried to understand why they thought 80 million was such a high amount for a bounty. However, she soon remembered that this crew was still young and in the early stages of exploring the Grand Line. They had most likely never come across someone with a bounty as high as Crocodile's before.
'I would hate to see how they would react to one of the Yonko's bounties.' Wren thought as she picked up her drink to take another swallow.
She then looked to Luffy as the straw-hatted captain gave a cheerful laugh.
"I'm really looking forward to meeting this Crocodile guy!" Luffy said as he grinned.
Nami and Usopp obviously didn't share that sentiment as they glared at the rubber boy who was excited as ever.
"Crocodile is considered a hero back home." Vivi said. "He helps get rid of the pirates that attack Alabasta. However, his good deeds only appear to be good on the surface. He is an evil man. In truth, he is manipulating the citizens of Alabasta to bring out his Civil War, so that he can take over the country. No one has realized what Crocodile is doing yet. Not the people. Not even my father. And I thought not even the government could see his evil ways, but after what Wren-san said…I'm not so sure anymore."
A tense silence fell over half of the group as they wondered if they'd be able to make the government acknowledge Crocodile's wrong doings. Or if they'd try to cover everything up. Luffy didn't seem to hold the same concern as he grinned broadly at his friends.
"Right!" He said. "Well, this should be fun. All we have to do is beat up that Crocodile guy!"
"Yes, but in order to do that we have to avert the Civil War in Alabasta and get Baroque Works out of the picture." Vivi pointed out.
Wren mentally shook her head because that plan would take too much effort. And if not done quickly enough, it'd be too much wasted effort.
'It'd be much easier to go for Crocodile first,' Wren thought. 'Even if we can't expose him, we could at least take him temporarily out of the picture. We might be branded as the villains for taking down the country's hero, but I'd have accomplished all my goals if I collect his resources and stop him from obtaining that ancient weapon.'
It would also slow him down from overthrowing the royal family and taking over the country. He might try again in the years to come if the government doesn't strip him of his title. However, that was of no concern to hers. Though even as she thought that her brows furrowed, and her lips turned into a frown.
"Baroque Works?" Chopper asked.
"Oh yeah, you don't know anything about them either." Usopp said in realization. "To be honest, I don't understand what's going on with them myself. They've got a really complicated system of agents, bosses, and partners."
"The system is actually pretty simple." Vivi began. "First, at the very top of the organization is the boss—Crocodile. He's known as Mr. 0. There are a total of twelve agents and one animal who receive orders from the boss directly. These twelve male agents operate as part of a pair with a female agent. Mr. 1 is paired with Ms. Double Finger. Mr. 2 is paired with Ms. Halloween."
Wren twitched slightly when Vivi mentioned Ms. Halloween, but it went unnoticed by the others.
"Mr. 3 is the candle man we ran into on Little Garden, right?" Zoro asked.
"That's right." Vivi said nodding. "And his partner is the painter Ms. Golden Week."
"Oh, yeah, that little girl." Nami said.
"Mr. 4 is next in line." Vivi said. "He's paired up with Ms. Merry Christmas. I don't know much more about those two though."
"Ms. Merry Christmas ate a zoan-type devil fruit giving her the ability to turn into a mole." Wren pipped up. "Mr. Four has no devil fruit abilities. Though I hear his physical prowess is unmatched amongst the officer agents."
The group turned towards her with a mix of surprised and suspicious looks. Well, Zoro was the only one who wore a look of suspicion, which once again proved he was the only one amongst the group smart enough to question Wren.
"How do you know that?" Nami asked curiously.
"I have my ways," Wren replied. "Do you really think I would target a Shichibukai and not have some kind of intel?"
Her explanation was accepted easily enough as the group returned to speaking about the officer agents.
"Then there's that snot guy." Luffy said.
A small grimace pulled across Wren's face at Luffy's mention of a snot man.
—FLASHBACK—
"Nyeh, nyeh, Corazon, I heard you killed someone else who came to do business with Doffy. Behehehe, he's going to scold you again."
Wren looked up from the book she was reading as she sat in the gardens. Her mask was placed upon her face due to strangers walking in the castle. Pirates and royalty alike had come to see Doflamingo and discuss business with him.
