《Dawn of an Era》


 Chapter 1: The Journey Begins.

    "This is it. The day it all begins. My era. My journey. My path to ultimate freedom." Kaito laughed out loud, seeing the bustling port town come into view, sailing alone in a small fishing vessel he''d been given by his home village.


    They thought he had come to enlist in the marine base, that he could see standing tall, high over the other buildings gray and plain, with the seagull marked prominently at the front of the building. It stood out easily in a town of narrow cobblestone paths, houses built tightly together, narrow alleys poking through now and then. The roofs glistened in the sun, seeming to be built of some kind of white shell, it made for a bright view, the town almost shining from a distance.


    He had no intention whatsoever to do something so boring as joining the marines, and get stuck following orders for the rest of his life. Especially in a military which so often had no problem killing their own men. It''s not why he had arrived here. What''s a little lying between friends and family anyway?


    He had a second life, a second chance, and he was going to enjoy it, damn it! What''s the point of a world like this if you weren''t going to grasp it with both hands and do whatever the hell you wanted. And being a 7 plus feet - kickass kind of guy¡­


    His grin is wild as taps his hand impatiently against his leg, "Let the fun begin!"


    £ª£ª£ª


    Call him a bit slow, but for the first few years of his miraculous reincarnated life he wasn''t even aware he wasn''t on earth, (he is not going to talk about the first year of being reborn, nope!). Granted as a toddler he really didn''t get around overly much, so there wasn''t much to see. He simply thought he had been reborn in an old fashioned quaint village, where they eschewed most modern technology. He would have assumed some kind of Amish, except for the fact no one seemed to be practicing any such religion as far as he could tell.


    There were some electrical appliances, albeit horribly dated, which also didn''t mesh with that Amish idea. All his clothes were hand sown, and to his displeasure when his mother deemed him old enough¡­ Hand washed as well.


    He lived alone with his mother in a modest wooden cottage at the end of the small village. There was a fridge and stove, but there ended the things he was familiar with. Lighting was either by candles at home, or out in the village, oil lamps hung from wooden poles, decorated with carvings of mythical sea creatures and shells.


    That was a running theme in the village, every house, big and small had carvings on every inch available, and it was always of the sea and its mythical creatures. It had fascinated him the few times his mother had taken him on a stroll through the village. He couldn''t imagine an old-fashioned place like this allowing mythological creatures that looked like sea dragons and monsters to be carved into everything. The little village was surprisingly well put together for such a small fishing village, there weren''t any buildings that didn''t look well maintained, albeit all built in the same style - sans different carvings.


    He had resigned himself to a boring future, this quaint little fishing village would be his home until he was old enough to leave, and what future would he have then? He would be leaving it without an official education, no high school diplomas in this little part of the world apparently. So he wouldn''t be able to go to college. He was upset that a second chance at life would end up being so¡­ Pointless. So boring. He had already lived a long enough life of working and being a productive conforming member of society. As a second chance he had wanted to be successful at least, have the money to actually enjoy life. Not the drudgery of common life again.


    Then he was 5 and his mother allowed him to join the other children for lessons with the village elders. It was the first time he met the leader of the village, a man of barely 4 feet and covered in so many wrinkles he could qualify as a breed of pitbull. However, at that moment he could hardly pay attention to him. On his desk he had what could only be a den den mushi. A communications snail. His first thought had been how odd it was that in such a remote village someone would have a sculpture of anything from One piece, let alone something as lame as a snail, especially an old fart that looked to be going into his 110th year.


    Then the snail slowly lowered his/her/it''s? - head, and chomped down on a piece of lettuce, and he felt an elation that had him almost in tears. After he checked ( twice )that he wasn''t dreaming or hallucinating of course. If it was true, life would finally be interesting. He of course badgered the elder for information about the world just to confirm, and soon heard all about the government and navy, their sea, (east blue) and their island.


    It was the confirmation he needed. He was in the world of One Piece. Where simply by training and having enough will and guts, one could live a life free of obligations and societal pressures and norms - and harness incredible power. For the added danger of course.


    £ª£ª£ª


    Kaito stopped reminiscing as his little vessel bumped into the docks, he blinked and rubbed the back of his head, laughing a bit at himself for not paying attention. It was his first island that he landed on as a pirate, the first step of the journey, although he didn''t have a flag yet. Oh, he already had it picked out and everything, his mind wandered all over the place, something that happened when one is spending over a decade preparing.


    He was also missing small details - like a crew. Or a ship. Minor things like that.


    He grabbed his rucksack, which held the small, but necessary provisions and a change of clothes. Rolled up the map he had been using and put his compass away. Then he jumped up on the dock without a glance back, not even bothering tying up his transportation. It had served its purpose. He eyed the town ahead and tossed his rucksack over one shoulder and made to mosey on ahead.


    Adventure awaited!


    And rum - couldn''t pirate without rum. If they had a manual - that would probably be rule number 1.


    Pirates were notoriously bad at following rules though, so no manual. He''d just have to wing it.


    "Oiy! You gotta pay the docking fee, lad!" A heavy set man with mutton chops, large droopy nose and a greasy stained shirt waddled out of a nearby building. Apparently he had sailed straight up to the dock office while not even paying attention. And pay? Fee? Those things were for normal people.


    "A walrus human?" Kaito hummed, tilting his head slightly as he contemplated how that would work - like which parent..? And mostly just to throw him off, and make him pissed. One of his dreams was to get a black belt in annoying people. According to his villager elder he was definitely close!


    Said walrus human spluttered, turning red, which highlighted the many splotches on his skin. That just can''t be healthy Kaito thought, "Don''t be giving me any attitude you shitstain! I''m the harbor master I am, and you got to pay to dock here!" He stabbed a pudgy finger forward, his many chins vibrating in affront. "And I''ll be charging ya double for not even tying the damn thing down!"


    "Oh it''s floating away." Kaito stated lazily, watching his vessel slowly drifting away. "Problem solved." He gave the harbor master a one finger salute and proceeded to walk away. He loved it when things worked out on their own without any effort from him.


    "COME BACK HERE YA DELINQUENT!" The harbormaster shouted, stomping his foot and gesticulating wildly after him. Slowly two tall lumbering men peeled off from where they had been leaning against a wall, watching the docks and the ships unloading goods, and came forward to stand in his way.


    He might have felt a bit insulted, with his tall stature and muscular build surely he was worth sending at least a whole group of bruisers. Oh well, needs must. Walrus probably never dealt with someone that could fight back.


    Kaito grinned wide, clapping his hands together mockingly. "My first goons! Oh this is going to be great!" He pointed to the shorter and balder muscular man on the left "You''re going to be 3 times as tall and have tusks when I retell this story buddy." Kaito pursed his lips as he looked at the other man, built like a brick house and cracking his knuckles menacingly. "You''ll be," he made a quick smooth hourglass motion with his hands while whistling, "And a redhead and totally swooning at me, giving up on goon life because of my rampant masculinity."


    Baldy looked constipated as he replied. "I''m not sure you understand what''s going on here..." he said slowly. Kaito was definitely insulted now, what in that awesome rant suggested he was dimwitted?


    "Sure I do. You''re my first. Please go easy on me!" Kaito said, averting his eyes and pressing his hands to his cheeks. He was desperately trying not to laugh right now.


    Oh, if only he could blush on demand!


    Brickhouse reached forward with a large meaty hand to grab his shoulder. In one quick motion Kaito grabbed onto the grasping hand, and then lifted the man up into the air effortlessly. And just as effortlessly slammed him back down into the ground, cratering the cobblestone. Then for good measure he did it another time the other way. "Ah, hulk smash. You can''t beat the classics." He told the other goon pleasantly.


    He paused, eyeing the small crater critically, "Gonna be honest here boys, not as satisfying as I thought for my first time."


    "You fucker!" Baldy snarled, pulling a wicked looking short sword from his back.


    "A-ar¡­ Are you going to penetrate me with that?" Kaito swooned, biting his lip, having a real hard time to stop himself from laughing. Can''t laugh, it will ruin everything! He chanted to himself.


    "Stop joking around bastard, just pay the docking fee¡­ And Ricky''s hospital bill." Baldy threatened, waving his sword in front of him, a small crowd of onlookers now watching the confrontation.


    Kaito wondered if the man realized that the way he waved the sword around, proved beyond a doubt he doesn''t have the first clue how to use it - beyond pointy end this way. Probably not - bottom of the barrel goons.


    "Stop joking around? My dear peon from goons ''R'' us, I do what I feel like when I feel like it." Kaito snickered, "The only way to have fun with weak guys like you is to make a joke of it." He met his eyes and smirked with dark pleasure. Eyes glinting with wicked delight.


    Baldy was sweating now, his eyes darting back and forth. He took one step back, then stopped, seeing not only the crowd but the dock master watching.  "I''m warning you?" He tried to sound tough, but it sounded more like a question.


    Kaito''s smirk widened, and he took a slow step forward, releasing more of his presence, which he had held back - a little trick, concentrating his will and malicious intent. His smirk got toothier, as Baldy took another step back, sword shaking in front of him. He was having way too much fun, finally sailing out and getting to let loose. He''d gorge himself at this rate. Was there a weight watcher program for dominating and making a joke out of people? He might have to sign up.


    It wouldn''t do to become addicted!


    "What are you waiting for stick ''im like a pig!" The walrus yelled. Showing that along with absolutely nothing going for him physically, he also had nothing between his ears. Kaito really hoped that one hadn''t procreated.


    Kaito chuckled softly. "Really wanna risk it all¡­ For blubber over there?" He took a step forward again, looming menacingly. "I assume since you''re waving a deadly weapon at me you''re ready to risk your life?" So what if Shanks and Luffy said something similar, he owned it now, fight him for it¡­. Well not Shanks, he took that back. So taken back.


    Baldy gulped, eyes darting for an escape route. Then he sagged in relief as the crowd broke up, a dozen men in white and blue marching forward. Ah, the toy soldiers are here! Kaito thought uncharitably. A bit put out, his fun was being taken away.


    "What''s going on here?" The leading marine asked sternly, eying the cratered ground and unconscious goon with a frown.


    "He slipped and fell." Kaito said with complete confidence. Having switched to a more relaxed stance. Always seem confident when you''re facing a cop. Or a marine in this case.


    The middle aged officer scratched his beard, eyeing the crater very skeptically. "Slipped huh? You saw that too? This slip?" He asked Baldy, taking note of the drawn sword, his frown deepening.


    Baldy looked at Kaito, looked at the crater and then nodded his head shakily. "Y-yeah, that''s what happened, you know Ricky, so clumsy." He laughed weakly and it trails off quickly at the officer''s stern look.


    "Hey! HEY! Officer Monroe, this piece of trash didn''t pay his docking fee!" Walrus shrieked, having waddled over. "And he''s the one that laid out Ricky. Make him give me my money!"


    "Is that so?" Officer Monroe asked sharply of Kaito. Hard eyes intent on him, a bit of wariness in his eyes - this one wasn''t a complete idiot.


    Kaito chuckled, "I don''t know where Walrus is coming from on that sir, I have been here a day or so, I was just enjoying the sea air and he accosts me about paying a docking fee."


    Kaito was pretty sure he saw a twitch in Monroe''s lips at his moniker for the harbormaster. "You stand by your story?" He asked Baldy.


    Baldy gulped, avoiding his boss''s stare as he nodded shakily, feeling like he just avoided a predator striking him down with the marines'' arrival.


    Monroe nodded decisively and turned to his men, "Two of you get that man to the hospital and the rest of you spread out, ensure it remains peaceful and that there is no more¡­ Excitement."


    Then he turned to Walrus. "Bring me to his ship and we will sort out the docking fee." Short, to the point and professional. Kaito might have run into one of those - actually good at his job, marines.


    Neat.


    Walrus blustered, obviously unhappy but waddled back to the sea line. Monroe stared at Kaito until he rolled his eyes and followed the Walrus, the marine taking up the rear. By coincidence far enough back to just be away from reach. Kaito smiled to himself, at least the marines here seemed competent enough, surely a sign of fun times ahead.


    Of course, when they get to the spot where Kaito jumped ship, it''s no longer there. Kaito put his empty hands forward silently, like see what I mean, to the now exasperated marine.


    "You said he had a ship here, Halver¡­ Where is it? I do not appreciate my time being wasted." Monroe said, rubbing his temples tiredly.


    "It wasn''t tied up! It must have floated away or hit something and sunk." Walrus, now identified as Halver, growled annoyed.


    "You expect me to believe someone sailed here, then just left their ship unattended and untied to float away? Halver at least try a more believable lie, I have no choice but to let this go now." Monroe spat on the ground, looking displeased. Well slightly more frowny then he had been so far.


    "B-but it''s what happened!" Halver spluttered.


    Monroe turned to Kaito. "As an official stationed here on Whitewater island, I apologize for his behavior." He''s very stiff but his piercing stare tells Kaito that this one definitely thinks he''s trouble. Good for him, it wouldn''t help him one bit, but it''s always good to see intelligent people exist.


    Good instincts on him. He''ll do well in east blue.


    Kaito smiled lazily, waving a hand airily, nonchalantly, "Nah, it''s no issue, I''m sure Walrus is really sorry."


    "That said¡­ I will need some identification, and for you to not leave the island for the next few days. Just in case of course. Ricky might have another story once he wakes up from his¡­ Slip." Monroe managed to put a large amount of skepticism in that last word.


    "Kaito, last name Akai, from Redtree island. Just here to shop and be a tourist - just basic bitch shit, you get it." Kaito said pleasantly and handed over his identification papers. Which basically consist of a form signed by the village elder stating his name and village. Very easily faked, making it fairly pointless. This marine was a stickler though, so with papers in hand he''d have no choice but to let him go. It did have his photo so the man could admire his admittedly somewhat hawkish face, the intense glare he had going with his green eyes were practically Harry Potter ish too. Thankfully his black hair was silky smooth and wavy and not a rat''s nest.


    His photo was definitely the best part of his identification papers.


    There might be a liberal amount of stains on there - he''d forgotten to pack napkins for his trip. And well the papers are fairly useless. They''re ridiculously easy to forge for one. At least he hadn''t smudged the photo.


    Monroe grimaced as he gingerly touched the papers long enough to read them.


    Kaito walked away a minute later, whistling cheerfully, as Monroe started berating the red faced, furious harbor master. Time to find himself someone good to join his crew, and steal something nice to sail away on after. And he couldn''t forget to wreak some havoc either. What''s the point of pirating if you didn''t get to really let loose after all.


    Now that marine is going to keep an eye on him too, which just adds to the fun. Maybe he''ll get to burn down a marine base on his first island, wouldn''t that be something.


    "Ah well, I didn''t train so hard just to play nice with the law and weaklings." He mused out loud, heading off to find a bar.


    £ª£ª£ª


    His mother had been quite surprised when he arrived home after that first lesson with the village elder, and begged her to allow him to spend all his free time training. He would be a marine, he told her. Saving people across the seas and protecting the village. She had been so proud, hugging him close with shining eyes, telling him of course he could work for a future like that, just as long as he''d be careful and wouldn''t overwork himself.


    He was of course lying. He had no intention of being a marine. He was simply not stupid enough to announce his future pirate career. No doubt his mother would not approve of him training and spending most of the day alone for such a goal.


    He really should have figured out earlier he wasn''t on earth, just from how completely unworried adults were about their children being out and about on their own. As he wasn''t old enough to go out and work for the village on the fishing boats, he was basically left to his own devices as far as the village was concerned. Apparently his mother had been worried about him being clingy, simply because he had by force of habit stuck around home, and around her his entire childhood so far. He simply couldn''t have imagined he would have been allowed to roam free.


    He took a few days to lay out a plan. If he wanted to be exceptional there could be nothing haphazard about his regiment. Remembering how Roronoa Zoro was able to train eventually, he could imagine how strong he could be if he spent his entire adolescence working on it.


    It was unfortunate that he did not remember many details from the manga or show. But the broad strokes would have to be enough. And they did show one thing. Constant training and fighting even as a child did not negatively affect growth or development. This was a world where you could train obsessively and reap the benefits. Bodies worked differently here. And he planned to take full advantage.


    He put in place a training regime that would train his whole body. Slicing his day up in different blocks. He''d have a set period of time in the mornings working on just his legs. Starting with a low amount of reps and increasing with 5 more each day to attempt to improve. Then he''d have a break before working on his arms and hands. Same routine, thankful that in this world bloodied hands and broken knuckles was a minor irritant that healed with a good meal and night''s rest. Lastly he''d have a block concentrating on his core.


    He''d set out when he was 20. That gave him 15 years of training. If he wasn''t the strongest person in east blue on day 1 of sailing - he should kill himself. He chose to wait until he was 20 as what he found out from the elders quick history lesson was that he was several years older than Luffy. So even at 20 he would set sail two to three years before Luffy. Already stronger, he had after all no interest in following another story. He was going to make his own.


    £ª£ª£ª


    It took him most of the evening of bar hopping to work himself to one seedy enough to have some of the criminal underbelly front and center, without having attracted undue suspicion. Also he happened to rather enjoy drinking so win-win. Of course he hadn''t been so crass as to actually ask for directions, he''d simply implied he was available for some discreet work, while drinking his way through enough bars - someone eventually figured he was serious ( and not a cop) and gave him a clue.


    Whitewater island was the only island in this little stretch of east blue with such a large marine presence. It had created something of a booming underground as goods from nearby islands always passed through here. The safety of knowing no pirates would attack here meant ships took longer routes just to trade at this port. Smuggling as well was usually something the marines didn''t really care about, as busy as they were with crime that actually made the news.


    Also as such a busy trade port, no doubt whatever marines in charge of the port earned something nice on the side to look the other way anyway.


    Even Kaito had heard about this port in Redtree, and they were basically the rednecks of the ocean. Completely isolated and seeing a traveler every few years, usually from a storm blowing them off course. His little town was an oddity in this ocean, more¡­ Japanese than everyone else, he''d say some Wano expats settled it - if he didn''t know how isolationist that country was.


    The smuggling is why he had chosen Whitewater as his first stop. He was sure they''d have an interesting criminal underbelly even with the marine presence. And when one is looking for pirates to be, the criminal world would be the best start. After all, smacking people in their face with a stupid rubbery grin was protagonist bullshit, and not something he could count on.


    "More drink!" He yelled, throwing the tankard so hard to the ground it smashed into pieces, somewhat of an achievement as they were made of iron. The pieces strewn across the floor make it clear it wasn''t the first time. The holes in the floor too, luckily he was making enough cash right now to pay for his damages.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The tough looking fellows that he was playing poker with laughed with him and called for more drinks as well. One of them leaning forward putting an arm around Kaitos shoulder. "Mate, you might be throwing money at old Miguel for every one of them things you break, but you keep it up aye, he might still pull out that old blunderbuss he has and blow your brains out."


