"You really going to give us a lift?" said Astrid.
"We aren't enemies any more, and I wouldn't lie," said Atali. "I'd be happy to help."
"I can't thank you enough," said Hiccup.
"We will set sail tomorrow morning; the Wing Maiden Pirates will get you safely, Sabaody Archipelago," said Atali.
"With our ship?" Nadia and Minden gasped.
"I hope it's no trouble," said Hiccup.
"The two of you rest well tonight, as I'm sure this visit has proven taxing," said Atali.
"Believe it or not, we're quite used to it," said Astrid.
"I only hope the others can make it back," said Hiccup.
Astrid nodded. "That they have an easier time than we did."
Then, their stomachs began to growl, much to the embarrassment.
"Looks like we know what's on their minds," said Zera.
Atali chuckled. "Nadia… Minden… Make arrangements for Hiccup and Astrid to join us as a special guest at tonight's banquet."
"Are you sure?" Nadia asked.
"Astrid is no problem, but a man attending our banquet?" said Minden.
"Do I make myself clear?" said Atali.
"Yes," they said.
"If it's too much trouble, I can always eat alone," said Hiccup.
"It's no trouble at all," said Atali.
"What kind of banquet are we talking about anyway?" Astrid asked.
"The safe return of the Wing Maiden Pirates," Zera explained. "As well as the show of honour and appreciation for their successful haul."
"Sounds like fun," said Astrid.
"Will you be joining us?" Hiccup asked.
Atali shook her head. "No, I'm feeling a bit tired this evening. I think I'll be going to bed early."
"In that case, I hope you have a pleasant night's sleep and thank you for the food and the journey home," said Hiccup.
Zera was rather surprised by Atali's offer. 'I'm surprised the Snake Princess has put so much trust in them and so quickly. Though perhaps it is young Astrid who seems to share a similar history to that of a Princess and the honour that young Hiccup possesses.'
Later that evening, Hiccup and Astrid joined with the Wing Maiden Pirates in the banquet hall. Though Hiccup was a little uneasy with all the women staring at him, this was clearly the first time they shared a meal with a man.
"You know, at the little intimidated with all these women staring at me," said Hiccup.
"Given the show you put on earlier, that's hardly surprising," she said.
Hiccup began to eat, but he could feel everyone's eyes looking at him.
"It's hard to believe he's the same man who saved our lives," said Penelope. "And the girl with him, I've never seen her before."
"Hiccup mentioned that a friend of his landed on this island with, I guess that's her," said Margaret.
"I hear they're leaving in the morning," said Camie.
"Men's bodies are as strange as the rumours say. Did you see him turn into a dragon?"
"Yeah, I saw it in the arena. I also saw the girl conjure a storm with a simple swing of her axe. I asked her early about that axe, and she said Hiccup had made it for her. I'm curious if he could make me want to.
"Did you say Hiccup?"
"Yeah, that's the man's name."
Lila then slammed her hand on the table. "You watch your mouth. It is unthinkable to address a man in such a way. You seem to be forgetting the rules of Valkyrie Lily."
"Fine, then why is Hiccup at our banquet?"
Lila glared at them, and they immediately fell silent.
"Good point; why is the man who recently had a death sentence attending our banquet, and why is the girl that defended him here as well?"
"Yeah, during our celebration," Daisy nodded.
"I do find it hard to believe that the Snake Princess suddenly forgave them."
"Or maybe she didn't," said Veronica. "Maybe this is a trap she laid out to trick them."
"A trap?"
"She knows they're strong, so she can't take them lightly. That's why she's stuffing them with food to slow them down and make them drop their guard. Then, when they least expected, we all attacked them at once and gave them hell."
"That's assuming a lot, but it sounds like fun," said Daisy.
They grabbed their weapons secretly and waited for the perfect moment to strike.
"Moving in, is everyone ready?" Veronica asked.
They all nodded.
"This will be their last meal."