"Doing business with that lowlife wouldn't have benefited, Doffy-sama." Wren told Trebol. "Now, you're too close. Move out of my face."
The snot man, who was mere inches from her masked face, laughed once more as he leaned closer causing her to lean back in her seat.
"Too close but what, Corazon? Too close but what?" Trebol questioned.
"Too close and that's it." Wren hissed. "Move back, Trebol, or I will have the servants remove your favorite snacks from teatime."
Trebol just laughed as he continued to disturb Wren's personal space much to her aggravation.
—END OF FLASHBACK—
The man of mucus had always made her uncomfortable. Moreover, it didn't help that he always invaded her personal space. Though that was just part of Trebol's abysmal personality.
"Mr. 5." Usopp corrected Luffy.
"Snot?" Chopper asked.
"Yeah, his snot is explosive." Usopp explained.
Wren ran her fingers through her hair with her left hand as the fingers of her right hand tapped faster against the table.
—FLASHBACK—
Wren left her brow twitched when she heard the gunshots in the background. She could also hear someone shouting and what sounded like things being broken. She ignored the noise, however, as she looked to the salesclerk in front of her whose expression showed terror. The woman even flinched when an explosion went off outside. An explosion, Wren promptly ignored as she held up a maroon dress in her hands.
"I apologize for my crewmate's behavior." Wren said. "I really can't take him anywhere. Now, I hate to be a bother, but do you have this dress in rose gold?"
As if on autopilot the salesclerk nodded robotically before she went to get Wren the dress she requested. Wren waited patiently at the counter as the chaos came to an end outside the store. The bell at the front door dinged to signal someone's entrance. Wren didn't even look at Gladius as he came to stand next to her.
"Do you feel better now that you caused a scene?" Wren questioned as she looked up at the man. "You have a bit of mess on your face, by the way."
She gestured to her own cheek, which had Gladius reaching up. The man blanched when seeing the bloody tissue that had splattered on his face.
"Disgusting." He grumbled.
"I hope you got it out of your system because if you go ballistic again and my dress gets even a smudge of dirt, it will be ugly for you." Wren warned him.
Gladius shrunk away from her tone giving Wren the smallest sense of satisfaction.
—END OF FLASHBACK—
"Mr. 5's body can be used as an entire weapon." Vivi told the group.
"His partner Ms. Valentine has the Kilo-Kilo no Mi powers." Nami added.
"That's the woman who can change her weight whenever she wants." Zoro said.
Wren's fingers abruptly stopped drumming across the table as she held back a huff. Crocodile's group was starting to share a lot of similarities with Doflamingo's crew to the point where it was almost scary. If Wren didn't know better, she'd say Doflamingo helped Crocodile handpick his agents and write him out a detailed plan on how to overthrow a kingdom.
"The agents with codenames from Mr. 1 to Mr. 5 are known as officer agents. They each possess one of the Devil Fruit powers, and they are only sent on the most important missions." Vivi said. "Agents Mr. 6 through Mr. 12 are in charge of fundraising. They make money for the organization by heading up the employees at the entrance to the Grand Line."
"Hey, what about that odd monkey and chicken pair I ran into?" Sanji asked.
"That's Mr. 13 and Ms. Friday." Vivi explained. "They're the agency's punishment squad. They punish any agent who fails to complete a mission. And there are more. Under the officer agents are 200 men called billions, and there are another 1,800 men under the frontier agents known as millions."
Wren wasn't too worried about 2,000 underlings. They were hardly worth her attention. The officer agents would be the biggest thorn in her side, and the one who would give her the most trouble would be her…
'I wonder when we will cross paths, Lorelei.' Wren silently wondered as she brushed some hair away from her face.
A voice sighed tiredly as the owner of said voice stood off to the side having to watch her partner abuse their ship's navigator. The poor navigator was becoming bloodier by the second, but his abuser didn't look as if he'd be stopping his assault any time soon.
"Un—ow!—deux—argh!—trois!" Mr. 2, who was also known as Bon Clay, counted as he delivered blow after blow.
The men around winced at the sound of the man's cries as Bon Clay hit him against the tree once more.
"I'm sorry, Mr. 2—Mr. Bon Clay, sir!" The navigator said.