    "That might be the only way you scallywags get your money back" Kaito winked, alluding to the large pile of chips he had compared to the rest of the table.


    "Eh, luck''s like the sea. A fickle bitch that will ruin your day at any fucking given moment. you''ll lose that luck soon enough." The guy sitting across from him spoke up. He also had the second largest amount of chips, and had been keeping pace with Kaito in drinking. Quite the character he had found out as the game progressed, and that''s before mentioning the Mohawk, or the razor wire tattoos criss-crossing the man''s body and face.


    "I''ll be lucky if I don''t puke from having to watch that atrocious hairstyle." Kaito fired back with a smirk.


    "This is the highest fucking fashion I''ll have you know." He ran a hand along the bright red Mohawk. "All the ladies agree."


    "Wire, mate, you haven''t ever met a goddamn lady, you liar!" The stocky guy that had swung an arm around Kaito earlier hollers with laughter. Compared to the aforementioned Wire, he looked perfectly normal, stocky build, bit of a too large nose and ears, the only noticeable thing being a tattoo of teardrops under his right eye. Criminals liked their tattoos on this island it seemed, and fake names, as the name he''d given Kaito was Tears. He was sensing a theme here. At least everyone wasn''t named after food¡­ Yeah fuck you Big Mom, he thought¡­ Very quietly.


    Wire sneered as he dealt the next hand, but was stopped from defending himself as the large black man next to him, who''s most recognizable feature was an awesome van Dyke beard - slapped him on the back hard. The action almost sent him face down into the table. "Whores don''t count, dumbass! You''re paying them, of course they''re gonna admire your peacock hairdo!"


    Kaito glanced at his hand, laughing along with everyone else. Wire swearing and grumbling about disrespect and - why am I even friends with you guys? Pocket aces. Luck is still going strong. Kaito smirked, throwing out a thousand berri chip onto the table. "Seems you''re wrong Wire, my luck''s still going strong!"


    "He''s bluffing, sure as piss he''s bluffing I tell ya." The black man, that Kaito tentatively would name as Dice, due to the dice tattooed on his hands, matched his bet with a sneer. Kaito kind of wanted to twirl his mustache.


    Wire looked at Kaitos smirking face and tossed his cards carelessly at the table, flipping them over and showing a deuce and a ten. "Nah, sure he''s been bluffing a lot, but that smug face tells me he''s got a good ass hand this time. You can throw away your fucking money, Dice, I''ll keep mine."


    "Your whores will be delighted mate," Tears chuckled as he tossed in his bet, matching it. Then he mock-whispered loudly. "I heard he only can get whores, cuz in his wire fascination he tried using them¡­ Personally I mean, and he ain''t got much left now!"


    The table roared with laughter as Wire tossed an empty tankard that slammed into Tears face, he fell over, still laughing.


    "Davy Jones flaccid dick Tears, why you always gotta bring up that story when we''re drinking!" Wire swore, red faced and with steam practically coming out of his ears. Kaito wondered if that meant it was true or because they just like fucking with him that often.


    "Probably...because¡­ain''t¡­no¡­one¡­that¡­believes¡­he''s¡­lying...Wire." Snarked a raspy voice, coming up behind Kaito. He looked back and did a spit take.


    There must have been a shift change because the server bringing over 4 tankards of ale, he definitely would have remembered seeing before if she had been there.


    Long wavy light blue hair, falling in two bangs down her face, stormy gray eyes, heart shaped face, full lips. And as seemed to be the standard in this world. An hourglass figure with an impossible seeming large bust. She was clad in overalls, stained with oil and dirt, undone at the waist, wearing a sports bra only up top, showing a toned stomach with a belly button piercing. The only blemish on her was the large jagged scar across her throat, probably the cause of her raspy voice, and slow way of speaking. And tattoos going down her arms of twin rifles, multitude of guns, with ammo flying across her skin.


    As he met her eyes after a very thorough once over, she simply raised an eyebrow as in saying, well?


    He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything Tears kicked him. He swore, briefly looking away from the beautiful woman to see the disappointed faces of Wire and Dice. And a smirking Tears holding his hands up.


    "Why''d you gotta ruin the entertainment, Tears? Watching new guys get a few fucking bones broken is the highlight of my week." Wire complained, while laying out the flop. Another ace, a deuce and a queen.


    "I wanted to save Duel the trouble of cleaning blood off her overalls when she just started her shift." Tears defended himself, accepting his tankard from the woman who patted him affectionately on the cheek, before throwing a tankard Wires way. "Asshole" she rasped, smirking at him as she walked by and deposited another tankard by Dice.


    Wire swore as he barely caught the tankard, some overspill happening. "What the fuck Duel!?"


    Duel came back around to Kaito, leaning over him to deposit his tankard, her bust so close to his face that he sat rigidly still, not daring to move or say anything.


    He heard a heavy sigh above him and then she withdrew. He breathed freely again, not even realizing he had held his breath and looked back to see Duel pouting, arms crossed under her impressive chest. "Ruined. Fun. Wire." She complained.


    Wires jaw dropped, "What the fuck woman, Tears stopped the ass kicking. Not me!" Both the other men were laughing at him and Kaito couldn''t help but smirk at how offended the guy looked.


    She shrugged, "Boss, your fault." She declared.


    Wire started to stand up, "The hell it is wo-" it''s like a demonic aura infused the bar, all men shrinking back slightly in their chairs. Kaito was not willing to look behind him, sweating slightly.


    "My mistake." Wire laughed shakily, as he fell back down in his chair.


    The aura disappeared. Dice and Tears both started snickering as Duel walked away, with Wire rubbing his face in exasperation. "Why always me!" He complained.


    "Must be your face." Kaito joked, getting things going again by throwing 3 thousand berri chips onto the table. "So would she have really beaten me up if I flirted with her? Because damn, that''s one hell of a woman."


    Dice matched the bet, throwing 3 chips onto the pile. "Depending on her mood, she''s the town mechanic, always fiddling with something. If she''s made a breakthrough in one of her projects she might just punch you. If something has blown up on her, yeah she''d break bones on a newbie."


    "Why Duel? I get that you guys seem to have a theme going, she''s got those tats, I''d think her name would be rifle or bullseye or something?"


    Tears snorted, also matching the bet. "She wanted a cuter name, it was still tangibly related to her tats, so it was alright, no one was really going to argue with her. Even when she was younger she was a fucking scary girl."


    Wire dealt out the turn, another deuce. Kaito didn''t bother with checking his cards or appearing to think about it. He had the best hand for sure with 3 aces. He threw out another 3 chips. "What''s the story about that scar?"


    "You''re a fun guy Kaito, but ain''t any money or charm going to get us to reveal fucking personal shit to an outsider, I''ll excuse it this fucking once only." Wire said sternly.


    "What dumbass said." Dice agreed, taking a long chug of his ale, before throwing away his cards. "I ain''t feeling this one." He said, with a small smirk coming across his face.


    "Why is everyone fucking ragging on me today?" Wire complained, giving Dice a kick under the table if the man''s sudden swearing was any indication.


    "You make it so easy." Tears said companionably. He casually threw 3 chips out, matching the bet.


    Kaito squinted at him suspiciously. He''s very comfortable right now, even though Kaito had put a decently large sum as the opening bet the entire time. What could he even have?


    Wire put down the river card while pouting over his ale. It''s a seven of spades. Kaito eyed the table. Two deuces. An ace, a queen and a seven. Different suits, so Tears can''t have a flush, no way for him to have a straight either. Two deuces, but he can''t have four because Wire tossed out a hand with a deuce. He must have two queens, Kaito decided. Which would give him three queens. A decent hand but not better than his.  "5 thousand." He bet, throwing it on the table.


    Tears looked at his cards, "Oh whatever will I do." He moaned theatrically. "All in." He finished with a grin, eyes glinting with savage glee.


    Kaito drummed his fingers on the table. Tears had the smallest pot of chips, so he could easily match it. He was wondering however what was going on, even Wire and Dice had these little smirks on their faces that was telling him he was missing something. He was sure the best hand Tears could possibly have was 3 queens. Whatever, they were just trying to play with his mind.


    "Call. Read them and weep gentlemen." Kaito called out smugly, throwing his cards face up on the table. "A 4, and a ¡­.7¡­Wait!?" He gaped at the cards in shock.


    Tears grinned so wide it''s like his face was splitting in half. "A pair, how pedestrian. Nothing against my trio of aces, I''m afraid!"


    Kaitos cheek twitched, "You motherfuckers!" He swore, drowning his sorrows in his ale. "When you can''t trust criminals at the poker table, who can you trust anymore?" He lamented.


    The other men burst out laughing. Tears gathering up his chips, now almost equal to Kaitos'' hoard. "Why do you think we play in this bar mate? Duels tits make sure there''s plenty of opportunities for the savvy."


    "Of course sometimes people object¡­ And then we get to protest their objections. All very fucking good for our wallets." Wire smirked. "Any objections Kaito?" Dice and Tears chuckled along, clearly enjoying getting one over him.


    Kaito rolled his eyes. "It''s my fault for getting played, if anything those tits were worth losing over ten thousand berri."


    "Figured you would be smart. It''s the only reason you were even fucking let in here. You were subtle enough working your way through the dives, clearly looking for some¡­ Unsavory work." Wire said, shuffling the deck, before tossing it to Tears as the next man up.


    "Figured something was up, when I was led here by some ''drunken revelers'' when there''s no sign outside, and we had to take so many alleys to get here all the way on the outskirts." Kaito admitted, finishing his ale before smashing it against the ground again, calling out for more, to the wincing of the men around the table.


    Suddenly someone was twisting his ear so hard it felt  like it was going to get ripped off - and his head was pushed down on the table, spilling chips everywhere. He looked up and caught two things. Very large things. He looked up further and saw angry gray eyes.


    "Do! Not!" Duel twisted his ear a little more, making Kaito squeal out, "I won''t! Ow, ow, ow!"


    She let him go with a huff, returning to whatever she had been doing before he smashed the tankard. "What the fuck?" He asked his table mates.


    Wire smirked and there''s chuckles and outright laughter across the bar. "Ol'' Miguel might just be slightly annoyed, but he ignored it as long as you paid¡­ Duel however, made those tankards."


    "Of course she did. Is that enough fun at my expense to allow me to get some work?" Kaito sighed, massaging his ear.


    Wire hummed, scratching his nose. "Yeah, it might take a couple days, but I know something we might need outside help for, why are you interested anyway?"


    "Going to assemble a pirate crew, so will need supplies and information, and of course money. Wouldn''t mind being allowed to recruit either but figure that''s a long shot." Kaito explained, putting on his most charming grin.


    Wire shook his head, "The rest sure, if they want you for the job I''ll think they''ll ask you to do, but no way the boss allows you to try and fucking poach men from him."


    "Didn''t Duel call you boss? Can''t cut a guy a break here?" Kaito wheedled.


    "I''m more of an underboss, I don''t make the big decisions." Wire corrected. He waved a hand around. "I run all these knuckleheads, but that ain''t enough for what you want. Which is why I gotta kick it upstairs. And you try and recruit my guys¡­ I''ll fucking slice your balls off and feed them to you!"


    "There''s been word out that we need an outsider for something risky, or we wouldn''t even be having this conversation." Dice admitted.


    "Guess I just gotta keep stealing all your money then!" Kaito grinned, with no hard feelings. He figured the recruiting would be a long shot.


    "Not if you''re giving it to me." A brash voice says from behind him, a pistol held at the back of his head. "Fork it over, slowly. No need for dramatics."


    "Hey now, he''s not a mark, rookie, you''re gonna piss off Alejandro." One of Kaitos new poker buddies protested suddenly, looking a lot less drunk and cheerful. "You know we don''t-"


    Said rookie cuts him off, turning the safety off on his pistol and snarling at his comrade. "Alejandro can''t do shit from the brig, so shut up!" He tapped Kaito on the back of the head with the pistol. "And you, give it to me¡­Now!"


    "Fuck Alejandro¡­You''re pissing me off!" Wire snarled, "Know your place rookie! BACK OFF!"


    The pistol remained steady at the back of his skull, the rookie not backing down, Kaito wondered if he really might have run into the dumbest person on the island.


    Kaito looked at the tense faces of his poker buddies and sighed mournfully, "Man, I was having so much fun too¡­"


    He picked up two poker chips, holding them in the air as if studying them. Then with a flick of a finger they disappeared.


    Everyone''s jaws dropped as the rookie slowly fell back, the poker chips having slashed through both eyes and into his skull.


    "I wonder if that counts as tipping." He mused out loud as bedlam erupted around him. Weapons being drawn, until Wire slammed a hand down on the table, cracking it. "Shut the fuck up!"


    "But, Wire!" A effeminate man, with multiple piercings and cloud tattoos protests.


    "I said shut the fuck up, Cloud! I don''t know who the hell the rookie thought he was, but the minute he refused to follow orders, he stopped being one of us, so his death ain''t meaning shit. So leave off!" Everyone backed down at Wires'' order, although with some mutters.


    Wire started grumbling to himself, "Fucking knew we shouldn''t have tried recruiting that fucker, too old.."


    Luckily for Kaito, this order meant that once the criminals calmed down a bit, and looted the body of their rookie for everything he had, they weren''t too opposed to continuing their association, although unfortunately too annoyed to continue the poker game.


    With a promise of work being available and to keep in touch, the criminals disappeared and left him alone counting his winnings with the sour old barkeep. And the bombshell server.


    "Any chance you''d know where I could make a decent buck while I''m waiting on my new friends to decide how much they dare to let me into?" He idly asked Miguel and Duel.


    Duel simply scoffed, sitting on one of the barstools, fiddling with some kind of mechanical gadget. Hands stained with oil.


    The one eyed old bastard kept wiping his counter with a rag Kaito was pretty sure didn''t come in brown when sold. "Just gonna ignore me huh? What did I ever do to you?"


    Miguel looked to the dead body, left in just his underwear on the floor, and the many pieces of broken tankards scattered around, and the holes in his floor. His neutral leathery face seemed to say it all. Duel smirked at him, so he called it a win anyway.


    "Hey that''s like¡­. An hour ago now, and I paid for those tankards too. What have I ever done to you lately?"


    "If I tell you, will you go away and not come back?" Miguel answered slowly. chewing on some kind of tobacco, staining his lips black.


    "I pinky swear!" Kaito said, holding up a pinky, wiggling it in Miguel''s face. Duel outright chuckled, the sound a bit harsh due to the raspiness.


    "There''s an illegal fighting ring, the entrance goes underground, under the harbor master''s office, right by the dock. You''ll have to go behind the office to a blue and white backdoor and give this week''s password." Miguel sneered at him and Kaito delighted in his obvious dislike.


    He rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Oh Walrus, you''re a very naughty boy." He went to ask Miguel for the password, when the entrance to the bar opened, and officer Monroe entered followed by a couple navy soldiers. Miguel put a hand under the counter as Duel slowly stood up. Kaito wondered who else was going to end up a corpse by the end of the day, as surely this was not a place the marines come by usually. So someone was a big old snitch.


    "Officer! What a delight to meet again!" He called out. Waving cheerfully.


    Monroe sighed, his ever present frown on his face. "Why am I not surprised to find you at the location of a reported dead body, Mr. Akai?"


    Kaito looked over at said body. "Yeah poor bugger. To slip and fall like that, just bad luck that." He shook his head mockingly.


    "Another slip?" Monroe asked dryly. He turned to the bartender and server. "And I suppose if I ask you what you saw¡­?"


    Now Miguel might not like the asshole in his bar, but he liked the law even less. "It was a terrible accident, never seen someone slip that hard before." He ground out, smiling unpleasantly with blackened teeth.


    Duel simply stared at the marine officer until he looked away, clearing his throat.


    "And I''m sure the morgue will agree that a slip was the cause of death¡­ Just in case, again Mr. Akai, do not leave the island. My men will check every departing ship. Just a precaution you understand." Monroe ordered, with a little bit of bite to his words.


    "Always happy to help the law." Kaito agreed with a small grin, finding the situation too funny. Honestly this marine was way too by the book and honest. Any other marine would have tried to arrest him already. Whether there was proof or not.


    It was kind of cute, honestly.


    He stood up, casually strolling by the marine lieutenant and his men, grin widening slightly at the tightening of the marines lips.


    "Cold fish." Miguel said out of the blue, back to wiping his counter with that horrendous brown... Thing, seriously his tankards better not have been cleaned by that, he''d have to get a shot or something.


    "What''s that?" Monroe asked suspiciously. As Kaito chuckled, stepping outside with a jaunty wave back at the grumpy bartender. Walking down the alley and out into the street.


    "Silly marine, first rule of fight club. You don''t talk about fight club." Kaito said once he''s out of hearing range. He started making his way to the docks once again, ears easily picking out the sound of the tail following him. "Oh my someone''s about to have another slip!" He laughed to himself as he kept on strolling casually down the street.


    Safe in the knowledge nothing here could touch him.


    £ª£ª£ª


    The illegal fighting ring was no different really then what it would have been back in his first world. An octagon, inside fencing - with stands for the crowd, and betting aplenty. Due to the marine presence they did try and prevent killings to avoid the heat, but it obviously still happened. The trap door into the sea, with a blood trail leading to it at the side of the octagon was a slight clue.


    It was all underground, deep enough that no sound would escape into the city. The tunnel from behind the harbor masters building leading off away from the docks. A necessity, as having a fight club underground, with just a few meters of rock between the sea and them would have been fine on earth. In this world it just begged for someone to punch it hard enough to drown everyone.


    Unfortunately for Kaito, the Walrus was not the bad boy running this thing. He just took money to allow it to happen under his nose and kept it safe, by generally being such a generally unpleasant person no one went near the harbor master''s office for anything other than quickly tossing their fees at him and getting out. Whatever criminal organization Wire and them belonged to was running this. Honestly he really wanted to grab them all, competence was such a turn on when looking for crew after all.


    He would have liked to have the Walrus more involved though, just to make him even more pissed off. Just to see him waddle around in rage. Oh well, he would get to smash people''s faces in for money, so everything was still awesome. Maybe even someone strong would appear to fight.