They instantly rushed to her feet and were about to charge, but saw Astrid standing there blocking their path, folding her arms.
"A little trigger-happy are we?" she said.
"She knew we were about to attack them," Veronica gasped.
"Don't act so surprised; you weren't exactly being subtle," Astrid pointed out. "Look, we didn't come here to cause any trouble. All we want is to leave. If you wish to start another fight, we're more than happy to oblige."
Hiccup nodded as he cleaned his mouth with a handkerchief. "Also, it may be best if you don't assume what your Empress wants. She may not be too happy if you jump in without her say-so."
"He does have a point."
"She would be furious."
Veronica stared at them. "You're not seriously going to listen to a man, are you?"
"Then listen to me," said Astrid. "Do you think your Empress would allow us to dine here if she didn't like us?"
"Then tell us how you managed to convince the Snake Princess, who is known far and wide for disliking men and anyone who disobeys her, to be treated like guests of honour?"
"Look, I can understand where you're coming from; there was a time when I had an immense distrust of pirates," said Astrid. "However, my opinion changed when I met Hiccup. He proved to me that Pirates can be more honourable than those who claim to hold justice. He saved my village and freed me from a life of slavery and cruelty."
The Wing Maidens looked at one another and eventually shaved their weapons.
"Good, now how about we get something to eat before the food gets called," Hiccup suggested.
The Wing Maiden started to cool down after that, but funnily enough, Hiccup was starting to wish that they continued giving him cold stares. A great majority of the girls were now poking and prodding him constantly.
"Hey, whoa," said Hiccup as he felt one of the girls touching his rear.
Astrid shook her head in disbelief. "How is it that you're a girl magnet?"
"Hey, it's not like I asked for it!" said Hiccup.
"Do you think we can look at your family jewels?" a Wing Maiden asked.
Astrid looked at him with a cold stare. "What do they mean, your family jewels."
"Well, they kinda stripped me naked, and they've never seen a man before," said Hiccup, looking immensely embarrassed.
Astrid's eyes widened. "What?"
"Well, I couldn't think of anything else to say," said Hiccup.
Astrid did her best not to laugh but failed. "Oh, I wish I could have been there."
It was now Hiccup's turned his eyes to widen. "What?"
It only took a few moments for Astrid to realise what she just said, and her face turned pink. "No, I mean, I didn't want to see that. I mean, not in that way. No, I mean…"
"I think I get the picture," said Hiccup, smirking.
"Why are they so embarrassed?"
"No clue."
Eventually, the poking and prodding was too much for Hiccup; he had to make a quick getaway.
"Where did Margaret go?" Penelope asked, noticing her absence.
"Hey, where's the man?"
"Ah, did he run away?"
"He couldn't have gotten far. Move out; let's find him and touch him!"
Hiccup had jumped onto one of the nearby rooftops. "I thought I was through with this."
"Keep it down," said Margaret, who lay beside him along with Astrid.
Margaret then led them away to get away from the Wing Maidens.
"It's wonderful you'll be with your friends soon, I bet you two can't wait," she said.
"You said it," said Hiccup. "Anyway, I do apologise for all the trouble I started while I was here. I was concerned when you got turned to stone."
"But then you protected all of us, didn't you? Back in the arena?" Margaret smiled. "I heard all about it; you're my hero."
Astrid rolled her eyes. "Hiccup really can't help himself protecting the pretty lady."
"Come on, Astrid, it's not like that," said Hiccup.
"I know, but you do make a habit of it."
Margaret took Hiccup to Zera's place on the village's outskirts.
"Granny Zera," she said.
"Yes, Margaret, is something wrong?" she asked, looking up at the newspaper she was reading.
"No, but the villagers wouldn't stop touching Hiccup, so I brought him and Astrid here," she explained.
Zera chuckled. "Well, it's not every day they see a man. They are welcome to stay here until things die down."
"We appreciate it," said Hiccup as he sat down.
