After retrieving Luffy and Usopp, who'd finally woken up, the entire group returned to the Going Merry, where none other than Vivi, Igaram, and even Carue were waiting for them – Nami had briefly explained the situation, but Luffy had yet to say anything about it, still trying to digest the inhuman amount of food he'd eaten earlier, his belly so swollen he looked like a giant balloon that could pop at any given moment.

Thankfully, he was pretty much back to normal by the time they made it back onto the ship. Vivi shot Brynlee a wary look as they climbed aboard, to which she simply grinned and waved – who knew kidnapping people could be so much fun?

She tuned everything out as Princess Vivi and Igaram pleaded their case once more to their Captain, instead keeping an eye out for the Unluckies that were sure to pop out at any given moment—

"—but I truly can't tell you. Your lives would be in danger if you were to learn that Mister 0 is Sir Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

…

…

…

Nami gawked, eyes wide. Sanji's cigarette dropped onto the deck as his mouth hung open. Usopp let out a pained whisper as he processed what he'd heard. Zoro stared at Vivi as if she was the dumbest person in the world. Luffy let out a noise of excitement. Mister 13 and Miss Friday took off from the darkness where they'd hidden themselves, the duo soaring far and fast.

"Usopp, distract them once I catch up!"

"W- what!?"

Brynlee tore her cloak off and took off as well. It had been a while since she'd last flown properly but, thanks to her new piece of equipment, they no longer ached from being folded and hidden away for long periods of time – meaning she managed to quickly catch up to the pair, who only noticed too late that they were being chased. She flew right into their path, forcing them to swerve at the last second and effectively turning them around right back towards the Going Merry, where Usopp fired his chili powder explosive star right at Miss Friday's head. A red cloud engulfed the pair, the strong, burning scent immediately blinding all of their senses—

Brynlee grabbed the vulture and snapped its neck – a clean, smooth break. As it started plummeting, the otter jumped off, revealing a teeny-tiny parachute. As Brynlee dove after him, Mister 13 pulled out a machine gun, but it was promptly blasted out of his paws by one of Usopp's projectiles. The surprise gave Brynlee enough of a momentum to catch up, grab him, and snap its neck as well.

[SIDE QUEST]

Bad Luck

Baroque Works can count on talented spies to do their dirty work.

Defeat the Unluckies!

Reward: 1,000,000 B

Even easier than hunting rabbits, she mused internally.

She watched for a moment as the Unluckies hit the water, their lifeless bodies quickly swallowed by the tide, before finally flying back to the Going Merry. Igaram and Vivi looked pale and disturbed, Usopp was trembling slightly, but the others thankfully didn't seem all that shaken by her actions.

"Dead?" simply asked Zoro.

"Dead," she confirmed, rolling her shoulders a bit.

"You… killed them so easily…" murmured Vivi, clearly horrified.

"They were agents about to reveal our existence as a threat to one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea – I did what I had to do to protect my crew," replied firmly Brynlee. "You are the one who put us at risk in the first place, so don't judge how I handled said risks."

She knew Mister 13 and Miss Friday to be intelligent creatures – she didn't kill them just because her moral compass deemed them lower on the food chain. But she'd long since resigned herself to taking lives when necessary, and if killing those two meant keeping her friends safe for a little while longer, so be it. Their enemies on Little Garden wouldn't be expecting them so, hopefully, the incoming fights would be a little easier to manage.

Most importantly, she'd be able to focus on keeping Nami safe.

We will recruit Chopper – but not because one of our own got hurt.

"Here, Bryn."

"Oh, thanks."

Brynlee took her cloak back from Nami, quickly wrapping it around her shoulders once more. Revealing her wings to Vivi and Igaram didn't bother her much – the real gamble had been revealing them to Miss All Sunday AKA Nico Robin, who was surely lurking around waiting for the perfect opportunity to stir unease and conflict.

"Thanks for the air support, Usopp," she grinned, offering a thumbs' up his way. "You really are one hell of a sniper."

"Of- of course! It was nothing, ah, ah!"

She could tell he felt a little uneasy about her methods but decided she would address this matter a little later once he'd had time to settle his thoughts a bit.

"Bryn…" She glanced to Luffy, who seemed… tensed. Almost as if he expected her to refuse him…? "I wanna fight a Warlord."

She just shrugged, a bit confused as to why he was telling her specifically. "Okay."

"Okay!?" exclaimed Nami, outraged.

"It's not like Luffy can become King of the Pirates without fighting," replied Brynlee, unbothered by the killing intent emanating from her friend. "Our opponents will only get stronger the further we get into the Grand Line, so might as well start leaving our mark as the strongest crew in all four seas, right?"

Nami's protests immediately faltered, while Sanji, Zoro, and Usopp all straightened up and puffed out their chests a bit, obviously taking her words to heart. Luffy simply laughed, and Nami slumped in defeat.

"Woo! That Crocodile Man won't know what hit him!" cheered their Captain.

Time to really get this show started.

So, in case it wasn't entirely obvious before, Brynlee's moral compass might be a little skewed. She's pretty much a Chaotic Good aligned character with a one-track mind of keeping her people safe. So yeah, RIP the Unluckies ah ah.