    "You''re up next¡­ You really sure you wanna go by the mysterious stranger?" The emcee poked his head into the small locker room that he had been given upon signing up. All the dried blood covering everything was pretty promising for a good time. The emcee was wearing a garish pink top hat with what could only be described as circus kitch clothes, he was noticeable, one could say. Kaito had a feeling he wore such garish clothes to draw away attention from his pig nose, floppy ears, and buck teeth. It wasn''t really working.


    "It''s tradition!" Kaito exclaimed cheerfully, jumping up and shadow boxing, hyping himself up. "You can''t have a competition without a mysterious stranger."


    The emcee rolled his eyes, "Whatever man, just don''t lose too quickly okay, the last fight was shit, we''re losing people''s interest here. We can''t bring the champion out in the beginning so you''re it for now. Don''t suck!" Then he ducked out, back to his station.


    "Champion, now that''s who I want to see." Kaito threw another few jabs, before hearing the music start up. Soon enough he heard the emcee call out for the mysterious stranger.


    He ran out with his arms in the air, giggling wildly, he''d always wanted to do shit like this. This was awesome. He could hear the crowd''s comments as he ran up.


    "What''s so mysterious? He isn''t even wearing a mask? I don''t get it?"


    "Oh I gotta go make a bet, look at him, he''s ripped, I''m sure he''ll win this round!"


    "He''s giggling like a schoolgirl¡­ is he.. mentally stable?"


    "Who cares as long as he can punch! Go mysterious motherfucker!"


    As he entered the octagon the emcee started in on his opponent. He eagerly watched the entrance, still lightly hopping back and forth on his feet and shadow boxing the air.


    "And now¡­.YOU KNOW him, YOU love HIM. HERE HE COMES, IT''S BILL!" And as the crowd roared out his name - Kaito was sweat dropping. "What a lame stage name" he muttered disappointedly.


    He''s even more disappointed as an extremely thin man comes walking slowly into the octagon. Not really any muscle visible, a perfectly bland plain face, the guy even has thick rectangular glasses, the only abnormal thing is that he''s easily at least 8 feet tall. Somewhat common in the grand line - but not so common in the east blue.


    "Alright, so definitely some kind of trick or he wouldn''t be so popular." Kaito acknowledged to himself quietly. Just because he was very confident in his skills didn''t mean he was going to be stupidly reckless. He wasn''t Luffy. He didn''t have protagonist plot protection.


    "No killing if avoidable! Bout goes until unconscious or the loss of at least one limb. FIGHT!" And the gong rings, and both fighters¡­ Do absolutely nothing. This continues for a minute until¡­


    "You chicken, or something?" Bill asked, standing casually with both hands in his pockets. He looked bored to be here.


    "I''m in no rush, go ahead and show me what weird ability or trick you got." Kaito chuckled, standing loosely, ready to move at a moment''s notice.


    Bill blinked once, twice, then his face went slack. "Oh no, he knows I have a devil fruit!" He shouted.


    "Well I know now." Kaito laughed as the crowd yelled at Bill. "YOU IDIOT!"


    "Oh no, I messed up!" Bill cried, slapping himself.


    Kaito laughed, "God I love this fucking world!" He sprung forward suddenly, "let''s see what you got then!" He shouted, attacking straight on. The crowd roared in approval and bloodlust.


    Bill just stood there blinking at him as he came close and Kaitos fist stopped an inch in front of his face. "Why did you stop?" He asked over the noise of the crowd''s anger at the stopped attack.


    "You didn''t flinch at all. So your ability can either tank, absorb or deflect attacks." Kaito explained with a grin, "Don''t mind me, I''m just cautious when my opponent might be able to turn into acid or something. That would be bad."


    "No, that''s not it at all, I ate the bounce bounce fruit. I am a bouncing man." Bill stated blandly.


    "YOU DID IT AGAIN!" The crowd screamed at him. Kaito roared with laughter, he could appreciate a running gag.


    Bill blinked placidly. "Ah, I did it again. Sorry."


    "Someone throw a motherfucking punch right god damn NOW!" The emcee screamed into his microphone, before slamming the mic down onto his table several times in either rage or anguish, everyone wincing at the noise. Two lame fights in a row was apparently too much for the man.


    "Well don''t mind if I do then." Kaito exclaimed, not putting too much power behind his punch, testing the waters. The second he connected, he felt a slight give and then it''s like his fist was repelled, all the force coming back at least double the strength, sending him flying back. The crowd roared as he slammed into the octagon, Kaito finding out the hard way that it''s electric fencing. Because of course it is. He fell to the ground with a soft thud.


    He jumped back to his feet, slightly smoking and still grinning, he wasn''t really damaged after all. "Now this is interesting." He crowed, before jumping into the air, coming down on top of Bill with an overhead kick. Putting more force behind it this time he felt slightly more of a give, before bouncing straight up into the fencing.


    He coughed out some smoke as he got up after falling to the ground, eyeing the bland man, still with hands in his pockets, just standing there.


    "Did you even feel that?" He asked, slightly peeved - but not worried yet.


    "Oh¡­No. I am very sorry." He answered, even bowing his head slightly.


    "DON''T APOLOGIZE YOU IDIOT!" The crowd roared.


    "Heh, I bet most guys don''t have any idea what to do with you." Kaito said, ignoring the crowd''s jeering, "I would wager most any attack simply bounces off, one would need a lot of power to push through your devil fruit ability. If that bullshit ability even allows that."


    "That is so." Bill agreed, not seeming to care where he was going with this. Then again he just seemed to plain not care about any of this to begin with. What an odd duck to find in a fighting ring.


    "I don''t feel like using overwhelming force, instead I''m just going to be a tricky bastard." Kaito said, walking forward and testing his hypothesis on how his opponent''s fruit works by placing a hand slowly against him. It doesn''t bounce off. He grinned, as the crowd screamed, and Bill finally looked alive, starting to take his hands out of his pockets.


    Everything wouldn''t bounce off, because if it did, the man wouldn''t even be able to dress himself without bouncing his clothes off. It was all about the force applied. To bounce something you first had to apply enough force. So an attack would bounce away, a hug or handshake would not. Well depending on how forceful a hugger one was.


    Garp probably gave awesome hugs. If you could survive them¡­


    Kaito grabbed the man by the waist, grinning at the suddenly panicking man as he lifted him up, careful not to grip hard enough to repel him. "Let''s bounce!" Then he threw him at the fencing of the octagon.


    The flailing panicky man struck the side of the octagon, briefly illuminated as he is electrocuted, before bouncing into the other side and repeating, going faster and faster for each repetition. Kaito having thrown himself to the ground to not risk being caught in the crossfire. Apparently his bounce fruit worked if he was the one striking an object too - how very useless for anything offensive.


    Eventually you could only see a blur flying back and forth inside the octagon. The cage practically always lit up with electricity with the speed of the bouncing, until finally the octagon couldn''t take anymore, shorting out the lighting of the underground ring and the lights over the stands fizzing out as well.


    Whatever stamina Bill had was long gone, and he fell to the ground, eyes white, whole body smoking. His devil fruit ability finally gave out, as his body simply couldn''t take any more punishment. Electric shock apparently not something he can bounce off as it doesn''t have the physical force.


    As the lights turned back on, no doubt an emergency generator having hurriedly been switched on, Kaito was standing in the middle of the ring giving the crowd a two finger salute while grinning widely.


    Devil fruit abilities truly were scary. Being able to bounce away any attack. The man was probably immune to bullets and swords as well. Electricity not so much, thankfully. He truly was lucky though that it didn''t belong to a real fighter. That could have been bad, as he wouldn''t have let him get enough time to pick him up and toss him. Although the fact the man couldn''t attack without bouncing back himself apparently would have limited his threat. He probably had never worked on his fruit other than to stand still and take attacks.


    His musings were interrupted as the crowd noise rose, the shock of the short blackout and the end of the fight having worn off.


    "That wasn''t even a fight! They spent more time talking!" One patron yelled, starting a cascade of complaints.


    "There wasn''t even any blood! What a rip-off!"


    "That smug fucker, where does he get off flipping us off, he didn''t even do anything!"


    The emcee groaned, his face planted on his desk. One hand fumbled blindly for his microphone, dragging it closer to his face. "Winner¡­ That guy, the stranger or whatever."


    "Mysterious stranger" Kaito corrected, as the crowd roared in anger.


    "Just get the fuck out of the ring before we have a riot." The emcee groaned.


    Kaito lifted both of his arms in the air waving at the crowd as he went back towards his little locker room. "You all suck! Thanks for all the money I made off of you, betting on my own fine ass!"


    The combined roar of a thousand angry people tasted sweet as he walked out. Almost as sweet as the thousands of beris he made betting on himself.


    He hadn''t planned to watch any other fights on the first day, he quickly changed his mind however when the emcee called out the name of Duel.


    He made it back out just in time to see her opponent announced. A scarred 7 foot tall behemoth of a man, his arms alone were thicker than Duel was. And again with the tallness - Kaito had been the only 7 foot man in Redtree.


    Yet the mechanic stood there nonchalantly, still in her overalls, albeit done up this time - to the audience and Kaitos visible disappointment.


    "She''s such an overachiever." A voice came from behind him. Kaito raised a curious eyebrow at Wire, the underboss having taken a seat behind him.


    "She''s pretty much walking artillery, anything ranged - she''s a monster with. Yet she comes to these things to as she puts it ''keep fit''." Wire explained with a wry smile.


    Kaitos eyes switched to the tables where opponents have to leave their weapons, it having not been a necessity for him as he didn''t wear any. And he did a spit take, the table was covered in guns, he could spot a sniper rifle as well and was that..? "She''s lugging around an actual artillery cannon!?"


    Wire laughed, "Nah, it''s big, sure. It''s just a regular bazooka though, just more bang for the buck with her adjustments."


    "How can she even carry all that?" Kaito felt like double checking if he was still in the east blue. Because what the hell?


    Wire shrugged, putting his feet up on the backrest of Kaitos seat. "She was always freakishly strong. This island was settled by some grand line pirate crew a couple hundred years back tho, blood just runs stronger in some people is my best guess."


    Kaito turned his attention back to the ring as the fight was already starting. Duel easily avoiding her large opponents grasp. Punches smacking away the larger man''s trunk like arms, drawing a bellow of pain.


    "You sure I can''t try and recruit here?" He asked, watching the bombshell skirt around her opponent and deal out punishing strikes that had the behemoth screaming in pain and rage.


    Wire gave him a kick to the back of his head, *You try and lure Duel away, the boys and I will round everyone up and seriously kill you man. No matter what the boss says."


    "She''s way too kickass to stay here." Kaito protested half heartedly, wincing as Duel put both hands into a fist - swinging into the side of her opponent''s knee, the break so loud that his scream was barely heard over it.


    The fight is over quickly after that, the crowd cheering loudly for Duel, who simply walked out, strapping all her weapons back onto her.


    Granted that took a minute - there''s a lot.


    "Why didn''t I see all that shit the other day?"


    "Dumbass! like she''d wear all that for serving tables." Wire snorted, "Trust me she was still heavily armed."


    Kaito thought back to her outfit, having seen nothing in her overalls and her top had been a simple sports bra. "Where though?"


    "We don''t ask anymore." Wiper said with a shudder.


    Switching gears from that, lest he''d say something suicidal next time he met the beautiful mechanic, he asked. "So any word yet?"


    "Nah, we have a bit of an issue right now, orders ain''t coming as quick as they used to, so they''ll nag at each other for a couple days before deciding to contact you."


    "Fair enough, I got time." Kaito acquiesced easily.


    A kid, who couldn''t be older than 13 from the looks of it, came darting up to them, stopping next to Wires seat, sending an unsure look towards Kaito, who noticed the numerous playing card tattoos on the kids neck and arms. "Even the brats huh?" He muttered mostly to himself.


    "What do you want, Blackjack?" Wire groaned, "Can''t you see im enjoying myself watching the fucking fights!?"


    Kaito looked more closely and sure enough every card tattoo the kid had - combined to 21. These people, he thought amusedly.


    Blackjack is still eyeing Kaito up with clear distrust, so Wire sighed and got up. "Fine, whatever you brat, we''ll go somewhere private if it''s that big of a rush." He waved an arm towards Kaito, lazily. "Don''t go do something stupid that will make me have to kill ya!"


    Kaito grinned, "How can I? You''re taking all the stupid with you."


    Blackjack broke out laughing as Wire sent him an irritated look, he cuffed the laughing brat over the head, muttering all the while. "I get no fucking respect anywhere I swear."


    "Man, this place is a lot more interesting than I thought it would be." Kaito said quietly, settling down to watch the next fight. Thoughts on how to recruit these guys percolating in the back of his mind.


    £ª£ª£ª

 I Cast Fist!

    While waiting for work and opportunities, Kaito spent the next couple of days in a similar manner. He hung around the seedy dives, waiting for word back from his new criminal friends, ducked out of the way of marine tails, and fought at least twice a night in the ring.


    No one interesting sadly, just regular muscle heads. He at least dragged the fights out, making a show of it this time. He wanted a shot at the champion after all, or Duel, he''d love to fight her too. The downside of pissing everyone off was that no one was willing to talk to him about said champion. And he knew better than to ask any more questions about Duel.


    The only pieces of information he had been able to gather up, was that the champion was a male, and that he had won over 300 bouts over the last two years. Apparently he''d visit the island in spells, dominating the competition and then disappearing again. It made Kaito excited, dreaming up the possibilities of how strong he might be.


    Perhaps even recruitment worthy¡­


    Finally on day five, with his patience starting to run low, the time had come. He was to face the champion. He was half sure they only arranged it because the emcee really wanted to see him get his face smashed in. Whatever the reason - it worked. Being annoying had once again worked out for him.


    Either way it placed him where he was now, just seconds away from entering the ring again. The music and jeering of the crowd almost deafening.


    "YOU HATE HIM! YOU WANT TO SEE HIM BROKEN AND CRYING¡­. THEEEE MYSTERIOOOOUS STRAAAANGER!" The emcee called out, and Kaito ran into the octagon, waving his arms cheerfully to the jeers and boos raining down from the crowd.


    He turned expectantly to the entrance, eager to get a look at this champion. See if they could possibly measure up as a potential crew mate. As far as he was aware, this one was not part of the criminal organization. So no dibs had been called.


    Heavier bass started playing as the emcee stood on his desk, gripping his microphone tightly with his right hand while making a sweeping motion with his left hand. Practically vibrating in excitement.


    "ALL THE WAY FROM THE GRANDLINE! UNDEFEATED! OVER 300 WINS! IT''S YOUR CHAMPION!  BASTIEN AAARCHEEER!"


    "Now that''s more like it!" Kaito cheered, as the champion arrived. 7 feet tall, a bald head covered in red tribal tattoos flowing down his neck and face. A long jagged burn scar going down from his jawline, down his throat and ending somewhere hidden under his plain black tunic. Not as muscular as Kaito was, the guy having more of a wiry build, but he still looked dangerous. Certainly not like the chaff he had been beating up so far. Older too, he''d guess at the very least thirty.


    The difference between him and the riffraff he had been beating up was confirmed when he entered the octagon, and immediately took a stance that exposed he was a martial artist of some sort. Probably actually properly trained too, not a brawler like he himself was.


    "Strong silent type, eh?" Kaito asked, jumping in place, eager to get started.


    Archer scoffed, spitting to the side. "You want a chat, prove you''re worth a damn first, scrub." He rumbled, with a very deep bass voice.


    Kaito didn''t wait for the emcee to start the match, springing forward at almost full speed. Testing out the reaction speed of a hopefully worthy opponent.


    Archer''s eyes widened as it seemed he could barely catch the blur, but his training, or just instinct kicked in and he automatically brought his arms forward. One sweeping aside Kaitos'' strike aimed at his face, Archer''s body seamlessly flowing into striking him in the chest with a palm strike with his other arm, sending him flying into the side of the octagon.


    Ignoring the electrocution as a minor annoyance, Kaito rolled away from the wall of electrified fencing just in time to avoid a follow up strike. The champion moved quickly after him, flowing like water, his feet seemingly gliding along as he continued to harass Kaito relentlessly.


    Grinning widely as he avoided strike after strike, Kaito countered by grabbing Archer''s right fist just as he struck and in a feat of strength redirected it to punch the ground. He used the leverage of holding onto the arm to toss himself over the martial artist, his legs scissoring around his neck. Kaito landed in a handstand on the ground behind him, bringing Archer down with him in a roll and with his leg strength slamming him down into the ground.


    Before the dust settled, Kaito felt a hand on his left leg. Before he could try to get loose, or even curse at his misfortune, he''s whipped into the ground to Archer''s left at dizzying speed, then to his right, then to his left again, slamming into the ground. The champion showing off his own strength. Kaito''s finally able to kick the martial artist''s arm hard enough to be released on the last slam, and he quickly rolled away.


    "Ugh, Hulk smash isn''t as great on the other end." He groaned, wiping a spot of blood from his lips. He grinned after a second, "This is finally fun!" His blood was pumping now!


    He then had to roll away, do a quick handstand and flip himself into the air, to throw himself away from Archer''s determined string of strikes. His big fists slamming into the ground, kicking up dust and pieces of the floor as it began to crack.


    "Oh it''s so on!" He cheered, disappearing in a blur of speed, meeting the now grinning martial artist head on. Slamming their fists against each other at full speed, a torrent of wind exploding from their position. Both ignoring the awed exclamations from the crowd. He tried to stomp down on Archer''s foot, but the martial artist somehow slid his foot away, like it''s not even touching the ground. There is something funky there, he thought excitedly.


    They both go on the offensive with no thought to defence, both striking each other several times in the span of seconds. Kaito having more speed and strength, barely. And Archer, having better training and experience, they both jump away shortly after, leaving several bruises on each other, but no real damage.


    "Water style: whirlpool fist" Archer called out reverently, moving his hands in a circle in front of him, before tensing his legs and exploding forward. Kaito met him half-way attempting to redirect a fist to leave him open again for a counter, just to take a fist right to the solar plexus instead. He blinked, stunned, and quickly tried to parry the follow up strike. Just to see it somehow slip through his guard, moving unnaturally and snap his head back, spittle and blood flying into the air. A hand grabbed the front of his shirt before he could toss himself away. "Oh shi-" A massive haymaker slammed him down into the ground, cratering it.


    Before a follow up could push him further down, Kaito exploded out from under Archer, having kicked the ground hard enough to create another crater, managing to escape to the other side of the ring. He wiped the blood off his forehead, chuckling. "Man, I haven''t had this much fun in like, ever! Whatever style that is¡­" He grinned widely. "I like it!"


    "You''re good, kid, better than what I''ve fought here before." Archer admitted, a bloodthirsty grin on his face, "You''re still barely touching me," He taunted.