"It has been a hectic few days," said Astrid.
"Would you bring them some tea?" Zera asked, looking at Margaret.
"Okay," she said, making her way to the kitchen.
"I'm surprised you get newspapers here in the Calm Belt," said Hiccup, looking at Zera.
"Oh, we don't," she said. "The Coo News doesn't get delivered anywhere in the Calm Belt. There are certain perks when you're Empress is one of the Seven Warlords. Even with isolation, I like to know what's going on in the world."
"Yeah, your Empress makes five Warlords we've encountered now," said Astrid.
Zera looked at them, somewhat surprised. "You've encountered Warlords managed to survive; that is impressive in its own right."
"Oh, we've done more than survive," said Astrid, smiling. "Hiccup here took down two of them."
"Yeah, but Kuma came close to killing us," said Hiccup. "I'm still surprised that the Snake Princess agreed to become one of the Seven Warlords. It is well known overheated of the World Government and the men, though given our history, I can't say I blame."
"True, she was named captain of the Wing Maiden Pirates 11 years ago. Back then, she was still young experience, but the World Government put a bounty on her of 80 million Gil on ahead just after one expedition."
"What did she do?" Astrid asked.
"The Wing Maiden Pirates were notorious before she became a captain; because of that, the World Government took an interest in her right from the start, which led to their decision to invite her to become a Warlord, but now her title is about to be revoked. I imagine that since you've been travelling for three days straight, you probably haven't had a chance to read the newspaper, so you haven't heard."
She then explained what had happened, and they were shocked.
"The Warlords are teaming up with the Marines, and they're going to have a war with my father?" Hiccup stared.
"Stoick the Vast is your father?" said Zera, surprised. "My, aren't you full of surprises."
"Do you think that's why he was in the first half of the Grand Line?" Astrid asked.
"Must be. I can't think of any reason," said Hiccup. "I knew he would just show himself to say hello. He was probably wondering where we were headed, no doubt hoping we would get involved in his little war."
"This is only conjecture. I don't have any proof, but I say battle is highly probable," said Zera.
"But why would he go to war with the Marines?" Astrid asked.
"True, I know my dad is considered the most powerful pirate alive today, but even he won't attack the Marines head-on," said Hiccup as he drank his cup of tea.
"That is because the World Government has laid out some bait," said Zera.
"Must be some delicious bait if they want to start a war," said Astrid.
"Indeed, Captain Stoick would never allow his crew to be killed, but even with that knowledge, they have announced the public execution of Ace D Portgas, a powerful and high-ranking command in his crew."
Hiccup and Astrid immediately fell silent and looked at one another, horrified.
"What's wrong?" Margaret asked, noting the look on their faces.
"Who?" Hiccup asked, shaking uncontrollably.
"Ace, aka Fire Fist Ace," said Zera.
"They're going to execute…" said Hiccup, horrified.
"According to this, the pirate named Drago D. Bludvist defeated Ace and gave him up to the World Government," Zera continued. "In return, they invited him to be a Warlord."
"Drago Bludvist, huh?" said Hiccup as he put his cup of tea down.
"This sends a strong message," said Zera. "The Government has caught a big fish indeed, but more than that, if they can prove that they're stronger than Stoick the Vast himself, then…"
"Zera!" Hiccup yelled and immediately snatched the paper. "Ace is my brother. Ace D. Portgas the Fire Fist, you're talking about my brother."
Zera's eyes widened. "What? My word, I never knew."
"And I didn't know anything about this," said Hiccup.
"This certainly explains a lot," said Astrid.
"And why Dad chose not to share this information with me; he knew I would do something reckless," said Hiccup.
"He was no doubt hoping we would reach the upper half of the Grand Line before we realised any of this," said Astrid. "It would be too late for us to do anything by the time we found out."
"He better hope I don't see him again soon," said Hiccup.
"Isn't there a chance he could escape?" Astrid asked.
"His best chance would be if Stoick takes the bait and wins," said Zera.