Bon Clay just frowned as he looked at all his subordinates with clear aggravation on his face.
"Would you idiots just quit playing around?!" Bon Clay demanded. "Damn it! Are you completely clueless?! Do you even know who I am?!"
No one answered him as the navigator picked himself off the ground from where he had fallen after Bon Clay released him. The person, who had been sighing earlier, rolled their eyes at Bon Clay's dramatics as they boredly picked at the black nail polish peeling on their nails.
"I am Bon Clay!" Bon Clay declared. "A Baroque Works officer agent. I strike fear into the hearts of anyone who sees me."
His partner scoffed. Bon Clay didn't seem to hear this scoff, however, because he just pointed towards the navigator.
"Hey, you, Navigator, tell me something." Bon Clay said.
"Uh, yes, sir?" He asked as he stood up straighter.
"Does that pea-brain mind of yours remember what the boss's exact orders were?" Bon Clay asked.
He swept his hand out in front of the navigator who watched it nervously since he didn't know when Bon Clay would use it to strike him.
"Yes, Mr. 2." The Navigator said. "The orders were to kill Mr. 3 on his way along the direct route between Little Garden and Alabasta."
"Okay then." Bon Clay said. "Maybe you're not entirely useless then, now, are you?"
Though despite the praise he gave, a second later he grabbed the navigator by his throat to slam him into the tree, which had the others wincing as if they felt his pain as well.
"Taking a direct route means you travel in a straight line, doesn't it, Navigator?" Bon Clay asked. "That's why we went straight from Alabasta to Little Garden, isn't that right?"
Bon Clay then added his other hand to the man's throat to start choking the poor navigator.
"But then something seems to have gone wrong with the plan now, hasn't it, Navigator?" Bon Clay asked as he repeatedly hit the navigator against the tree. "We reached Little Garden without as much as seeing Mr. 3 while on our way here. Now that seems to indicate to me that you fools missed Mr. 3's ship entirely."
He went to abuse the navigator again when the sighing voice from before cleared their throat causing the men around Bon Clay to stiffen.
"Can you stop trying to kill the navigator?" the mysterious figure questioned. "We do still need him, you know. Unless you've suddenly developed navigation skills, Mr. 2."
The men felt a chill go down their spines as the figure's voice raked across them like the claws of a cat. They then slowly turned around to face the figure. Behind them stood a young teenage girl with pin straight, black hair that fell to her waist. She was pale in complexion, giving her an almost sickly pallor. Her dark blue eyes, which were behind a circular pair of dark violet glasses, were surrounded by dark lashes and smudged with black eyeliner. She also adorned black lip stain and smudged violet eyeshadow.
She wore a black dress that stopped mid-thigh and had off the shoulder, transparent ruffled lantern sleeves. Her boots were just as black and came up to her knees and covering the rest of her legs were fishnet tights. On top of her head was a wide brimmed, black fedora that protected her face the sun shining above. Finally, she had a thick, studded black belt around her torso, which held a pair of twin miniature scythes that were held together by a chain. The chain rattled as she moved her weight from one foot to the other.
"Besides," the girl continued. "The ocean is a big place. It wouldn't be a stretch to say Mr. 3 simply took a different route."
It was silent for a long, tense moment as Bon Clay and this teen stared at each other. The tall ballerina finally sighed as he looked away from the girl.
"Hmm, I suppose you do have a point, Ms. Halloween." Bon Clay said.
The men relaxed once the tension left the air, and Bon Clay dropped the navigator.
"Glad we're on the same page." Ms. Halloween said. "Now, shall we begin making our way back towards Alabasta, so we can cut Mr. 3 off before the boss sends Mr. 1 and Ms. Double Finger after us. I don't know about you, Mr. 2, but I would rather stay alive. Prepare to make sail."
Her order was met with the men panickily scrambling to do as they were told. After watching them fumble for a few seconds, Bon Clay groaned in aggravation and stomped his foot.
"Make it snappy!" Bon Clay snapped. "And stop running around like idiots!"
His angry shout had the men snapping to and rushing onto the ship to get it ready. As they were preparing the ship, Bon Clay turned to his partner.