    "Guess I better pick it up a notch then." Kaito stated, cracking his knuckles. Then exploding forward, finally letting loose. He had a feeling this guy could take it pretty well. And he had never really been able to fully fight someone.


    Kaito slipped under a fist, eyes tracking the weird way it seemed to flow in the air, slamming away the other arm flowing down to protect his vitals, and struck Archer several times at full power, in the kidneys. Slipping behind him before he managed to retaliate and slamming a kick into the back of his right knee. The action forcing the martial artist down on the injured knee. Still smarting from the kidney strikes, he doesn''t react quick enough to stop the kick to the face that seemed to almost indent his face. Sending him flying in a massive shockwave, completely ripping apart the octagon fencing, and slamming him into the underground cave wall, shaking dust and small rocks down onto the spectators.


    The crowd roared as the emcee reminded everyone that ring out wasn''t a thing in this arena, and that the fight was still on. The dust settled, and Archer stepped forward, laughing. He ripped his shirt off, showing an equally heavily tattooed chest, rippling with muscles. Blood running from his nose, but nothing but happiness in his eyes. "That''s what I''m talking about, show me more of that!" He roared, slamming his chest with one meaty fist.


    "Water style: Tidal flow" Archer took one step, then two, then he seemingly slid on air shooting forward, much faster than before. Again Kaito could almost see something around his limbs, something allowing him to change direction on a dime. And glide in the fucking air, how fucking cool was that?


    Kaito roared in eager challenge and met him in the air, slamming into him and disrupting his momentum, kneeing him in the chin, pirouetting around to stomp him straight in the chest. The action sending him rocketing down into the ground, slamming straight through down into the rock, the explosion of impact making the octagon fold in on itself and the whole cavern shake. Kaito speedily got out of the way. Archer laughed as it fell down towards him, laying on his back, coughing up some blood.


    "Giving up?" Kaito teased loudly, as the emcee screamed in horror at the damage and the crowd was scrambling over each other to run away. It seemed going full speed was proving a bit much for the champion.


    "Fuck no!" Archer continued to laugh, one fist flowing forward, smashing the falling fencing away, sending it flying all the way to the other end of the cavern.


    "Water style: Masquerade." The tattooed fighter rumbled, before disappearing from sight for a moment. Kaito''s eyes could still catch him however, just barely, among the many afterimages spreading across the ring. And ducked under the strike, striking to retaliate, just to hit another afterimage. "Fu-" then there was pain.


    Kaito felt the force of the shockwave, erupting from behind him, hitting straight to the kidneys, sending him rocketing into the cave wall, leaving an indentation, cracks spreading across the cavern wall. "I guess someone didn''t appreciate my earlier friendly nudges to the kidneys." He laughed, head spinning, he quickly ran back into the fight however, to not get caught against the wall. The other man''s masquerade was still up. Kaito was still seeing the real one, he thought anyway¡­ Wondering how exactly the man pulled off the disappearing act earlier.


    He flittered back and forth, taking one step and then disappearing in a blur, attacking the after images, trying to limit them and see if he can figure out how the man pulled his little trick.


    Three times he barely avoided running straight into Archer''s fists, before he figured out how he was doing it. The tricky bastard was purposefully making an afterimage strong enough to appear to be him, while he hid behind another afterimage, moving much more slowly to not draw attention to himself.


    Seeing the trick Kaito intentionally let himself get caught next time around, already prepared for where the strike would come from.


    Even when caught, the weird way the other man could twist out of the way of strikes when he shouldn''t be able to, stopped his first couple of hits. Eventually, with a roar Kaito succeeded in slamming both fists into the other man''s stomach, bending him over, before he launched him away, his somersaulting form slamming through one of the stands as shrieking spectators tossed themself out of the way.


    Archer stood up casually after a few moments, getting out of the hole in the stands, ready to get back into it, then blinked. "Ah, that might be a problem."


    Kaito looked to see what he meant and yeah, that could be a small issue. An underground cavern should not have sunlight.


    "Well shit, I was finally having fun." He sighed as more rocks crumbled down, exposing the air above, parts of a building falling down with an almighty crash. Archer slapped away rocks and pieces of building without any care as he made his way out of the fall zone.


    "Rematch later." He grunted, as he vaulted over a large piece of rock, making his way out of the cavern after the fleeing panicky citizens. Luckily whoever made these caverns were smart enough to have an emergency tunnel out for quick escapes.


    "Hey! Join my-" Kaito tried to call out, before another voice interrupted.


    "Mr. Akai¡­ Why am I not surprised to see you down there." There was a loud voice calling from above him.


    Kaito looked up, and sure enough staring down into the cavern from the freshly made building sized hole in the town, officer Monroe was peering down at him. Ah, he lost his tail in the docks before coming down to fight, so the marines must have been nearby searching when everything started shaking. That''s what he gets for not making the tail have a ''slip'' today.


    "Would you believe I slipped and fell down here?" He taunted cheekily.


    It was hard to see facial expressions from so far away but Kaito had a small feeling the good officer was not amused.


    "You are under arrest. Do not move, do not resist." Monroe called down at him. Apparently serious. Marines¡­


    Kaito deadpanned, "You''re kidding, right?" He yelled back.


    "We will fire, if you resist arrest." Monroe yelled down, indicating the marines with rifles standing by his side.


    "If you can hit me from there, with basic marine training and basic marine equipment, I totally deserve to die and will just lie here and take it." Kaito called back, shaking his head and starting to make his way out of the cavern. By the time they''d get enough rope and felt the ground was secure enough to come down after him, he''d be long gone.


    "Fire!"


    "Well give them props for trying, I guess." Kaito muttered to himself as he ignored the sound of bullets pinging, none coming terribly close. He gave a jaunty wave behind him as he made his way out of the cavern. "Bastards ruined my pitch for a crewmate too, now I gotta track him down."


    He started laughing to himself, "At least things are interesting, I''m sure there will be plenty of fun now that I''m a wanted man." He disappeared into one of the emergency escape tunnels, following behind the route everyone ran away in. Ignoring the shouting from the marines above as inconsequential.


    £ª£ª£ª


    Surprisingly, being a wanted man cleared all the hurdles that had so far prevented him from meeting whatever passed for leadership of the criminal underworld on the island. If he had known it was that easy he would have just gone nuts on the first day.


    He already had a prospective crew member so he didn''t really need to meet with them anymore, he went to the meeting anyway hoping to get a lead on Archer. And maybe whatever job they did have could allow him the opportunity to recruit the others.


    To his pleasant surprise when he entered the backroom of another seedy little bar, and god did this island ever have a lot of those, he was surprised to find Archer sitting at the table. Drinking ale straight from the keg, ignoring the way the woman sitting with him wrinkled her nose at him. Kaito immediately knew this woman was high up in the leadership of the criminal underworld just by how incredibly bland and plain she was. So forgettable no one would ever remember seeing her. Way too boring to be on the lower rung, he also didn''t see a tattoo.


    "You! Join my crew!" He shouted at Archer, completely ignoring the woman who had just opened her mouth to speak. She wasn''t nearly as interesting as everyone else he''d met so far.


    Archer raised an eyebrow, holding a finger up as he kept chugging until he finished the whole keg. "Crew? Are you some kind of pirate?"


    "I will be once you join my crew." Kaito said confidently, sliding into a chair opposite the woman they''re both now ignoring, to her obvious annoyance.


    "I would never follow someone weaker then me." Archer leered challengingly. "Besides I got stuff I got to take care of..."


    "Alright, first of all. You seem to be following these guys just fine, and they''re weak as hell!" Kaito pointed at the offended bland woman and then talked over her as she tried to use the opportunity to talk again. "Secondly I am stronger then you, i''ll prove it anytime!"


    Archer snorted, "In your dreams brat, and I have an arrangement with these people, I don''t work for them."


    "Can we-" Blandy tried to interject. "If you''re so sure, then fight me, the winner gets to be the Captain." Kaito slammed his hands down on the table, staring Archer down grinning madly.


    "What the hell¡­Why not¡­ You''re fucking on brat, don''t whine when you lose!" The grin Archer sent back is bloodthirsty. He then blinked. "Ah, first I got to take care of some stuff though." He brought up again, unhelpfully not sharing what exactly he needed to do.


    "Will you two shut up and listen!" Blandy yelled, both men stopped grinning and blinked, seemingly surprised there''s anyone else in the room.


    "Oh yeah, that''s why I''m here, my bad¡­. What''s your name again?" Archer said slowly.


    "Blandy" Kaito suggested to Archer''s quiet chuckle and the woman''s gritted teeth.


    "Archer, you were hired to do a job¡­ And you Kaito, have been looking for work and need the marines taken care of now that they''re after you, which fits into the job we have." Blandy got out with gritted teeth, staring them both down.


    "I don''t care anymore, I just want to fight him and make him join my crew." Kaito said with a smirk, leaning back in his chair. Too early to try and haggle about stealing a few members of their organization.


    "He can''t fight you until he''s completed the job." Blandy hissed angrily. Looking thoroughly fed up. Kaito had a feeling she''s not usually the one dealing with these kinds of things. She''s way too uptight.


    Kaito looked at Archer who nodded and then looked back at Blandy. "Why are you wasting so much time? Don''t you know we have a job to do? Hurry up and explain what it is already!"


    Blandy let out an inarticulate noise like a dying cat, she turned away for a second and stabbed a pen in her leg. She turned back around abruptly, face perfectly calm, like she didn''t just stab herself like a crazy person. Definitely not used to these things¡­


    "The syndicate''s boss, Alejandro, is in the brig inside the marine base, they''ve been holding him indefinitely, despite taking the bribes that should mean they''d release him and let us go about normal business. We don''t know if the new commander is holding out for more cash or what, he hasn''t been very clear in our communication. We can''t risk waiting any longer," Blandy explained.


    "Jailbreak, how exciting." Kaito rubbed his hands together. "Why hasn''t Archer just done this, he''s strong enough? And why the fuck is your boss not called Stabby or Bullet and shit?"


    "I''m right here, you can ask me, you know?" Archer grumbled. He sideyes Blandy though, waiting for her answer.


    Blandy grimaced, "He''s the muscle, we need this to be done with a minimal amount of ruckus and casualties. As for the tattoos, the leadership lead civilian life''s on the side and do not have tattoos."


    Kaito frowned, "Hey I''m the muscle too?" And it was kinda shitty the leaders hid behind a regular civilian life, not sharing in the risks of those like Wire, doing the hard work. Cowardly really, it didn''t sit well with him. If you''re going to be a criminal at least have the guts to go all the way.


    That would be like that coward Don Krieg waving a white flag or merchant flag to get close before revealing his Jolly Roger. Pathetic. If they can''t even stand up for their convictions how could he trust them at all?


    "You''ve shown the ability to sneak around and be somewhat discreet¡­ When you choose to be." Blandy explained, starting to look pained, whether from the pen inserted in her leg or the conversation, Kaito wasn''t sure, he hoped it was because of him. He liked annoying people. It truly was a passion. If this was a game - he would have specced in smartass.


    In the end there wasn''t much choice anyway. Kaito wanted Archer on his crew, so he''d do the job, get his fight with Archer, win, and then sail away as a duo¡­ Or waste the pussies at the top of this shit to make Wire and the rest join him too. That sounded way better actually¡­


    They''d lay low until night time, then meet up and stake out the base and make a proper plan. Kaito looked at Archer, then thought about himself, the plan part might be a problem¡­


    He wasn''t really that good with controlling his impulses¡­


    £ª£ª£ª


    "This is boring." Kaito complained to his jailbreak comrade, sitting on the rooftop of one of the tallest buildings in town, with a good view of the marine base.


    "Aye, but necessary." Rumbled the tattooed martial artist. Leaning back with his eyes closed. Somehow pulling off peacefulness, while looking like he did. Berserker would be Kaito''s first guess, just seeing him walk down the street.


    "You''re not even watching!" Kaito complained, pointing at him. "And you still haven''t fucking told me what ''stuff'' you gotta do before you can join me!"


    Without even opening his eyes Archer reached forward and broke the finger, "it''s rude to point." He stated calmly.


    Kaito snapped his finger back into place, shaking his hand slightly, chuckling to himself. "Fair enough." Notably he still didn''t fucking answer either. Asshole!


    "So what''s your deal anyway?"


    One eye lazily opened, Kaito hadn''t really paid attention before, but they were the exact colour of the sea on a calm day. "You''ll have to be more specific." Archer replied dryly, in that deep rumbling voice that reminded Kaito of James Earl Jones. Which again how cool was that. Like reason number gazillion on why he needed him on his crew.


    "Like I know I saw something weird when we were fighting, it was like you were gliding on air, and you were able to make corrections to your hits when you were already committed somehow."


    Archer chuckled. "You want me to explain how I fight, you''ll have to beat me first." He grinned savagely all of a sudden. "Now that you''ve awoken the bloodlust in me, you better not disappoint¡­ Or I will really kill you."


    "I really want to fight you instead of doing this pointless watching, we already know the base is full of ordinary boring marines. We could sleepwalk through it." Kaito complained, trying to ignore how Archer''s answer had his adrenaline pumping, and how he wanted to do nothing more than get into it right then and there.


    "I''m used to it, having to hide my urges, contain my battle lust. It''s how society is. " Archer scoffed.


    Kaito glanced at him, "You know if you were a pirate you could do pretty much whatever you wanted, and sate that battle lust constantly."


    Archer smirked so wide, Kaito could see that his canines were razor sharp. How interesting. "Maybe so, you''d have to beat me first either way and I don''t think that''s happening. I never had any particular wish to be a pirate."


    Kaito hummed thoughtfully, eyeing the marine base. "Hey, do you see that?" He asked slyly.


    Archer sighed and stood up, moving over and watching the marine base. "What am I supposed to be seeing?"


    Kaito, concentrating hard, put his entire focus and willpower into it, and saw a flicker of black at the end of his fist - which made it so that he  immediately slammed his fist into Archer''s back, sending him flying like a meteor into the marine base, the outer wall crumbling. A loud siren going off a second later and like ants in an upturned anthill - little marines rushed about. "I see an opportunity to have a really kickass fight." He chuckled, jumping in the air to follow Archer''s trajectory.


    £ª£ª£ª


    When he''d started training he concentrated on more than just the physical, he might not remember everyone''s name, places, and enemies from the show and minor details. Feats of strength however had stuck with him. Specifically the six powers and haki.


    When he concentrated on his legs in the morning training sessions, he knew that for shave, tempest kick and moonwalk he''d need incredibly strong leg muscles. Half the fight was simply knowing it could be done. Yes it would take years before kicking in the air would achieve moonwalk, or to make ten steps in one quick enough to shave. To slash the wind so hard with a kick he''d send a blade of wind forward in a tempest kick. He had a decade and a half to train it, if he didn''t achieve at least the six powers to some extent, he''d fail at life.


    For his arms and hands and core, the training was not only to help with the eventual chance at finger gun, paper arts and iron body. He had an eye towards one day achieving armament haki. If willpower was the only thing needed half the world would have achieved it, so no, he knew that absolutely he would need to reach a certain level of fitness and power to be able to sharpen his willpower enough. Even so, he didn''t expect to be able to really achieve much by the time he set sail. He became pleasantly surprised when he achieved the ability to harden about two fingers worth for a couple seconds. Enough to barely coat enough of a hand for a good punch - not long before he set our sailing.


    £ª£ª£ª


    He stepped down from his moonwalk in a crouch - at the edge of a giant hole going through several of the inner walls of the marine base. Both dead and unconscious marines littered the space. He idly picked up a rock and flicked it into the forehead of an annoying marine crying over a missing arm, knocking him out. Pussy, he thought uncharitably.


    It was hard to see the marines as people considering the evils perpetuated by so many of them. Pirates on average were scum, no argument there, but they didn''t torture people on a systematic basis for lifetimes or enslave entire populations - wiping out entire cultures - that was the marines doing the dirty work of their masters.


    Hence it was really hard to see the marines as people, and not just faceless stormtroopers following along with genocide while marching in lockstep.


    "YOU BRAT!" A roar came from further into the base and like a barreling bull Archer came rushing out, ignoring any piddling obstacles - like furniture, or bodies. "WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM!?"


    "I decided that since we''d be leaving as pirates after this jailbreak anyway - no matter which one of us wins. Although it will be me, just saying. We don''t really care if this job is messy or quiet¡­ So we might as well have our fight here." He spread his arm with a smirk, "We''ll fight inside this marine base, with marines interrupting and getting in the way, whoever gets to the brig first and gets this dude out of his cell has won the fight, and we''ll be fighting the entire way there. What do you think?"


    Archer snorted smoke like a bull, veins popping on his forehead, eyes seemingly changed colours to a more stormy sea colour. "And you couldn''t have just suggested that instead of launching me at the base!? Fuck! Whatever, Imma gonna punch you in the face now!"


    It said something that even with that warning Kaito still didn''t move out of the way quick enough to avoid the haymaker that smashed him through the floor.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    His head ringing slightly, Kaito eyed the squad of marines in the hallway in front of him. "So¡­ Nice weather tonight, am I right?"


    "It''s a bit cloudy¡­" Came the weak reply from one of the marines.


    As they cocked their rifles at him, Kaito tilted his head questioningly. "Hang on¡­ Why don''t I have a 7 feet tall martial artist punching me in the face right now?"


    With a groan the entire floor above them crashed down crushing the marine squad as Kaito yelped, shaving out of the way, slapping away any pieces he couldn''t get out of the way in time.


    He ended up crashing right into Archer, both of them tumbling down while savagely tearing into each other, breaking off once they hit steady ground again.  The base around them coming off for the worse.


    Determined to win and earn himself a crew mate, Kaito didn''t only rely on his physicality anymore and sent two quick tempest kicks Archer''s way, shaving behind the blades of wind. Knowing at this level the blades wouldn''t damage someone of Archer''s strength.


    As Archer broke up the first blade of wind through sheer force and narrowly dodged the second, he''s seemingly unprepared for Kaito striking, except somehow, while standing still - he again slid around the attack, leaving Kaito over extended.


    "Iron body." Kaito grit out as he took the full force of Archer''s strength, as two fists slammed into his chest. Even with the protection of an iron body, he was still flung away through three walls.