"Does it say where he's going to be executed?" Hiccup asked.
"In the town square of Mainford, where Navy headquarters is located," said Zera, looking through the newspaper. "It says the execution will take place in one week, that is six days from today."
"That's way too soon," said Hiccup.
"How long would it take us to get back to Sabaody?" Astrid asked.
"Even at top speed, it will take more than a week," said Zera.
"A week?" said Hiccup, clenching his fist. "That means by the time we meet up with the rest of the Dragon Riders, it will be too late to rescue Ace."
"And that's assuming they'll be there when we need them," said Astrid.
"What about where he's been kept?" Hiccup asked.
"Well, assuming he is being held at Impel Down, I'd say that it would take a week pirate ship," said Zera. "Perhaps four days on a Navy ship."
"Hang on, since when on Navy ships that pass?" Astrid frowned.
"There's a sea current reserved exclusively for the World Government," said Zera. "From Enies Lobby to Impel Down, to Navy headquarters and back. Think of it as a giant whirlpool that connects those three facilities. When the Gates of Justice are opened at any of these locales, usually to a Navy vessel, then the current from the whirlpool changes and shifts are ushered inside. However, if the gate isn't open, the ship would continue to follow the natural flow around the whirlpool."
"We got a taste of it when we were at Enies Lobby," said Hiccup.
"Nationally, most pirate ships would rather get that comment altogether and go the long way, but it's very convenient for the Navy," said Zera.
"What do we do now?" Astrid asked.
"What do you want to do?" Zera asked.
Hiccup then pulled out Ace's vivre card, which was now burning.
"Don't tell me?" Zera gasped. "You have your brother's vivre card."
"Uh, is that the moving paper that you care so much about?" Margaret frowned.
Hiccup shook his head. "No, that one was a different one. This is the card that Ace gave me."
"They are also known as the paper of life," said Zera. "Since they hint at the person's state of health as well as their direction."
"Then, if it's that small, that means…"
"Back when he first gave it to me, it was 10 times bigger," said Hiccup. "Looks like Ace has been busy on his own adventure."
"What do you want to do?" Astrid asked.
"Ace wouldn't be too happy to have his little brother save him, but that's far better than him dying," said Hiccup. "It also may prevent this war from starting. Looks like we need to take a little side trip."
"You mean we're going to take a side trip," said Astrid.
"Astrid, I can't ask you to come with me."
"Then I'm not asking, you're my captain, and where you go, I go."
Hiccup nodded and sighed. "Sorry, everyone, but we're going to have to postpone our reunion. I'm going to say, Ace, no matter what."
"Perhaps you should think this through," said Zera. "Do you have any idea how reckless this plan is? You're facing a full-fledged war; you'll be nothing more than a leaf left out in the storm. An insect flicked away by hand is far mightier than your own."
"That doesn't matter to me; I still have to try," said Hiccup. "I could live with myself if I let this happen. I have to do something."
"I can see that," said Zera. "So you plan on rescuing the most infamous prisoner in the world. I give you a one-to-a-million chance of success, but to even try, you need to get to the great prison where he is being held. Once they transport him to Mainford, the admirals and the Warlords will closely monitor the situation. Keep in mind that because your brother is the most important prisoner in the Navy's custody, the prison will be carefully guarded, and it has quite a fearsome reputation if you haven't heard about it. It may prove impossible to enter no matter what."
"They said the same thing about entering Enies Lobby, but we were able to pull that," said Astrid.
"Every second counts. If I have to get there on a dingy, I will," said Hiccup.
"Now, hold on, determination alone won't help," said Zera. "There is a slim chance this could work, but the Snake Princess refuses to follow the order of the Seven Warlords to assemble. However, if she obeyed the order, she could manage the situation and sneak you on board their ship."
"Hang on. You're saying that the Navy ship is here?" said Hiccup.
"Let's just hope she'll agree to do it," said Astrid.