"You seem to be in good mood today, Ms. Halloween." Bon Clay commented.
Ms. Halloween looked at Bon Clay curiously as she wondered how he came to conclusion.
"You're usually off in your little corner of woe without making so much as a peep." Bon Clay said as he did a spin. "You do worry your partner when you act so gloomy."
"Perhaps I act gloomy because I'm stuck with you as my partner." Ms. Halloween deadpanned.
Bon Clay flinched as if he had been slapped and clutched his chest in a dramatic fashion. Ms. Halloween watched him with a deadpanned expression as he fell to his knees on the ground.
"How could you say such a cruel thing to me, Ms. Halloween?!" He whined as he placed the back of his hand on his forehead, looking as if he might faint. "Friends shouldn't act so coldly to each other! Especially after all the time we've…Hey, are you even listening to me?!"
He stopped his dramatics to shout at the younger agent who was already making her way back to the ship. Ms. Halloween—or Lorelei as was her true name—sighed once more as she glanced back at Bon Clay.
"Enough with the shouting," Ms. Halloween told him in an exasperated tone. "You're acting worse than that mole woman. Besides, it isn't happiness I'm feeling right now…it's anticipation. There's someone who will be arriving to Alabasta shortly…and I would hate to miss her, which is why we need to get moving."
Bon Clay, who looked as if he was going to throw another tantrum after Ms. Halloween compared him to the mole woman, paused and looked curiously at his partner who stared out at the waters before them…a vacant look in her eyes.
—FLASHBACK—
"Big Sister! Big Sister, I have something for you!" Lorelei said excitedly as she ran up to Wren.
The older girl, who was sitting in her favorite window in the entire castle, turned away from the view to look at the dark-haired preteen. Lorelei came to a halt in front of Wren while holding out a small, wrapped box. The wrapping was a rose gold with a rose-pink bow that was tied to resemble a heart.
"A gift?" Wren questioned as she took it into her hands. "What's the occasion?"
Lorelei gave her a look of confusion though the smile remained on her face.
"Big Sister, did you really forget what today is?" Lorelei questioned. "It's your birthday."
Genuine surprise colored Wren's face as her hands clutched the box a bit tighter. After a moment of silence, she shook her head and chuckled softly.
"I suppose I've been so distracted with work that it slipped my mind." Wren said. "Thank you for this, Lorelei."
Lorelei's smile widened as she watched Wren open the neatly wrapped gift. Once the paper was removed, Wren lifted the box to reveal a bracelet. It was a simple leather band with a coin-sized, golden circle in the middle of the bracelet. Within that circle was an imprint in the shape of a Dara Knot.
"The Dara Knot…" Wren murmured.
"I remember you speaking about it." Lorelei said. "How the symbol represents personal growth, inner strength, and wisdom gained over one's years of life. You said the symbol was important on Era and that many of the scholars wore it including your father, so I when I saw the band I thought you might like it."
Wren gave Lorelei a gentle smile as she ran her thumb over the symbol on the bracelet.
"Thank you, Lorelei, this means a lot." Wren told her as she placed the bracelet on her wrist. "It was a very thoughtful gift."
Lorelei beamed at Wren's words as the older girl stood up from the window. She placed her hand on Lorelei's shoulder to lead her away.
"So, how bad is it?" Wren questioned.
"How bad is what?" Lorelei feigned innocence.
Wren gave her a look that made Lorelei fidget on the spot and caused her to cave quickly.
"Doffy-sama brought in those chefs, who made that dessert you like, from St. Madrigal, Baby 5 decorated the entire first floor, Dellinger and Buffalo are currently fighting over who is going to present their gifts first, and Giolla made you a personal birthday chair for the occasion." Lorelei spilled her guts.
Wren sighed looking as if she might turn around at that moment to hide away in her room. However, she took a moment to steel herself before she patted Lorelei on the shoulder.
"Well, let's not keep our family waiting." Wren said. "I would hate for all their hard work to go to waste."
Lorelei smiled once more as she quickly spun around and grabbed Wren's hand to tug her along.
"I know it's a lot, but you'll love it, I promise, Big Sister!" Lorelei assured her. "After all, what better way to spend your birthday than with family?"