    He ended up in the mess hall, and dozens of marines advanced on him. He tsks in annoyance. A sword coming down to slash him from head to groin, he slid away via paper arts and broke the marines arm, pushing him into another marine, sending them both to the floor. Two marines rushed him from each side so he grabbed their arms and side step, pushing their sword arms forward, leading to them stabbing each other. Then he dropped to the floor as one of the mess hall tables flew through the space, bowling over the rest of the marines close to him, as Archer entered the fray. He took a second look, oh, it flew so fast it literally crushed them. Nasty. Also, very good quality tables - he''d need to ask them who their carpenter was after¡­


    He felt a bit of disquiet over the blood everywhere - even if he didn''t think much of marines in general, it was nasty business.


    Whoever survived this day was going to need all the mops!


    A quick application of shave and moonwalk and he''s in the air behind Archer, and credit where it''s due, even with him appearing in the air as fast as he did - the martial artist was still in the process of turning around. Trying to defend himself - when Kaito kicked him ten times in one step and sent him careening away through the rest of the marines still standing. And a couple of walls. "The building was very shoddily built." Kaito admonishes the one shaking marine still standing. Who promptly passed out. Kaito quickly shaved after Archer, not wanting to give the man too much time.


    The room is filled with marines, he''d sent Archer into the barracks. And oh there''s a fist! He barely ducked away as Archer came after him fast, rolling away next to a marine who brought up his rifle, just as Kaito grabbed him by the arm and flung him with all his might against Archer.


    The marines very manly yelp is cut off as Archer slams him aside, crushing his rib cage with a loud snap. Kaito backtracked, finding several scrambling marines behind him. He ducked a sword strike, picking up the marine and again throwing him against Archer, sidestepping another marines strike, picking him up by his arm and using him as a club swinging him against the incoming fist. He''s left holding only an arm and tsks. "These marines are like paper people."


    He probably should feel bad. But odds are every man here would just salute and go about their business if an order came down to buster call an island nearby - or a world noble asked to enslave the civilians on the island. So it''s hard to really care about them as people.


    The remaining marines fire their guns to no effect as both Kaito and Archer continue to dance around the room, Kaito grabbing any marine in reach and flinging them after the relentlessly pursuing martial artist.


    "Oh, I''m out of marines." Kaito frowned, as he looked around after a few minutes. The pause cost him, as Archer finally connected, sending him flying through the wall, blood flying from his broken nose.


    He landed and quickly snapped the nose back in place, grinning a blood stained grin. Shaving back, going on the offensive and paying Archer back by slamming into him full force and sending him careening through the roof. Kicking him through a wall once he fell back down again, the martial artist was not as maneuverable in the air once Kaito put all his speed into it.


    This continued throughout the base. Both giving as good as they got, but Kaito''s skills slowly but surely gave him the upper hand, even over Archer''s experience and amazing fighting style.


    Neither noticed as they entered the brig area, having destroyed most of the base. Both too busy slamming into each other with wild grins on their faces.


    "ARCHER!?" a woman''s voice called out in surprise and shock.


    Archer''s head swivels, "Oh, so this is where you''ve be-" He would have said more if he hadn''t just been launched into another cell at top speed - completely destroying it. A girly shriek suddenly cut off from within.


    "Ah, my bad, I didn''t notice you were distracted until I was committed." Kaito chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. Exhilarating in the adrenaline pumping through his body, the blood running down his face.


    "Ugh, now I have human all over me." Archer grumbled walking out of the dust cloud, covered in gore.


    "What the hell is going on Archer!?" The woman screamed at him from another cell.


    Kaito did a double take. It''s not because she was a bombshell, because well she was, long purple hair in a ponytail, mocha skin, heart shaped face, full lips, stormy golden eyes and a body to die for. It''s because firstly she is a dead ringer for Yoruichi from the bleach manga, secondly she is wearing a marine officers uniform, albeit a very dirty one, like she had been stuck in it for awhile. And thirdly, well she was in a cell. In the marine base. And again a dead ringer for Yourichi. Like what? Hot so bonus, worries about a crossover going on, very bad.


    Bleach and One piece is a horrendous mismatch.


    "I should be asking you that, stupid woman!" He grumbled still, swiping people parts off his shirt. "You stop answering my calls, and when I show up here, no one can say where the hell you went. Why are you in the brig you stupid woman?"


    "Does not compute!" Kaito asked, confused, a hand in the air. "How do you know a marine? You''re obviously not a law abiding citizen, I mean how does that even happen?" Although he supposed he now knows what stuff the other man needed to get done before thinking about sailing anywhere.


    "She wasn''t always a damn marine." Archer said darkly. "And obviously someone was right to advise her to not join!" He stared at her pointedly.


    "How was I to know not being corrupt would end up with me being falsely accused and put in a cell awaiting execution!" Said woman protested with a small blush.


    Kaito laughed a deep full belly laugh. He stopped as he noticed the woman''s stare. He scratched his cheek, "Oh sorry I thought that was a joke." He looked over to Archer."So did she decide to join without ever having met a marine or what?" Kaito asked the martial artist dryly.


    "Pretty much." The martial artist answered back just as dryly. "Ah, well what exactly are you being executed for anyway?"


    She bit her lip angrily, "Piracy, apparently I have secretly been coordinating all the pirate movements around the islands here in my capacity of captain."


    "What a coincidence I happen to be a pirate captain, and your friend here is on my crew¡­. Need I say more? Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge!" Kaito exclaimed grandly. Like, navy bad, captain equals pretty strong though, and well¡­. Need he say it again? Hot.


    "What?" She replied deadpan, staring at Archer. "Did he just say the wink and nudge part?"


    Archer frowned, "Hey that''s not been decided yet!" Ignoring Yoruichi for the more pertinent point.


    Kaito wagged a finger in his face, "Ah, but it has! See not only was I the first to reach the brig. I also scored the last hit, and sent you to bring that alrj- whatever his name was we were supposed to be fetching. So I win!"


    "When did you send me to fetch Alejandro? I don''t recall any such thing." Archer complained, but to Kaito''s delight doesn''t really protest.


    "Why I kicked you into the only cell with another person in it, granted I hadn''t expected him to be so weak as to pop like a ripe tomato. It''s the thought that counts!" Although he had totally seen the other person and counted on him being weak enough to die from the impact at least. Is what he told himself. It was all planned¡­ obviously ¡­


    He could totally plan!


    "Ugh, is there a reason I am still in this cell?" The imprisoned marine captain complained.


    Archer shrugged with a smile, "Well, apparently he''s my captain now, so he gives the orders and he hasn''t told me to let you out." Someone was feeling a bit catty. Heh, catty, Yoruichi. Cats.


    She turned expectant eyes on Kaito who was basking in the feeling of accomplishment in recruiting his first crew mate. Eventually she had to clear her throat awkwardly to gain his attention.


    "Yes, silly marine lady?" Kaito responded with a saccharine smile. At least she didn''t have the bleach personality, so thankfully he was likely not in some shinigami/one piece world. Cause no way the actual Yoruichi would act like her in this situation.


    She''d find a way to be super smug even while imprisoned.


    There''s a twitch of an eyebrow and gritting of teeth, but she eventually manages a halfway polite. "Let me out of here!"


    "Only if you join my crew." Kaito said cheerfully, he might not know her yet, but if she made it to captain she would be decently strong, and as an old friend of Archer''s she wasn''t completely hopeless. And again it can''t be said enough. Hot.


    Also obviously Archer would toss his cookies if they left her behind so you know¡­


    "That''s blackmail." She growled.


    "Pi~ra~te" Kaito sang as Archer chuckled. The guy seemed to enjoy this, probably a bit salty still for her going missing on him.


    "Fine, if you can beat up Archer, you''re strong enough I suppose - and it''s not like I can continue as a marine anyway." She said, tossing her hair, annoyed. "I''m already classified as a pirate¡­"


    Archer reached forward and with a grunt pulled the bars and half the cell wall with it out when Kaito nodded at him.


    Kaito wasn''t into dudes, but damn if he was that would have been hot. Like just rip the wall off, rawr.


    They all stand there for a minute. "So should we be going then?" Archer suggested.


    "You think I''m still standing here because of the ambience you big lug? You know I could have ripped those bars out as easily as you did." She gestured down, and the two men peered down to see a chain from the wall leading to a bracelet around her ankle.


    "Seastone? So you''re a devil fruit user?" Kaito asked curiously. Okay now he''s really wondering if an admiral or something is going to drop by on vacation soon - because this is getting insanely lucky.


    Archer grumbled,"Damn hammers, I''ll go search for a key, we ain''t getting that sea stone off any other way " he walked off with a noticeable pep in his step.


    "It''s impressive you''re able to stand up and act fairly normally while chained to sea stone." Kaito said, examining the metal. "We''re definitely taking this with us when we leave, for east blue, this stuff is rarer than anything."


    "I''ve been here for a while, and it takes all my energy to remain simply standing." She admitted. "I suppose if you''re my captain now I should probably introduce myself."


    "Probably Yoruichi right?" Kaito said, smirking.


    She paused and looked at him with a curious raise of an eyebrow. "How did you know that? Archer wouldn''t talk about me, I know he wouldn''t!"


    Kaito winks, "Secret captain powers, can''t tell you sorry. Very important pirate rule."


    "Your bullshit powers are strong at least." She fired back snarkily. Although Kaito noticed it''s with a bit of a shaky voice and her hands were trembling slightly. She probably hasn''t spent this much time standing and talking while chained, and the effects are starting to take over. Thankfully before he could figure out a way to convince her to sit down that wouldn''t hurt her pride, Archer returned with a set of keys.


    "Let me guess your devil fruit powers is some sort of cat zoan?" Kaito asked, as he accepted the keys from Archer and started trying them on the ankle bracelet. He noted with a small smile that Archer, without a word, stood so that Yoruichi could lean against him without showing weakness.


    "Okay, now that''s bullshit. How the fuck do you know that? ARCHER! I swear to god if you were telling stories about me!?"


    Archer held his hands up defensively, "Hey, I didn''t mention you at all, he didn''t even know the only reason I took the job to get in here was to find you."


    "So¡­ Jaguar? Panther?" Kaito asked, before there''s a click, and the ankle bracelet comes loose. He attached the seastone shackle to his belt immediately and put the key in his pockets. He doesn''t want to forget to bring it with them.


    Yoruichi took a long deep breath, sagging into Archer''s chest, the tall man patting her on the head and ruffling her hair fondly.


    "Not the hair!!" She elbowed him in the gut, he barely noticed and she ended up just letting it go¡­. For now. "And yes, for however you know this shit¡­ I''m a Panther Zoan." She addressed her new captain.


    Kaito grinned, jumping to his feet, feeling full of energy. "Awesome! I get 2 for 1 and one''s an ex marine and a zoan to boot. Man the marines are going to haaaate me!"


    She snorted, "Well this is east blue, us three alone would be enough to take down most islands here if you''re strong enough to beat Archer."


    Archer cocked his head, "Anyone else find it odd that we''ve destroyed a marine base and then chatted in the basement for half an hour and not a peep has been heard?"


    Yoruichi outright cackled, "Ohhh, the asshole commander that arrested me to get himself a promotion doesn''t stay on base, he has a nice mansion in the town, no doubt whatever marines are left are waiting outside for us. I need to pay my¡­ Respects on the way out."


    "We can take care of the baby marines, leave you the commander, I''d like to say are you sure you can handle it, but I don''t want my eyes clawed out." Kaito chuckled, practically vibrating in excitement and just good feelings in general. This was just awesome!


    "We have a quick learner as a captain." Yoruichi said with a wry twist of her lips, testing her strength, clenching her hands. No one made any mention about the tightness around her eyes, or how her eyes kept looking around for threats, her shoulders slightly hunched over.


    Kaito pursed his lips slightly. He had a feeling he doesn''t want to know how her captivity has been. One should expect better from marines, but then he''d seen the show, seen how many marines were willing to to go disgusting lengths.


    Archer stayed next to her as they started walking, not helping her, but close enough to lean on if she needed it. Kaito couldn''t help but notice her eyes were suspiciously shiny as she refused to lean on him in any way and walked on her own power. Those two have a close bond. He''s kinda jealous. He didn''t have anyone in his village that could even begin to be at that level with him. Although he''s quite curious how they met - as she can''t be older than twenty and he''s clearly in at least his thirties. With all the tattoos and everything, and the bald head, it''s hard to give an exact guess to his age.


    They encounter no more marines on their way through the base, well none alive anyway. Bodies are here and there, quite a few despite the fact neither combatant had at all concentrated at attacking them, mostly getting them out of their way to attack each other.


    As soon as they step outside though they''re faced by a firing line of several dozen marines. Considering he''s pretty sure they''ve gone through at least 100 inside the base during the fight, he''s kind of impressed they still have that many.


    Kaito waved cheerily to lieutenant Monroe, standing next to what he assumes is the asshole that framed Yoruichi to get a promotion. He''s wearing an official looking enough coat to be the guy. Also looks kinda like a weasel. So yeah, he''s the guy.


    "Stand down, or we will open fire!" Monroe yelled sharply. Showing no sign of fear, it''s not something that is shared among his men, nor his commander. Here and there is the shaking of a rifle not able to hold quite steady, the sound of whispered prayers.


    "Yoruichi, there''s no coming back from this!" The commander yelled, red faced, standing half a step behind Lieutenant Monroe.


    Yourichi bared her teeth in a savage grin, "Oh fucking trust me, Barton, I''ll gladly take whatever punishment the world has for the worst of it''s pirates for the chance to get my hands on you!"


    Kaito looked at Archer and mouthed, savage, Archer looking back to him with a raised eyebrow before snorting and mouthing back, you haven''t seen anything yet.


    Yoruichi flicked one golden eye his way, a smile a little bit too sharp to be called such, "I can feel you talking behind my back¡­ Captain!"


    "Needless to say we don''t surrender." Kaito grinned, taking a step forward, laughing out loud as several marines fell on their ass. "One moment, then we''ll play with you little darlings." A quick mutter of "shave" and he has a screaming weasel in an officer''s coat tossed behind them. "Hey Yoruichi, don''t do anything I wouldn''t do, we''ll cover you with the small fries until you''re done."


    Her grin is pure savagery, as she transforms into a hybrid zoan form, dark fur, purple in shade, growing across her body, her limbs especially. Fangs growing, peeking out from her lips, claws appearing instead of fingernails. "I have a feeling that leaves some leeway, captain!" She snarled.


    "She knows me so well already!" Kaito stage whispered to Archer who''s chuckling darkly. Not sure what exactly happened to his friend in her captivity but hoping she makes it¡­ Hurt.


    They both slowly start ambling forward with dark grins, somehow scaring the marines worse then if they were charging. Even with Monroe yelling for them to hold steady there''s still a couple deserters that simply run away rather then face them.


    With Yoruichi and Barton.


    "Please Yoruichi, you were a marine, a soldier for justice, have some mercy!" Barton shrieked, as he furiously scrabbled backwards from the stalking Panther hybrid.


    She laughed cruelly, her golden eyes sharp and glinting in her animalistic face. The angles were sharper in this form - making her seem more vicious. It suited her this time perfectly. "I can handle your betrayal Barton, as much as I''d still kill you for it, fabricating proof to take me down just so you could be promoted quicker. Despicable. But I could make it quick for that." She stalked forward, snarling, "The things you did¡­ When you had me weak and under the effects of sea stone. You absolute rancid waste of flesh, I will rip you asunder for!"


    With Archer.


    He had simply been swatting the soldiers down, not overly concerned of their threat level, keeping an ear and eye on Yoruichi. When he heard what she said to that pile of shit he accidentally ripped the marine he was holding in half. The squad facing him blanched as Archer turned to them enraged. Screw the kid gloves, he was ripping them all apart. With a roar he slid forward. Nothing alive or recognizable as people was left in his wake. His battle lust turned into something darker, almost berserk state due to his anger and hatred.


    With Kaito and Monroe.


    Kaito, similarly to Archer, had been sandbagging it a bit, mostly making jokes at Monroe''s expense, making marines trip over themselves and generally being a pest. His visage darkened as he heard Yoruichi''s snarled accusation followed by the scream of those justly punished.


    "Did you know?" He asked slowly, dangerously slowly. Each syllable was drawn out.


    Monroe gulped taking a step back, sweat appearing on his forehead. "I-i-i he is my superior officer." He finished weakly. And for the first time - the good officer was showing fear.


    Kaitos lips pulled back in such an aggressive sneer his canines were visible, as he snarled. "I thought you were a decent - by the book marine, Monroe!"


    "You''re obviously a-a-a pir-r-ate, you have no l-leg to stand on!"


    Kaito snarled, the ground cracking beneath his feet. "SOME THINGS YOU JUST DON''T DO, PIRATE, MARINE, CIVILIAN, THERE IS NO EXCUSE!"


    The only noise that can be heard is the gurgles and screams of the marine commander and the savage snarls and cries of someone bleeding out all their hurt and pain.


    "You could have called HQ and reported it if you were too much of a coward to do something yourself. To not even have enough spine to make a snail call¡­ You''re despicable Monroe!"


    "Archer¡­" He snarled.


    "Yes captain?" Came the cool reply, the martial artist long finished with those that had dared to stand in front of him wearing that uniform.


    "There were runners¡­ No one walks away from this. See to it." That was his crew mate that had suffered, and yet even if she had turned him down, he''d probably still give the order. Some things were just not done. He didn''t care, pirate or marine, celestial dragon or god. Anyone like that, he was going to rip apart. There was no room in this world for rapists if he had any way in the matter.


    "Gladly" Archer growled, hesitating slightly with a glance back.


    "I will watch over her, we''ll leave as soon as you''ve taken down the runners." Kaito promised.


    Monroe managed the courage to speak, drawing Kaitos attention again. "You have no honor, you pirate scum, they''re not even trying to fight anymore."


    Kaito chuckled darkly, he''d say this, the marine had impressive courage, too bad his by the book outlook had been twisted, following commanders even when they were reprehensible, instead of reporting or stopping it. "You speak of honour, yeah I probably have less then you''d like, I''ll murder people¡­I don''t stand for the things you''ve allowed though, and you can''t say your better then me for it¡­" Tired of wasting his breath on this disappointment of a marine he speeds forward. "At least I had the decency to make it quick..." He said, coming out of a shave, fingers bloody from where they''d punctured the lieutenant''s chest.


    Monroe stared in shock as blood spurted out, slowly falling to first his knees and then forward onto his face. His vision darkened, he didn''t even notice Kaito kneeling down next to him.


    The last thing he heard before slipping into darkness was two whispered sentences. "What you allowed is just savagery, your no different than those you hunt."


    £ª£ª£ª


    It was dawn by the time Archer returned, he found Kaito sitting on the ground, a tired Yourichi leaning against him, her face drawn and introspective.


    "It''s been dealt with Captain."


