Brynlee knew she needed to be careful. Somewhere on this island, the Unluckies lurked, waiting to gather as much information as possible before reporting to their boss. She couldn't just fly around in an attempt to locate them – she needed to wait for the right time to strike.

"Are we sure she's out? Mister Nine said she had monstruous strength!"

"I mean, she almost drowned, from what Miss Wednesday said – catching a cold is the least that could have happened."

"You're right, you're right. Let's just do this quickly."

Well, no one said I couldn't get a head start.

Silently, she dropped from the crow's nest where she had been hiding, landing right behind the two agents who'd snuck onboard. She quickly knocked the nearest one out, before grabbing the second one by the throat, silencing any attempt at sounding the alarm.

[SIDE QUEST]

Strength In Numbers!

Baroque Works' lower ranks is filled with cannon fodder.

Defeat 1 Baroque Works Millions!

Reward: 5000 B

"Y- you—!"

"Where is the communication center of this island?" she asked, unperturbed by his struggles. "I know you have a mailbox for the Unluckies. Where is it?" Her grin turned a little dark as she tightened her grip. "Tell me and I might reconsider ripping your throat out."

Nami may have learned Arlong's swindling ways, but Brynlee had found her niche in his particular intimidation tactics. And, well, there was no denying the rush of power and adrenaline whenever she got to scare shitless those foolish enough to provoke her.

[SIDE QUEST]

Strength In Numbers!

Baroque Works' middle ranks is filled with good combatants.

Defeat 1 Baroque Works Frontier Agent!

Reward: 500,000 B

"There. With this report, we should be absolved of our failure—"

"You're really good at playing the part, aren't you, Princess Nefertari Vivi?"

The blue-haired girl stiffened, her eyes going wide as she spun around to face Brynlee, clearly on the defensive.

"What- what are you—"

"Don't worry, I already took care of your partner. I'll admit, I may have been a little cruel getting it done – but like I said, I'm a vindictive bitch." Brynlee cracked her neck a bit, thinking of what to say to convince Vivi to trust her – she wanted to avoid some of the drama that would take place in the incoming fight. "Anyway, I'm not the enemy here. Your Boss knows you found out his identity – Miss All Sunday allowed you to follow her. Miss Valentine and her partner are coming as we speak to silence you."

Unexpectedly, Vivi merely sank to her knees, gasping for air. Brynlee paused, unsure of how to proceed. The shock was obviously too much, and she'd probably been running on fumes, stressed beyond exhaustion because of the information she'd learned. With a sigh, Brynlee moved quickly and knocked her out before she could lapse into a full-blown panic attack. She then picked her up, grinning a bit to herself.

Sweet! I've always wanted to kidnap a princess!

By the time Brynlee managed to safely sneak Vivi back onto the Merry, the fight between Zoro and the other Millions had already started. It would seem that, despite her warnings, Luffy and Usopp had knocked themselves out during the feast, but Nami and Sanji were nowhere to be seen – probably skulking around to loot the enemy while they were busy.

Brynlee was half-tempted to let Zoro handle it, admittedly impressed by the show he was putting on, but also… she really wanted her money.

There were about a hundred bounty hunters here, and they're falling like flies – I better get moving if I wanna get at least fifty of them!

Without hesitating any longer, she joined the fray, marking her entrance by sending the nearest Million flying through a building. The wall collapsed, the noise enough to draw the attention, and she grinned as the enemy turned their blades and guns on her.

"Another one!"

"Watch out, she's strong!"

Zoro was suddenly beside her, a single katana drawn.

"Here I thought you were going to be lazy and leave it up to me," he mused.

"And let you hog all the fun? No way," she scoffed, cracking her knuckles. "Hey, bet I can take down more than you!"

He snorted, tying his bandana over his head. "Dream on. I want unlimited funds for drinks on the next island once I win."

"Well, once I win, you'll be in charge of defending my food from Luffy for a whole week."

Zoro winced – defending her food meant leaving his unprotected, and there was no doubt Luffy's insatiable appetite would make him go hungry. But a bet was a bet, and he certainly wasn't one to back down from a challenge.

"Bet."

Brynlee's grin sharpened, if possible, and she promptly pounced onto the nearest enemy.

Hello, hello! Apologies for the mild delay in posting the new chapter, things have been a bit hectic lately and I barely have any free time left.

Happy Halloween (one day late but anyway)!