"I couldn't imagine anything better," Wren replied.
—END OF FLASHBACK—
'…I know you'll be there…won't you, Corazon?...So, you can pay for all your lies…' Lorelei thought.
Wren sneezed into her elbow. The noise coming off as a soft squeak. She frowned as she got the distinct impression that someone was talking about her.
"Are you alright, Wren-san?" Vivi, who sat across from Wren, asked in concern.
"I'm fine, thank you." Wren replied then gestured to the board in front of her. "It's checkmate in eight moves by the way."
Vivi blinked looking down at the chessboard before looking back up at Wren in surprise. The two had started the game when Wren brought up her portable chessboard up from the women's quarters. Wren had invited Vivi to a game to pass time. Vivi wasn't sure if Wren had noticed her anxiousness and was trying to distract her, or if Wren was simply bored…either way the princess was grateful for the distraction.
"How can you tell?" Vivi questioned.
Wren gave a secretive and dare Vivi think mischievous smile as she placed her hands in her lap.
"If I tell you that it might derail my path to victory," Wren pointed out. "Of course, there's also the chance that I'm bluffing and merely trying to throw you off."
"Wren-chan, is so cute when she's being mischievous~" Sanji cooed from where he was making lunch.
As Wren deadpanned at the beaming blonde, Vivi hummed while she looked back at the board. She tried to really look at the board and the places of the pieces. She wanted to see whatever it was Wren did that led the older woman to believe the game would be over in five moves. However, Vivi didn't see this path to victory that Wren was speaking about. Vivi bit her lip then unsurely moved her knight forward. Wren's lips turned up even higher before she confidentially made her next move.
The swiftness of her move had Vivi gulping. The princess didn't have a good feeling about how this game was going to end. As she made her next move, Zoro entered the galley. The swordsman's moved to the table and sat down beside Wren. He turned sideways in the seat, so he could face the woman directly.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Wren questioned as she took her turn.
Vivi glanced at Zoro as the swordsman was giving Wren a look of suspicion.
"Earlier you had information about the officer agents that Vivi didn't even have, and she had been working as a spy within the organization for a couple of years," Zoro said bluntly.
Wren grinned at his distrustful tone as Vivi, who nearly dropped her chess piece, looked at Zoro with wide eyes for his boldness. Sanji paused in his task to turn and glare at the swordsman.
"Watch it, mosshead." Sanji growled. "You better not be accusing Wren-chan of anything."
"Stay out of it, love cook." Zoro retorted. "We don't know a lot about her and if we're going to work together, we need more intel."
Sanji turned completely to face the swordsman with his face set in a glare. Vivi looked between the two men nervously as it looked as if a fight might break out. However, her eyes turned to Wren who reached out to pat her hand.
"It's alright," Wren said as she kept her eyes on the board. "Honestly, I'm surprised it took you this long to say anything, Zoro. Out of everyone on the crew, I can tell you're the wariest of my intentions, which is smart. You should never be so trusting of a stranger if you want to last long on these waters at least."
She then moved another one of her pieces and smiled up at Vivi who looked shocked.
"That's check." She told Vivi.
Vivi looked intently at the board and saw that no matter how she moved, her king wouldn't survive Wren's next move. With a sigh and the smallest of pouts, Vivi tilted her king over in defeat. Wren thanked Vivi for the game then began putting the pieces back into place.
"If you have questions then ask." Wren told Zoro. "However, I can't guarantee that I will answer all of them."
The atmosphere in the galley turned tense as Zoro narrowed his eyes at Wren.
"You won't, huh?" Zoro questioned.
"That's correct," Wren said. "After all, I barely know any of you either. So, why should I trust you anymore than you trust me?"
Vivi and Sanji both looked a little hurt by Wren's confession that she still didn't trust them. Though the latter could understand considering the bit of information he did have Wren's past. About how she had been in the hands of slavers at one point.
"That's a fair point," Zoro relented. "Fine then, what other intel do you have about Baroque Works?"
Wren tilted her head and placed her finger on her chin as she looked as if she was taking a moment to think. Whether that was thinking if she should answer or if she had to think of what intel she had, the others didn't know.
"That's a reasonable question." Wren said. "As you already know, Crocodile is the leader of the organization. Ms. All-Sunday is his right hand."