    "Good work, let''s go, I''ve had enough of this island for a lifetime." Kaito scowled, staring back at the strips of meat that had once been commander Barton.


    To make matters worse the guy had been ripe for Hawkeye jokes, named as he was - and had been too much of a scumbag for him to even try - the guy was even worse in his book, for making him miss pulling any avengers jokes.


    "Just tell me where your ship is and we''ll get going." Archer said, agreeing fully, fists clenched at the drawn face of his friend.


    "Oh I knew I was forgetting something!" Kaito laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "I don''t actually have a ship."


    "What kind of idiot are you!" Archer and Yoruichi screamed, with shark teeth coming out, slapping him over the head as he continued laughing.


    "Besides¡­ I want to visit a certain bar first¡­"


    £ª£ª£ª


    It had been easy enough to get what he wanted. That brat Blackjack had been at the bar and covered in blood as they were, he very respectfully ran away as fast as he could to go get Wire, Dice and Tears for him.


    The few people that had been in the bar had all slipped out the back door. Even old Miguel had looked them over, looking like he was sucking on a lemon, before slowly shambling out.


    Kaito almost felt bad about that one. He however did not feel bad at all about grabbing booze from behind the bar and partaking with Archer and Yoruichi while they were waiting. Pirate after all. So you know, being mean to an old man felt kinda mean, stealing his booze however was very on brand.


    He had to represent!


    When the three men arrived - they entered much more wary than they had been the last time he had seen them. Understandable, since he had kind of totally wasted one of the biggest marine bases in east blue.


    Without putting any real effort in.


    "Sit, gentlemen, no need to worry! We''re all friends here!"


    They sat down at the same table they had played poker on, still cracked. Kaito smiled at them which somehow made them look even more wary. "So you might have heard I had a very¡­ Enthusiastic walk around the base."


    "Somehow we noticed." Wire answered carefully. "Are you going to¡­ Enthusiastically walk¡­ Anywhere else?"


    Kaito smirked, "Onto a marine ship, and sail out of here as pirates¡­ And you all are coming along as crew members!"


    They looked at each other for a minute, before Wire spoke up again, obviously the spokesperson of the group. "And if we say no thank you?" He asked slowly, with a sheen of sweat on his face.


    "Why would you though?" Kaito said, leaning forward. "You know by now I''m fucking strong." He waved at Archer and Yoruichi. "I have your champion and ex marine captain as crew! You''ll never get a better chance to set sail!"


    "Our home''s here." Wire responded, although to Kaitos delight all three look more thoughtful than wary now.


    "To put things in perspective for you¡­I totally destroyed the marine base responsible for over a dozen islands." Kaito said plainly. "You might not have had a hand in it, but your fighting ring has been discovered, and the marines will surely crack down on this island, no matter what criminal activity, after such an event as this." He shook his head slowly, "Your leaders can disappear into the civilian world, but you all will hang, your easily identifiable for fucks sake!"


    "He has a point." Dice said reluctantly, eyeing his two friends.


    "I know." Wire answered tersely.


    "With 400 marines out on patrol in 8 separate ships across a dozen islands¡­ They still had another 200 or so here. That''s almost half a base of personnel just gone. They''ll send someone with no mercy." Tears said, staring at his clenched hands.


    "So we should join him when it''s his damn fault?" Wire snapped.


    "Our bosses sent him in there in the first place." Dice reminded him.


    Wire grabbed his Mohawk in frustration, "I fucking know, just fuck man, I had no plans to become a pirate!"


    Kaito stayed silent, not wanting to interject when they''re working their way to a solution that is to his benefit. Archer and Yoruichi watching in silent interest.


    Tears sighed, "Mate, it''s the only way we all make it outta here. And at least he''s a decent guy for such a monster."


    Kaito cocked his head, not sure if that was meant as a compliment or not.


    Wire took a deep breath before staring Kaito straight in the eyes. "If you''re going to be my captain¡­ I ain''t leaving anyone behind. It''s all of us or none!"


    Kaito grinned, clapping his hands together. "Wire that is exactly what I wanted to hear!"


    "So we''re doing this?" Dice asked.


    Wire looks at both his companions before nodding. "Fuck, I guess we are."


    "Get everyone together then, we''ll go pick out a marine ship to steal, so just send anyone that''s coming down to the docks. Bring anything you need, we won''t be coming back."


    Wire nodded, turning to his friends. "Dice, go find Blackjack and have him go inform all the right people, you know which ones we''d want, keep it to the tattooed members. Then go warn Duel and help her with her shit. She''ll fucking murder us all if we don''t give her enough time to pack up her workshop!"


    Dice quickly got up, he squeezed Wires shoulder once, and then disappeared out the door.


    Wire looked over at an expectant looking Tears. "Find Cloud and get that fucker working on supplies, what we don''t got, have him grab a few boys and steal it. We''re not sailing away from here missing anything essential, you hear? Stay with him and help him out in case there''s issues." He rubbed his forehead tiredly. "And get a hold of Saber, most of us don''t sail for shit - he''ll know what an actual ship needs."


    Tears nodded, slipping out the door with a few muttered words in Wires ear.


    "Your competence is making me hard." Kaito said, staring at him seriously.


    Yoruichi spat out the wine she had been drinking, laughing uproariously at the just completely done look that passed over Wires face. Archer didn''t have much of a reaction probably due to suddenly being soaked in wine.


    "Can you not make this creepy?" Wire sneered.


    "It''s not creepy! I mean I already knew I wanted you guys, as smugglers and thieves you might not be the strongest, but that can be trained. Your intelligence, subtlety and sneakiness is a valuable commodity that''s not as easily achieved any other way."


    Yourichi snorted, "Subtlety?" She managed to get out, staring at the Mohawk and the wire tattoos.


    "It takes a lot of work to work a smuggling operation for a dozen islands while looking so obviously criminal and never being brought down for it." Kaito defended.


    Wire sighed, "Stop buttering me up, I''m already coming along¡­ Captain..."


    Kaito shuddered, "Oh yeah, call me captain again, baby!"


    "I take it all back." Wire grounded out, a vein pulsing in his forehead.


    "Can we take it back too?" Archer asked, patting Yoruichi''s back, the zoan laughing hysterically.


    "I''m only teasing, mostly. Anything else that needs doing before we go pick out a nice ship?"


    Wire grimaced, "Well, we do have a place in town that''s holding most of the organization''s liquid cash reserve. None of mine guard that though, so can''t just walk in."


    "Archer, go with Wire and take care of the guards, I''ll take miss ex navy captain with me to choose the best ship." Kaito ordered.


    Archer looked a bit reluctant to leave Yoruichi''s side but she pushed him away, rolling her eyes. So he left a minute later with Wire.


    "You look like a kid in a candy shop." Yoruichi pointed out a few minutes later as they walked down the docks, looking at a couple of marine vessels that were left at the island, most being in use on the sea at the moment.


    "I can''t help it! Not only do I get you two awesome people, but Wire and the guys and all their subordinates. And Duel. Can''t forget her." Kaito almost skipped along; he is so elated that the journey is starting this amazingly.


    "You realize all these people are loyal to Wire¡­Not you." She pointed out, hands in her pockets as she strolled along.


    Kaito shrugged,"I''ll win their loyalty in time, it''s no different then you and Archer being loyal to each other above all else right now."


    "Fair enough, long as you''re aware." She answered, stopping as they get up close to one of the marine ships. "Unless a lot of things have changed during my captivity, this baby here should be the best ship in the fleet. It''s the one I used."


    "I''ll follow your recommendation, Yoruichi, I wouldn''t be able to tell which one of these ships is superior to the rest."


    She smirked at him, "So what is it you actually do as captain then?"


    "Kick ass and annoy people." Kaito answered easily.


    "Well at least you''re good at that." She responded sarcastically, but Kaito spotted the twitching of her lips.


    They jump on the ship and wait in companionable silence. It doesn''t take long for tattooed men and a few women to start trickling in all carrying weapons and supplies with them. Thankfully Blackjack seems to be the only one obviously underage.


    "Shit, if I''m not careful we''ll be called the tattoo pirates. You and I are the only ones without any." Kaito realized out loud.


    Yoruichi chuckled, "Sorry Captain, I''ve got one too!" She teased.


    Kaito gave her a once over, "Where?" He asked with a leer.


    Yourichi blushed and punched him in the shoulder. "Not telling you that." Before walking away quickly, obviously not really thinking it through before sharing.


    "Is it a cute little kitten!?" Kaito yelled after her.


    He took her absolute non answer and quick steps away as her tattoo totally being a kitten. He had a feeling that asking Archer if he knows where it is might lead to broken limbs, so he''ll have to contain his curiosity for now.


    He busied himself helping his new crew members bring supplies aboard and getting it settled while introducing himself and learning their names.


    He was going to have so much fun with this..


    £ª£ª£ª

 The Red Dawn Pirates.

    All in all, it was for the best that the marine base had been turned into a wreck. Because it took almost a day for all of Wires cohorts to finish gathering themselves and packing up all the supplies. Duel was the last to show up, a dozen crew members having come along before her, carrying her entire workshop along.  Kaito was glad marine ships were built fairly well, because that was a lot of metal and machinery.


    Not counting Wire and the others, a total of 34 criminals came aboard to set sail.


    According to Dice, there were about two dozen people that despite everything decided they did not want to go to sea, and would risk toughing it out on the island. And of course the leaders and their personal retinues weren''t consulted at all.


    So a little over half of the criminals were coming with him. A good haul. He couldn''t say he was disappointed with such a great group.


    Of course they couldn''t leave yet anyway. They had to paint over all the marine symbols on the ship. He was not going to set sail without openly displaying his piratehood. That would just be bad luck.


    That led to him standing on deck with his crew assembled around him, for that all important beginning. The painting of the jolly roger. The mood was festive, everyone had a drink in their hand, except for the woman doing the painting. Kaito couldn''t paint for shit, luckily one of the criminals had an artistic bent. She had tattoos of fruits on the vine going up her arms and was very¡­colorful. She had short hair, one side coloured green, the other side pink. Purple kohl makeup around her eyes and black lipstick. She definitely stood out in a crowd, despite  being barely 5 feet tall. Probably the reason why she had made herself so noticeable. Her name was Apple. It seemed the women weren''t as direct with their names as Wire and his ilk, as apple was one of the fruits that were not actually tattooed on her vines.


    Finally with her tongue sticking out of her mouth, she squinted at the flag for a few seconds, before giving him a thumbs up. "A masterpiece, I tell ya." She grinned, putting the paintbrush behind her ear, uncaring of the paint dripping down her back.


    It was a skull and crossbones, shown in relief in front of two red storm clouds - Akatsuki style. The skull had red tinted eyes and a more slanted sinister grin. Kaito had stolen this from another show and it probably wouldn''t be the last time. Not like anyone could sue him for copyright. "To the RED DAWN PIRATES!" He shouted, as he held up the finished flag for all to see.


    The crew cheered and the party went into full swing, taking advantage of being still docked at the island, so they could afford to use some supplies in abundance and then restock again before leaving.


    "Red Dawn, huh?" Yourichi asked contemplatively.


    "We''re the new dawn of pirates, we''ll dominate this new era and be on top of the world, the freest men and women alive. And well¡­ Any new dawn is going to come with a lot of bloodshed." Kaito explained his reasoning.


    "Not bad. I admit I thought you''d have something a lot dumber in mind."


    Kaito swung an arm around her shoulder. "Yourichi, how can you say that?" He pouted.


    She shrugged his arm off, giving him a deadpan stare. "I''ve met you."


    "My crew''s so mean to me." Kaito complained, while grinning widely. Yourichi rolled her pretty golden eyes at him and walked off to go bug Archer, presumably. Kaito decided that sounded good and followed along.


    He''d have to figure out a training plan soon for all his crew. They were fine for now in east blue. The grand line was a whole other thing. It would take more than physicality.


    £ª£ª£ª


    Back when he started his training, he''d always mixed up the mental and physical aspects of training. After a physical session, he''d blindfold himself and walk into the forest behind the village. This was for several reasons. It was training his senses, making him concentrate heavily on other senses than his eyes, and hopefully would one day in the future give him the leg up on observation haki.


    It was good balance training as he constantly would trip up and walk over uneven terrain, needing to constantly be light on his feet and hyper reactive to prevent himself from falling over. He refused to hold his arms out to feel his way. This was about his senses expanding, not dragging himself forward by feeling up trees.


    Thirdly was the mental aspect, training himself to ignore the pain, the exhaustion from training himself, and push forward not letting the state of his body win over his mind. Knowing that people like Zoro existed, able to survive being cut almost in half and be back fighting shortly after a quick patch up job. He would need the mental strength to just disregard pain and keep going and focus, slipping the pain into a corner of his brain and locking it up.


    He was failing at this quite spectacularly back then, but he''d known he had a decade at least to get better. He just would have to not give up, and by the time he was an adult he would be the kind of monster that could sail away and expect to survive doing whatever he wanted.


    His mother was very supportive, helping him plan meals, bandaging him up when needed, and coming and getting him on those days where he lost track of time. He honestly felt bad that as much of a help she was being and how supportive she was to him and his goal, he just didn''t feel anything for her.


    He had already lived a life, had a family and done that whole thing. She was simply... Useful. That''s it. Maybe if he had been forced to be stuck in a boring life he would have one day changed his mind. Knowing he''d just leave her to become basically a criminal he didn''t see the point. He hugged her when she wanted hugs, and took her fussing with minimal eye rolling. That''s as far as he bothered to go.


    The village took his training with some bemusement at first, but the longer it kept on and proved to be more than a child''s fancy, the more they reacted with pride. It was a small out of the way village. Having someone from there join the marines and stand out would be, in the villagers mind, a great boon.


    This was to his benefit as well, and he made sure to always be extra polite and helpful when out in the village. After all, his mother couldn''t afford everything he needed on her own. She was a simple widow making pottery to make ends meet.


    Soon enough extra food would be delivered to their little cottage by villagers, telling his mother to keep that little tyke strong. Rolls of bandages and ointments from the only doctor in the village, weights crafted by the blacksmith and so on.


    He gleefully took advantage, eating more calories a day then he would have in a week in his previous life. Food was life in many ways in One Piece.


    His body worked on one piece logic now. Wounds healed amazingly quickly, soreness and stiffness would be gone by a quick rest. Eat a good meal and most ailments settled. It meant he could keep training over long periods of time without bad effects.


    And so this continued. Until age 12 the first time he managed a half complete shave and flew head first into a tree.


    13 when he graduated from shave to moonwalk. And soon thereafter managed a weak tempest kick.


    By 18 he had the basics of all the six powers, although he remained the strongest in shave, moonwalk and tempest kick.


    He could have left. He was in East blue. A body conditioned enough to have even the bare bones of some of the six powers would have an easy time of it.


    He knew he had time however. He wasn''t interested in being a straw hat, but he did keep track of what time he was born in. Luffy wouldn''t begin his journey until he was already past his twenties.


    He had planned to be out and about at least two, maybe even three years ahead of him. If destiny existed, Luffy would still get his journey no matter what he did and how he would rock the boat.


    And if it doesn''t and he dies? Well he''s selfish. Luffy had his journey in the show, he''ll have his now and he doesn''t intend to subordinate himself to an idiot.


    The last two years he put everything he could into trying to tease out armament and observation haki. He cut down slightly on his regular physical training to join the fishing boats at sea, learning what he could about sailing and navigation from men that had been doing so for generations.


    It wouldn''t do him much good in the grand line, but until he had a decent navigator it would get him around. He had plans for that anyway¡­


    He really did intend to throw the whole script away. This was going to be his era.


    Observation ended up being a bust, he theorized that he''d need actual danger and battle for there to be any chances of awakening such a skill, no matter what he''d done to train his senses. Or at the very least other strong people training with him attacking him while he''s blindfolded.


    Some might have left ages ago and deemed themselves strong enough. He had seen the show however. He knew the dangers. It might make him very hard to defeat early on to have these advantages. But they didn''t mean much yet. Without those few seconds of armament he''d only be able to escape from any logia. Without the six powers, no matter how easy a sea east blue is, all he''d have to do is have bad luck and run into a marine captain on holiday from the grand line and he was dead.


    Go big or go home meant a lot more in a world where even the environment would actively try to kill you. Where giants and devil fruits existed hand in hand with cyborgs and super weapons.


    When he gathered a crew he''d have to take all these experiences and find a way to train them, not necessarily to be near his level, but to grand line standards¡­ And eventually the new world.


    £ª£ª£ª


    It was with this mindset, that he explained it to his two initial comrades in the mess hall, which is where they''d found Archer. Once they were away far enough from Whitewater island in their freshly stolen ship, they needed to train constantly.


    "Ugh, slave driver, I don''t even want to think about that right now, I just broke out of jail." Yoruichi complained with puffed out cheeks.


    "So you don''t want to learn how to moonwalk? Or how to feel attacks coming and avoiding them?" Kaito teased her.


    "Ugh, yes, yes, it''s very useful. But it''s the first day. Give my poor delicate heart some rest, captain!" She fluttered her eyelashes in a way that was so fake he couldn''t help but laugh in her face.


    Pouting, she turned to Archer before giving up before he even opened his mouth. "What am I doing? Of course you''re all for insane training."


    "Of course." Archer agreed immediately. "Although I''d suggest we have other priorities first."


    "True, we need to decide on everyone''s roles, so that everything is clear and ready for a fight." Kaito mused, an eager grin on his face.


    "Not exactly what I had in mind, but it is something that needs to be addressed, yes."


    "What do you have in mind then?" Yoruichi sat up properly to ask. She had never expected to become a pirate but Archer was here so it was going to be okay. At least it''s what she kept telling herself.


    "Having a proper meal after all this excitement." Archer said seriously. "While everyone else was partying, I whipped up something quick and dirty for us."


    "You''re a chef?"  Kaito asked, shocked.


    "You didn''t know? What? Did you recruit him just because he can punch people real hard?" Yourichi laughed. There is silence, "Oh come on, seriously. Fricking men." She huffed, although with an amused look on her face.


    "Lucky! The food is all in your hands, Archer the chef of the Red Dawn pirates!"  Kaito grinned, silently thinking that in a million years he would have never ever have guessed. The bloodlusting martial artist covered in tattoos didn''t exactly scream chef. And if he was to compare with Sanji, very, very different.


    "I suppose you''re an expert navigator?" He asked Yourichi, only half jokingly.


    She snorted, "Hardly, there''s a reason I was a captain, I was good at organizing, strategizing and planning, so giving orders was right up my alley. I can fight and I can help you plan shit, but don''t expect any navigating miracles or hidden medical skills."