"Yeah, we already met her," Zoro interrupted.
Wren pursed her lips at her fellow swordsman as she picked up her queen piece to twirl between her fingers.
"Now, now, you asked for what I knew, so let's not interrupt, alright?" Wren requested as she pointed the piece at Zoro who made a face at her. "As I was saying, his right hand is Ms. All-Sunday. Her true identity is Nico Robin, and she has a standing bounty of 79 million beli."
Wren then placed the queen back on the chessboard and gestured for Vivi to make the first move. The princess hesitated for a moment but then picked up a pawn to begin a new game.
"Nico Robin…" Vivi murmured as she made. "Why does that name sound familiar?"
"Most likely because she's been wanted by the World Government for twenty years." Wren answered as she moved a pawn up two spaces. "She's the last remaining survivor of Ohara, but that's a story for another time. Her history has nothing to do with role in Baroque Works now."
And Wren would rather keep such information to herself. If Zoro caught onto that, he said nothing.
"I noticed you didn't mention much about Mr. 1 or Mr. 2 and their partners earlier, Vivi." Wren continued. "I take that to mean that you don't know much about them."
Vivi shook her head. Despite having infiltrated the organization two years ago, Vivi didn't have much information on the highest officers in Baroque Works.
"Mr. 1 is a well-known bounty hunter who has also done work as an assassin." Wren said. "He has eaten the Supa-Supa no Mi, which gives him the ability to turn any part of his body into a blade. His partner Ms. Doublefinger is equally as skilled in assassination and has eaten the Toge-Toge no Mi making her a spike woman. But I wouldn't call them the most dangerous pair in Crocodile's organization."
She paused a moment to study the board after Vivi had moved her bishop. After a silent moment of contemplation, Wren moved her knight up one and two left.
"Checkmate in 15." Wren told Vivi, who gasped in shock. "Mr. 2 and Ms. Halloween will cause us more of a problem."
Before she could go on, the door to the galley burst open and she was hit at full force by a certain rubbery, straw-hatted boy. She gasped as she was sent face first straight into Zoro who grunted at impact before all three of them slammed into the wall.
"Oh, my goodness!" Vivi gasped. "Are you three alright?"
"Luffy, you moron, if hurt Wren in anyway, I'll kill you!" Sanji snapped.
As Luffy pushed himself off Wren, whose face was smushed against Zoro's shoulder, he laughed heartedly. Zoro snapped at the boy as well while he pushed Wren partially off him. Though it was difficult considering Luffy was still sitting on her legs.
"Sorry, my bad." Luffy said.
His casually given apology didn't feel even a quarter as heartfelt as his laughter. He then cried out in pain when Sanji's foot met with his face. As the blonde raged on the younger boy, Wren was finally able to move off Zoro who joined in on the Luffy pummeling. Vivi immediately went to check on Wren who stared up at the ceiling with a deadpanned expression on her face.
'Was I too focused on the game not to sense him coming?' Wren wondered to herself as she tried to remain calm. 'Or maybe it's Luffy lack of thinking that makes him harder to read. Either way, the longer I'm around this boy the more he reminds me of a certain man who has the same tendency to cause me strife.'
As the sun moved past high noon, the scorching heat of Alabasta lessened ever so slightly. Though that gave little reprieve to those on the island. Even the natives found this kind of heat hard to ignore as they worked from their stalls trying to pull customers in.
"Come, my friends, come," an older gentleman called out from his stall. "We have the finest glass and metal work in all Alabasta. Come by and see for yourselves what fine craftsmanship looks like."
A man stepped in front of the stall. A man of tall build with a muscular physic, and despite the blazing sun bearing down from above, this man wore little for protection as his outfit consisted mostly of a pair of shorts, a pair of boots, and a hat. Though the sun seemed to bother him little as a grin pulled across his face, which was adorned with freckles.
The man's eye was on a blown glass tea set that was mostly clear except around the edges where the color turned dark blue. The set was also accented with gold imagery in the shape of lotuses.
"Ah, you have a very good eye for quality, sir," the salesman said. "This tea set is perfect for both home décor and it could be the perfect set for when you're hosting guests."