    Kaito nodded along, resting his chin on his hand. "Alright, you''re the first mate then."


    Yoruichi blinked, baffled, then took a moment to rewind to make sure she heard that right. "Huh!?" She managed to get out eloquently.


    Kaito shrugged. "Your strong, smart, already have good planning and organizing experience and knowledge. A habit of giving orders, it would be stupid to not use it all. You''re first mate."


    "Uh, you met Archer first though?" Yoruichi switched gears. "And Wire is already a leader?" She tried.


    "Archer! Yoruichi is my first mate!" Kaito yelled out.


    A muted "Well, obviously." Came back from the kitchen, Archer having gone to fetch the food he''d made for them.


    "I have some knowledge of navigation, I''ll get us where we need to go until we find a navigator." Kaito promised, smirking at the still poleaxed look on his new first mate''s face.


    "Nothing makes sense in the world anymore." She groaned, flopping back on the chair again.


    "Well, not to be a monster but to get back to training, I think you specifically would do awesome with the six powers. As a zoan you have even more power and strength to lend the techniques."


    "Fine, but not today. Tomorrow. Give me one day to mourn the death of my sanity. We''d need to rotate anyway, if a third the crew is doing hardcore training, the other two needs to be light training or rest in case of a storm or if we''re attacked. The people sailing the ship having the ''rest'' while the other third does light training. It would ensure someone is always in top shape just in case. And give the people working their ass off enough time to recover before they go again." She looked thoughtful, tapping her lip with a long fingernail. "And at least one of us should always be on rest in case someone strong attacks."


    "See, already thinking like a first mate!"


    Yourichi sighed, "Don''t make me do all the thinking, captain."


    "Nah, I''ll just come up with the crazy ideas and then make you come up with last minute plans for how we''re going to survive it."


    "Gee¡­ Thanks a bunch." She responded sarcastically.


    "Alright settle down, this is something I whipped up quick and dirty to tide us over." Archer came out with several plates of food that would give Michelin star chefs orgasms, just by look and smell alone. Fuck you Sanji, I had an Archer. And he was way cooler too. And could fight women. Red Dawn pirates 1 Straw Hats 0.


    "This is quick and dirty?" Kaito said, drool coming down his chin. "Best recruit ever!"


    "Thank you for the food! It''s always the best!" Yourichi rushed out before stuffing her face with tears in her eyes. "Hahahaha, no marine rations ever again! I win, world, I win!" Yourichi yelled at the sky holding a flaky pork pastry to the sky.


    "This¡­ Was worth all the years of training, I can die happy now." Kaito cried, cheeks full to the brim a second later as he devoured the food in front of him.


    "I don''t even want to know what food you''re used to eating if my simplest fare gets this reaction¡­" Archer sweat dropped, before chopping Yoruichi on the head gently, "And you''ve eaten my food before, what''s with the reaction?"


    She puffed her cheeks out, "You try eating rations, and then ending up eating prison food for a few months. You''d cry for real food too!"


    "Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you about that Archer? How come you lost track of her, weren''t you on the same island? I mean you were the champion of the fighting ring?" Kaito asked curiously.


    Archer crossed his arms, sitting down next to Yourichi. "I wasn''t always on the island, I''d come spend a month or two beating up several people a day in the ring and hang out with Yoru after. Then I''d be off for another few months."


    Yoruichi loudly swallowed her food, almost choking on it. "I knew about the ring of course, had no reason to shut it down, kept the troublemakers in one easy location."


    "Then I return one day a few months back and no one can tell me where Yoru was, the marines were stonewalling me, so I was looking for opportunities to get in there and search for clues."


    "Fucking bastards, the lot of em." Yoruichi said, spearing a lobster viciously.


    "That reminds me¡­ Yourichi, were you a bad girl?" Kaito smirked, eyes glinting.


    Yoruichi eyed him weirdly plopping a lobster tail in her mouth. "Mwah?"


    "I remember Blandy saying, when she recruited me to save their boss, that the new commander wasn''t accepting the same bribes¡­ That the previous commander was..."


    Yourichi swallowed, "Yeah, alright." She admitted. "I took some bribes, it wasn''t hurting anyone. Having an agreement with them ensured nothing too bad was happening. In the end I really didn''t give a shit about their smuggling and thieving, illegal gambling and shit. Rather people lose their stuff and money then their lives."


    "Why the hell did you join the navy again?" Kaito chuckled.


    "I wanted adventure and good fights and fun comrades. "She whined, cheeks dusted red.


    "Same question." Kaito rebuts. While Archer chuckled at the petulant looking Yourichi.


    "Whatever, it''s done and over with. Hassle him instead." She pointed a fork over at Archer, before shoving an entire fish in her mouth stubbornly.


    "Gladly." Kaito agreed, turning in his chair towards Archer who just raised an eyebrow.


    "Why didn''t you take down the base yourself? You could have?" Kaito asked curiously, with no judgement.


    Archer scoffed, "I could have, and if I found no clues there, I''d be wanted and by myself with no clue where to look next and no way to interact with marines going forward. " He scratched his chin self consciously. " You''re lucky my battle lust took over or I might have really tried to kill you after you set the whole base off by smashing me through it."


    "You guys have been together for a while, huh?"


    "Hey, watch how you say that!" Yoruichi threatened with her fork, waving it ominously in front of Kaitos face.


    "Aye, I picked her up when she was just this little brat, no manners, just one big mouth." Archer grinned at her, "Not much has changed there."


    "Fuck you too, old timer." She said, rolling her eyes.


    "You realize as she''s the first mate she''s technically in charge of you now right?" Kaito pointed out, chuckling at the pure evil aura that radiated off the Panther zoan as she processed that information.


    "Yes, but I cook the food¡­." Archer retorted calmly.


    Yoruichi slumped slightly, pouting. "Good food or revenge, how can a girl choose?" She complained.


    "What about you, captain?" She asked after a pause, where they all enjoyed the rest of the amazing spread.


    "Hmm?"


    "What''s your life story?" Yourichi asked, Archer leaning in, interested as well.


    "Oh I realized I wanted to be the king of pirates when I was 5 and spent the rest of my time until now obsessively training for it."


    "That¡­ is the most boring life story I might have ever heard." Archer grumbled, as Yourichi snickered.


    "Fucking hell, I''ve signed us up with a child" a grumble came from behind them.


    "Is that the whining dulcet voice of Wire, I hear behind me?" Kaito called out without turning. Without warning he turned and flung one of the blistered tomatoes off his plate straight into the face of the man. "Who''s a child now, haha! Oh wait, it''s still me!" He laughed uproariously.


    Wire stopped dead in his tracks, the men and women behind him bursting out laughing. Blackjack jumping forward eagerly, yelling, "FOOD FIG-urk!" Before being violently pulled back by the back of his shirt by Wire.


    "Why the fuck am I the only adult onboard!" He swore, wiping tomato off his face. "And you!" He pointed at Kaito. "Act like a captain!"


    Kaito stood up, put one foot on his chair striking a regal pose. *As captain. I hereby order¡­ FOOD F-urk!" His order is interrupted as both Yoruichi and Archer grab him around the neck, pulling him down.


    "Alright I deserved that." He laughed, rubbing at his neck. "I''m just messing with you Wire, I''ll get serious when serious is needed, but there''s no need to act all aloof when it''s party time."


    "I''ll hold you to that." Wire grunted. Swearing as Apple gave him a kick to the shin. "For fucks sake, Apple, why?" He complained, sending her a death glare.


    "Stop being a bore, old man." She said, arms crossed. "This is a party. Get drunk already, you''re actually not an asshole that way."


    "First of all you''re a year older then me, so don''t fucking call me old-"


    He never got to second as Dice showed a beer under his nose and Wire stopped with a grunt, grabbing the beer, chugging it down and then yelling out. "Fucking fine! Do whatever you want!"


    "Food fight!" Blackjack shouted again jumping forward, and then immediately falling backwards, a cup having been bounced off his head. Everyone looked towards Archer who smiled, all teeth. "Anyone throwing any more food gets to learn how to eat without teeth!"


    "Pretty birdies¡­" Blackjack groaned from the floor. The crew just walked around him laughing.


    Duel ended up being the only one stopping, Kaito isn''t sure Blackjack was very appreciative however as she simply grabbed him by the hair and dragged him out of the way, dumping him against the wall.


    "Duel!" Kaito grinned, waving.


    "No." She said, walking by to go sit with Apple and the other women.


    Archer and Wire both started chuckling as Kaito turned to drown himself in beer. "Everyone''s so mean to the captain." He pouted. But he couldn''t stop himself from breaking out in a grin right after.


    This crew was already awesome after all!


    £ª£ª£ª


    The night was long, everyone partying until the early hours, almost anyway. Yourichi had decided to prove her first mate bonafides by setting up a night watch. Just because the civilians had steered far clear of them so far didn''t mean they wouldn''t take advantage if they thought they were all stone drunk or passed out.


    The randomly picked crew members stuck on night watch were initially not pleased, Yourichi joining them constrained any complaints, and when she rotated them out with the few members who hadn''t had too much to drink after a few hours, any complaints were quickly forgotten.


    Come morning time, Yoruichi, the cruel mistress of sadism, woke everyone up by slamming pans together and gathered them all on deck. Considering most had gotten no more than 2-3 hours sleep, this was not appreciated.


    "You can sleep when you''re dead!" Yourichi shouted, pushing a crew member forward into the throng. "We can''t keep slacking off, eventually those marine patrols will return here."


    There''s some general grumbling. Not too serious as everyone''s aware, party or not, a marine cannon ball wouldn''t care.


    Wire and Kaito flanked her. Both having been sensible enough to not get too shit faced, so they actually had a good few hours sleep.


    "We''ll be setting sail today. Once we''re safely out at sea, far enough away from the island, most of you can go catch a nap. We''ll switch off crew''s after a few hours to allow everyone to get some rest." Kaito called out. "Everyone needs to see Yoruichi and Wire for their assignments. No bullshit."


    The three of them had taken an hour or two during the early morning to write down a list of what most crew members were good at from as much as Wire knew about them. It was enough for Yoruichi and him to organize an ad hoc schedule for now.


    Once they were to sea and well rested they could get more personal with people, and find out what they wanted to do or invest time in to get better. And personalize it a bit more. It was better to have people in their places that enjoyed those jobs after all.


    Archer had already left with Duel and Tears and a few pack mules/crew members to resupply everything they''d used up during the party. As soon as they got back Kaito wanted to be ready to set sail.


    He idly tapped the railing as he stood and watched the crew surround Yourichi and Wire and get their assignments. Despite the initial grouchiness, everyone was upbeat now. Kaito wasn''t surprised, it would take a lot more than a few hours of missed sleep and hangovers to throw off people raised as criminals for most of their life. He had gotten parts of the story from Wire during the night. The tattoos and the names were originally a way to separate themselves from their pasts, usually as abused kids or orphans.


    Giving up your past life to usher in a new one. Eventually it was just policy for them to pick up lost brats and save abused ones and bring them into the fold as new recruits. Although he still found it odd that the people running it were able to stay that separated from them and still manage to stay in charge. He''d have to ask Wire someday because from everything he''s seen, he''d easily been able to take over if he tried.


    Sensibly, all the kids they currently had would be staying on the island, raised by those staying behind and elder criminals who retired, staying under the radar until it was time to get their tattoos. Except for Blackjack who was the youngest in their organizations history to earn his name.


    "Before everyone rushes off." Kaito called out, having remembered something he probably should make clear sooner rather than later.


    Everyone''s attention turned to him. "I want to make it clear. We''re pirates. But we aren''t monsters. We''ll put up some rules later, but for now I''ll just order you right here and now." He let his presence come to the fore slightly, a feeling like killing intent suffusing the ship. "There will be no raping. No killing of civilians other than self defense. No burning towns down. At all. I see that shit, I''ll kill you myself!"


    He let that hang in the air for a few seconds. "We''ll steal their treasure, fight other pirates, criminals and the navy. Hell, I got no problem with stealing and looting our supplies from civilians, as long as they''re rich enough to not starve for it, but we do not murder our way indiscriminately across the oceans!"


    "Anyone got a problem with that, tell me now¡­"


    "You keep saying shit like that I might actually be proud to serve under you one day." Yourichi quipped, breaking the tension as some of the crew laughed. Notably no one complained and if anything most of them looked relieved.


    "Alright back to it you lazy bums." Kaito called, laughing. He turned around, trying to hold back some tears. I was so cool right now!


    "I can tell what''s on your face right now. It''s pissing me off, be serious." Wire shouted.


    "Fuck you Wire, my backs turned motherfucker!"


    "Jokes on you, my mother was fucking hot." Wire sniffed. Pausing as everyone waiting for assignments gave him a weird look. "What?"


    Dice snickered, "That''s not usually the response one has to that kind of slur, Wire."


    "Everyone''s weirded out." Apple said with a smirk from behind him.


    "What do you all know, you''re all orphans." Wire sneered.


    "That hits me right here." Apple mocked, holding her hands to her heart. "Maybe just give me my assignment already."


    "Paint the jolly roger on the fucking main sail, if your not too hungover to get your pretty little ass up there."


    "It''s nice to know you''re watching my ass, but I''m not into the mother and son kink, Wire." Apple said smartly before walking off to get her paint supplies, while everyone around them broke out in laughter and hoots.


    "Ah man, this is fucking awesome." Kaito chuckled, leaning over the railing, eagerly taking in the camaraderie.


    He spent the rest of the morning just standing there enjoying the atmosphere as Apple swung from ropes, painting the mainsail, and everyone scurried around underneath her to prepare to set sail.


    By the time Archer and the others could be seen making their way back, everything was ready.


    "Where to Captain." Yoruichi asked, coming to stand next to him.


    Kaito sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.


    "I''m not going to like this am I?" Yoruichi groaned.


    "Well, I don''t remember the name of the island I want to get near¡­ It had a dojo on it¡­ that''s about it.  Oh and also probably not too far from the Goa kingdom."  After all, right now a certain swordsman of the three swords style was just there for the picking.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "It has a dojo on it¡­." Yoruichi sighed. "Fine, we''ll set sail towards Goa and ask around on any islands nearby. You''ll have to navigate through, because no one other than you and Archer really know enough, and he''s the chef so no way am I skipping on food to let you laze around!"


    "Fair enough. Oh and when we''re asking around anyway, instruct our crew to ask for a green haired swordsman with three swords¡­" Kaito grinned as the ship started moving out of the port. He cocked his head, his grin widening, "Also have them ask around for an orange haired woman, going by Nami, brown eyes, uses a staff."  After all she''d be operating in that general area too. And he was, after all, a greedy pirate.


    In two years he''d find out if destiny was real. When Monkey D Luffy would set out. Would he find another swordsman looking to be the world''s greatest, another world class navigator¡­ if so, destiny was being followed, if not, he''d likely die soon enough, and then he wouldn''t be Kaito''s problem anyway.


    £ª£ª£ª


    After two days of sailing where Kaito mostly let things be and allowed everyone to settle into it and get comfortable on the ship, he called a meeting to discuss the plans of the future.


    It was held in the captain''s quarters and involved Archer, Yourichi, Wire and Duel.


    "Alright first things first. The dream here, and my plan, is for us all to become so strong we either outright win it all and find One Piece. Or at the very least become an emperor, ruling part of the new world." Kaito began to explain. "We''ll be heading for the grand line soon, I''m planning to find 1-2 more exceptional crew members, and maybe track down a devil fruit that''s around the area if we get the chance, before heading for Loguetown."


    "Big. Brass. Ones." Duel slowly breathed out, while everyone else processed that.


    Kaito winked at her, "You like? Offer is there anytime!"


    Wire grabbed her wrist suddenly, as she started to make a motion. "Duel, no murdering our Captain the first week."


    "Next. Week?" She asked glaring at Kaito. Who only noted down that her eyes were really pretty when they were glaring at him.


    Wire seemed to think it over. "I don''t know yet. Ask me again next week."


    "Why exactly are you trying to piss off the lady with the most firepower on the crew?" Yourichi asked, exasperated.


    Kaito shrugged, "I decided to live as free as can be. So I do what I want when I want it. If it gets me killed then it does. I won''t apologize for it, it''s how I want to live. I am who I am."


    The others exchanged silent looks, seemingly taken aback.


    Archer broke the silence. "I can respect that outlook on life. Certainly explains why you''re shooting so high."


    "Little bit too fucking high in my opinion." Wire said, his tattooed face scrunching up in distaste. "No way we''re ready for a thing like that."


    Kaito shook his head, "We wouldn''t be going into the new world now, we''d have to get plenty stronger first, but for the first stretch of the grand line, yeah we''re almost ready."


    "Well you''re the captain so we''ll follow." Yoruichi stated, simply getting a tsk sound from Wire. She glared him down, golden eyes flaring until he nodded reluctantly.  "That can''t be all you''ve got to say though¡­"


    "No you''re right." Kaito acknowledged, "It''s time we figure out the basis of our crew. I need to set up training to make us all stronger, but it would be pointless to train someone in something for which they have no affinity." He turned to Wire. "Wire, I need you to get your thick skull together with Yoruichi, and let her know which of the crew have an affinity for what when it comes to fighting and otherwise."


    "How do you want it done?" Wire asked, materializing a pen and paper out of the blue.


    "Anyone that is skilled with a firearm above anything else goes into one group to be taught by Duel for example. People with an affinity for bladed weapons, we''ll soon have someone for that if things go as planned, for the brawlers it''s me and Archer, he can help those with martial arts leaning, and I can get them physically tougher." Kaito explained. Everyone was paying rapt attention. "I don''t want to shuffle everyone into large groups either. I''m sure you also have some that are best at being sneaky and subtle, people that can get information and secrets when we hit islands, or sabotage enemies. I''d rather have that furthered and be of use as a group, then have them all folded into swords, guns or brawling."


    "So basically you''re talking about saboteurs and spies for one group, then bladed weapons, hand to hand, and firearms." Wire recapped, writing furiously, putting down names in each group as he wrote.


    "Those that prefer blunt weapons you can fold into blades as well, there isn''t too much difference from swinging a club or staff around."


    Yourichi snickered, "You try and tell that to a swordsman, I dare you!"


    "There''s more to it than just streamlining training I''m gathering?" Archer interjected before anyone took Yoruichi''s bait. She pouted at him.