"Is that so?" The freckled man asked with a chuckle. "Is it sturdy enough for everyday use? The person I have in mind for this likes to have daily tea times."
The salesman's eyes lit up as he nodded his head before he grabbed some dishes that matched the tea set.
"Very durable, sir, and if I may, perhaps your friend would also enjoy this matching plate set." The salesman said. "I can even throw in one of our metal stair trays that is perfect for holding desserts and other small delicacies."
He placed the stacked tray by the tea set. The man picked up the decorated tray to look over it carefully.
"Is there any iron in this?" he questioned. "She has an allergy to iron."
"Ah, so it is a lady friend for whom you're wishing to gift to." The salesman said with a kind smile. "Sadly, that piece does contain traces of iron as does most of our metal work."
The man nodded then placed the stacked tray back down on the salesman table.
"Then I'll just take the tea set and the plates." The man said. "Maybe this will get me back in her good graces."
The salesman chuckled as he began to grab boxes and paper to put the sets in.
"Ah, this woman must be very special, hmm?" The salesman asked.
"Yeah," the man replied with a grin. "She really is something else."
Coco: And so, ends another chapter. Though before I say farewell, we have a CLC!
Name: Lorelei
*Lorelei was given her name by Giola after the family took her in. What name she had been given at birth was lost as Lorelei had been too young to remember it. Giola decided on the name due to Lorelei's fae origin and because it's said that Wisp firelight is sometimes used to lure people off the right path and to their deaths, much like the Lorelei of legend who lured men to their deaths but by song instead of firelight.
Age: 16
D.O.B: June 4th (adoption day)
*She shares her birthday with Crocus, Epoida, and Raijin
Origin: North Blue (Unknown Island)
*Her birth island is a mystery, but she was raised mostly at sea as the crew was actively sailing the Grand Line during her childhood.
Height: 4'11"
Race: Changeling
*In a previous version, she was a Wil-O-Wisp, but I decided to change things up. She does have Wil-O-Wisp heritage, but from where she was raised by humans all her life after being spirited away from her own kind, she devolved into a changeling. She can still use the same blue flames as her fae parentage, but her magical abilites are much weaker than the average fae.
*While halflings are regarded the same as fae and mages, changlings are sometimes met with hostility due to their mostly human nature. They are more isolated than halflings (who tend to choose their isolation) as they aren't welcomed in most fae/mage communities. They are even more unwelcomed by humans who realize their own child had been replaced by a changeling. Though it isn't their fault they were kidnapped as babes and forced to replace human children. Due to this rejection it's safe to assume that Lorelei was abandoned by her human parents once they realized she wasn't their actual daughter.
Affiliation(s): Donquixote Family/Pirates, Dressrosa, Underworld, Baroque Works (spy)
*Lorelei joined Baroque works two months after Vivi. Though the two never crossed paths. Lorelei also climbed the ranks quickly and was promoted to be Ms. Halloween within a year. At first, she and Bon Clay butted heads as the okama didn't want a partner, but Lorelei wore him down eventually.
*Lorelei gathered intel faithfully in the months she worked under Crocodile and uncovered nearly twice as much as Vivi had in the same amount of time. However, this could be due to the fact, Lorelei climbed the ladder higher within the organization and due to her background in espionage that was taught to her by Wren.
Weapon: twin mini scythes
Family: unknown fae parents (status unknown) Donquixote Family-adoptive family
Trivia:
* Lorelei like Wren has a fondness for sweets. Her favorite being Franzbrötchen, which is a sweet pastry made with a special Danish pastry-like dough filled with sugar and cinnamon.
*Lorelei actually prefers coffee to tea but drinks the latter more because of Wren's distaste for coffee. This might have changed since Wren's departure from the crew, however.
*Aside from Wren, Lorelei is closest with Dellinger as the two were raised together by Giolla.
*If Lorelei came from the real world, she would originate from Germany like her name.
*Lorelei is actually a very picky eater and has this thing where she can't eat foods if they are touching on her plate. She also can't have certain foods next to each other on a plate if they are similar in color.
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Coco: Okay, now we are ready to wrap things up! As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. And until we meet again, be sure to keep being your beautiful selves and stay safe out there! Tata~