    "Yes, most crews are fairly standard, which means there isn''t much difference in their fighting capability. Now imagine we''re throwing down with the navy, we have a firearms team sniping down their officers and gunmen, a saboteur team either sneaking aboard to rob them witless, assassinating their officers or even swimming underneath to sabotage their ship. A fighting team keeping the mass of men focused on them, while blademen flit in and out taking down clusters of enemies." Kaito explained his thoughts. "Even when we have shore leave I''d want it to be in groups of 4 with one each in it, to cover all angles and give the group a better chance of getting out of any dicey situations."


    "You''ve really thought this through. I can''t say I would have come up with the same." Yourichi admitted, looking impressed.


    Duel nodded as well, and both Wire and Archer looked thoughtful.


    "And it doesn''t stop at just fighting capability, everyone needs a secondary utility." Kaito continued.


    "Makes sense." Yoruichi agreed, sweat dropping slightly as she saw the uncomprehending looks of her companions. "Oh come on, even you Archer!?"


    Archer grinned, "I don''t need to think too hard Yoru, that''s what I have you for."


    Yoruichi blushed slightly, failing to hide a pleased upturn of her lips. "Whatever you big lug, I''ll explain it. It''s like you''re the chef right? But not only could you get injured, but the larger crew we get, the harder time you''ll have to feed us all. Something which would be easier if a couple crew men were your assistants."


    Kaito picks up where she left off. "Essentially yes, for another example, I know we don''t have any shipwright''s right now, but Dice is apparently from what I''ve heard a pretty good carpenter, and of course Duel could probably lend a pretty good hand in it too, so at least a few crew men should train under them to be able to do those jobs when needed."


    Wire nodded, getting the point. "And there should be some that either have a little training or want to learn navigation or medicine who would then learn under someone for that, and be able to fill in at least to an extent, good for when we need someone on duty 24/7."


    "Exactly, and that''s what you need to do when putting together the list of who goes where for training. Talk to them and figure out where they go for secondary duties. Even if they have no particular skill but are eager to learn."


    "Mechanic." Duel said, thumping her chest. Kaitos eyes instantly zeroed in.


    Wire rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah I know, send some grease monkeys your way."


    "Speaking of mechanics." Kaito said, eyes still following the slight jiggling. "Duel, start drawing up plans to improve a ship similar to this one, but bigger in size. I mean anything that can help in weaponry, in ease of shifting supplies, gadgets or things to help us move faster. I''m willing to listen to it all."


    Duel literally got stars in her eyes and leaned forward. "Promise?" She breathed out.


    "Make it badass!" Kaito grinned, mesmerized as he saw the girl smile an honest smile, not a smirk, or an evil grin, and wow it should really be illegal to be so pretty. He shook his head, there''s a limit to how creepy he can be. Or at least probably should be.


    "So we''re not staying with this ship then?" Archer asked.


    "Nah, by the time we hit Loguetown we''ll steal one of their battleships, it''s right by the grand line, their bottom hull should be sea stone lined."


    "That''s not guaranteed, east blue isn''t exactly a priority." Yoruichi warned.


    "Then we''ll hit a marine base in the grand line." Kaito shrugged.


    Wire chuckled, "You say that so fucking casually, you prick."


    "It should be a good fight." Archer grinned. Yoruichi punched his arm and then yelped, not expecting Archer to punch back, tossing her onto the floor.


    She puffed up her cheeks, her hair falling over her face. "You''re not supposed to hit back!"


    Archer grinned, "Since when?" Then winced as he received a punch on each arm, one from Kaito and the other from Duel. "Why?" He asked curious, not hurt at all from such minor tickles.


    "Solidarity." Duel huffed, reaching a hand out to help Yoruichi to her feet.


    "Cause it was funny." Kaito answered cheekily.


    "Oh Duel you''re the best!" Yoruichi said, grabbing onto her hand, "I should drop men for women, what do you say?" She is unceremoniously dropped back on her ass as Duel lets go of her hand.


    The others burst out laughing as Duel sniffed, "Not. interested."


    Yoruichi laughed from the ground, "Oh well, my heart''s broken now."


    "Anything anyone feels needs to be brought up for now?" Kaito asked, as Yoruichi got back in her seat, hair all puffed up, he''d say cat like but he didn''t want to get his eyes clawed out.


    "Yeah, why the fuck are we looking for this Nami and 3 swords guy exactly?" Wire asked disgruntledly. "We could be doing way more productive things, like raid a few smuggling chain depots I know about."


    Kaito smirked, "Nami has the potential to be the world''s best navigator, she''s already exceptional. And Zoro, that''s the 3 swords guy by the way, has the will and discipline to be the best swordsman in the world."


    Wire looked impressed and even Archer and Yoruichi seemed excited at such an addition. Duel however wrinkled her nose in thought, before fixing him with a penetrating stare. "How?"


    Kaito, not yet used to her few words, cocked his head sideways, "Huh?"


    "She means how the fuck do you know that? And now that she says it, fuck! How do you know that? Like what the fuck?" Wire, having known Duel for ages, had no problem understanding what she was asking.


    "Yeah¡­Didn''t you say you were just stuck in your home village this entire time training?" Yoruichi pondered out loud, she then snapped her fingers pointing at Kaito, golden eyes accusing." And you somehow knew my name and even guessed my devil fruit minutes after meeting me!"


    "This all has a very simple explanation." Kaito said calmly.


    "Devil fruit?" Archer guessed quietly.


    "Huh, yeah guess that could make sense, somehow." Yoruichi agreed.


    "Fucking great, another one that can''t swim¡­"


    "Interesting."


    Kaito laughed, "Nope! I haven''t got any kind of devil fruit!"


    There''s silence for a minute. "Well?" Yoruichi snapped, when the silence became overbearing.


    "What?" Kaito asked, grinning.


    Her eyebrows twitched, she glared at him. "Weren''t you going to explain how you know these things?"


    "No, I said it had a simple explanation." Kaito''s grin widened. Trolling really was better than sex sometimes¡­


    "That would lead to the presumption that an explanation was forthcoming." Archer said calmly.


    "Nah, I think it''s better this way. Keep the mystery."


    "We don''t agree!" Wire and Yoruichi roared, as Archer started chuckling and Duel rolled her eyes, getting up to leave.


    "Duel!" Yoruichi whined.


    "Don''t. Care. Enough." The mechanic shrugged, and walked out the door, not interested enough in an answer to push.


    Wire huffed, "Well can''t say I''m surprised. It was a miracle she stayed this long anyway, since it wasn''t a party or about her work anymore."


    "Everyone is against me!" Yoruichi complained as Archer patted her on the shoulder and, still chuckling, walked out, correctly assuming the meeting had run its course.


    "What''s this everyone, I fucking agreed with you." Wire complained, he pointed at Kaito, "Whatever! You''re the Captain so do what you want, but if it bites us in the ass, I''ll fucking sick Duel on you bastard!"


    Kaito smirked, "Not gonna fight me yourself huh?"


    Wire scoffed, "Please! I''m man enough to admit that woman is a hell of a lot scarier than me." And on that note he walked out, quietly swearing to himself.


    "Want to complain some more?" Kaito asked Yoruichi, who''s still slumped in her chair.


    "I still want to know, but I guess the others are right that it doesn''t really matter for now." Yoruichi admitted, "As first mate I will bring this up again if it fucks shit up¡­" She finished sternly, wagging a finger at him.


    Kaito just smiled as the annoyed zoan stalked out of his quarters slash office. It''s a good sign that despite no one being quite loyal to him personally yet, it being too early for that. They were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He didn''t plan to actually ever tell them about how he knows some things.


    For one his knowledge is very limited and he''s forgotten most details, except for those that had kept his interest. So it was in many ways useless to share his otherworldly knowledge. The other reason was that it could only hurt him. How do you explain you know the future but only these tiny bits. His crew, every time they''d hit a bump in the road, would question why he didn''t tell them. No, there was no benefit in sharing that.


    He''d just take advantage when he could and that would be it. Enjoy his adventure.


    £ª£ª£ª


    "Yoru! Run!" Gunfire, smoke, blinding explosions, the house in front of her collapsed. She fell on her knees, golden eyes unfocused, ringing in her ears. She''s suddenly picked up, tossed over a shoulder, they''re running. She looked back, eyes still not able to focus as people keep falling like puppets who''s strings got cut. She started laughing, a hysterical laugh, snot and tears falling. It would almost be funny looking if it wasn''t granny Elly falling down eyes blank, the boy that always gave her candy at the grocery store, eyes staring at her, no smile on his face now, most of his jaw missing.


    BOOM! She flew through the air, no control of her body, like a ragdoll she hit the ground rolling out of control, getting cut up on gravel and finally coming to stop against an upturned wagon. The ringing in her ears was so loud, she had a hard time concentrating, she raised her head with difficulty, seeing the gory remains of whoever had picked her up. Her lip trembled, those¡­Those were her dad''s cufflinks, the ones he were so proud of¡­ Attached to just an arm, laying there on the ground. She vomits, crying uncontrollably, laying down in her own vomit, waiting to die. "Mom¡­.Dad¡­" A low keening noise is all she managed.


    Suddenly a shadow above her. Her eyes squinted, she felt a measure of relief. Is it finally her turn. She accepted death with a smile, please make it quick, she thought. The large tattooed arm reaching for her. Except he picked her up gently instead, She can''t understand. Why is she not being killed? She screamed and cried and punched the large man, not able to hear his words due to the ringing in her ears.  "No, take me back! Let me die! MOM! DAD! Let me die with them!"


    The tattooed man seemed to glide away as she screamed at him, her burning home town in the background, her ears popping just in time to hear that laugh¡­ that demon that had come and changed everything. That wide grin, that laugh¡­ Despite the ringing she could somehow still hear that laugh¡­


    £ª£ª£ª


    Yoruichi sat up with a gasp, golden eyes wide and unseeing, her face covered in sweat, heart beating wildly. She stumbled out of bed, blindly scrambling out of the women''s quarters, hand on the wall to lead her way. She made it to the deck, but no further, before vomiting, falling to her knees.


    She slammed a fist down on the deck, tears in her eyes, eyes focusing now, her mind coming back to herself.


    She had no idea how long she sat there on her knees breathing heavily, she couldn''t stop a quick quiet sob when she felt a hand ruffle her hair, before a large body knelt down next to her and took her in his arms.


    "It''s been awhile¡­The dreams again?" Archer rumbled quietly.


    Yoruichi wiped her eyes surreptitiously, "Yeah¡­"


    "I figured it was coming, told the night watch to wake me immediately if you were up suddenly at night, don''t worry, they didn''t see much." Archer explained, still holding her tightly to him, her heart rate slowly slowing down, her body knowing it''s safe. Used to this routine from way back. Too many nights, years of waking screaming.


    "How did you guess?" She rasped out, feeling so raw, and hollowed out. She thought she was passed this now.


    "You just had another traumatic experience, I figured it would dig up old wounds sooner or later." He said quietly, he sighed, resting his chin on her head. "I''m sorry I was late." He apologized.


    She laughed wetly, ducking her head. "You warned me not to join the navy, you were actually very insistent, I just stubbornly wanted to go my own way. And look how it turned out!"


    "Made you into a strong, beautiful and independent woman, just a slightly less ideal last few months of your service, and now it''s brought up things that you haven''t dealt with in years¡­" Archer''s arm crushed her harder against him.


    "It''s okay, I can deal, I know it''s back now, I can keep a hold of it." Yoruichi mumbled.


    "Silly girl, I don''t want you to just keep a hold, you deserve to be free from your past." Archer said sadly, quietly, Yoruichi could feel new wetness on the top of her head.


    "I''ll never not be that girl." She said quietly. They just sit there together, knowing soon enough they will need to pull together and be competent, the past having to be put aside, but never forgotten. Sitting there under the stars just sharing companionship, chasing away the dark thoughts for at least a little while. They could pretend the world wasn''t cruel, just for a minute.


    By the time the night watch dared to come back out no one else was on deck and any mess had disappeared. They never mentioned a word to the others.


    £ª£ª£ª


    What the manga and show had failed to showcase was how big the world really was. Expected, since it was mostly ocean, Kaito had been very surprised when he first started learning some navigation and looking at maps to find out how long travel time was.


    They were currently aiming to sail to an island near Goa, not too close, a few islands away. He didn''t want to risk running into Garp or something insane like that after all. From Whitewater - that was a month''s journey.


    Of course there were islands in-between, otherwise no one would be able to keep supplied. For example, from Whitewater to Loguetown was 2 months of sailing. They''d cut down some on that by sailing to the islands around Goa but not by more than a few days.


    It did give more room for training, and it only took two days for Kaito to decide that as good as the plan had been, it needed adjustments.


    With how hardy people were, and how quick they bounced back from just a good meal or a nap, it was a waste to only train one third of the crew a day. Instead Kaito switched it to everyone doing some reps for an hour or two a day, one third would continue and train their body for the day, one third would be focused on the sailing and maintenance of the ship and the last third would be training in their specialization.


    He''d not been pushing as hard as he could, these people were, while fit. Still not too big a step over civilians when it came to physicality. He didn''t want a mutiny after all. With months ahead of training however they''d be ready for the grand line. Even if all of them, sans Duel, were basically mooks right now.


    He''d kept in place keeping one of the big three on a rest day at all times to ensure someone strong was always 100 percent fighting fit. Today was his rest day. They were 13 days into the journey.


    He had just been studying maps in his quarters when he heard the bell ringing signaling that a ship was in sight. He quickly ran up to the deck joining what the crew were starting to refer to as the officers. Yoruichi, Archer, Wire and Duel.


    Yoruichi sent off the crew member reporting to her and turned to the rest of them. "It''s definitely a pirate ship, they''re too far away to tell who right now, but they''re heading in our direction." She frowned, "It''s odd, Cloud swore it looked like a circus tent, although he wasn''t able to pick out many details yet, it''s very brightly painted. It makes me think it could be the Buggy pirates."


    "We''ll find out soon enough, have everyone ready for battle, if they spot a red nosed jolly roger it''s definitely Buggy." Kaito grinned and rubbed his hands together. How nice for one of his targets to come attack him.


    Yoruichi made to leave and ensure preparations were made when a hand on her shoulder stopped her. "Make sure everyone knows to take a swordsman on a unicycle and a man fighting with a lion and hair shaped like cat ears alive."


    She rolled her eyes, "More mystery, super." Before hitting the bottom deck, starting to yell orders to the scrambling crew.


    He turned to the others, "Duel, as soon as they''re close enough if you got anything to take down their mast so they can''t get away, use it."


    She smirked and abruptly turned around, practically skipping away. The three men stared after her feeling slightly weirded out.


    "That means I do by the way." Wire drawled out once they refocused."


    "You two will have the job to protect the crew and the ship, Archer can I count on you to punch out any cannonball fire we might take? And step in if a crew member looks to be in trouble? And Wire get together with Dice and Tears and you guys step in wherever you are needed."


    Archer nodded, looking displeased. Wire, having received his marching orders, took off to get a good position to be able to jump in and help where needed to defend the ship. Shouting for his two best friends to get their lazy asses hopping now, for fucks sake!


    "I know you want to have a good fight, Buggy however is a slippery weasel and not really worth the fight, I need him though, which is why I''m going after him Captain to Captain." Kaito explained. "Honestly no one on that crew would even give us a decent fight, so defense really is your best post."


    Archer looked slightly mollified and gave a sloppy salute. "The ship will be safe!" Before slowly ambling away to a good position.


    The air filled with anticipation as the other pirate vessel drew closer, soon enough they could confirm it was the Buggy pirates jolly roger, making out the various circus themed modifications to their ship. Unlike their ship which was mostly silent, just waiting to sink their teeth in, the other ship is full of cheers and shouts. "Buggy must be holding a speech." Kaito remarked amusedly, waiting by the wheel.


    "Then you should too." Yoruichi decided, having finished organizing the ship, now waiting with Kaito for the Big top to be close enough that she can make sure Buggy''s officers are captured. She stepped forward and yelled out, "Listen up! The captain''s going to say some words!''


    Kaito stepped up and grinned, giving his crew a thumbs up. "Don''t die!"


    Yourichi facepalmed, "More words¡­" She hissed out between clenched teeth.


    Kaito thought it over. "Alright then, since Yoruichi is being such a pussy, new crew motto!" He dodged a sideswipe from an annoyed Yoruichi and jumped onto the railing raising an arm to the sky. "TODAY IS A GOOD DAY FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO DIE!"


    The crew raised their weapons to the sky cheering. The big top coming clearer into view, the ship already firing, but it hits only the sea, dozens of feet short.


    "Shooting their wad early aren''t they?" Apple joked, one of the crew tasked to man the wheel and keep the ship steady. Having trained on it for the past week.


    There was a sudden lull in sound, Kaito looked down and saw Duel coming out of the hold, wearing just shorts, a sports bra, and 5 criss-crossing ammo belts with what looked like small artillery shells! And tugging the big ass gun he''d laid eyes on back at the fight ring. "I can''t decide if that is terrifying or hot." He murmured. He noticed she had left a pile of even more weapons nearby.


    "Hot for sure!" Apple grinned. Yoruichi groaned, "Don''t encourage him. And she better not blow us up by firing that thing."


    "She only blows what she means to." Apple giggled.


    Everyone on the ship was staring as Duel took position at the side of the ship facing the incoming Big Top. She clicked a button, the back of her gun? Bazooka? Artillery piece? Slid open, and she deftly slid a shell in.


    Everyone held their breath as she took aim and fired just seconds after, supremely confident. The blast rent the air, a shockwave erupting, making the ship bob in the water, throwing some people off their feet.


    "Fucking hell." Kaito muttered, eyes shining, taking in the destruction, the buggy pirates mast had disintegrated from point of impact, at least half the mast didn''t exist anymore, and the blast had ripped apart most of the big tops deck throwing dozens of men either overboard or down into the hold, at various states of alive or dead.


    "Uh, Apple, I think you''ll have to move us towards them so we can finish this¡­ I don''t think they''ll even make it to us now.". Yoruichi said, shocked.


    Kaito suddenly shaved away, surprising the two women, who looked around, finding him with a hand on Duels gun. "She wasn''t!?" Yoruichi gasped, seeing another shell in the Gunners hand.


    Duel looked away from Kaito, biting her lip, before getting in his face. "Just. One. More?" She asked with sudden puppy dog eyes.


    Duel uses puppy dog eyes while half naked, it''s super effective! Kaito thought whimsically as his hand was slipping off the gun even as he realized. "No..?" He said, putting his hand back, not sounding remotely authoritative.


    "Kiss...For...Boom?" Duel offered with a slight whine to her raspy voice. Her eyes were shining.


    "Hell yea-" Kaito started, before taking a foot to the head. "What gives?" He shouted, turning around, seeing an unimpressed looking Yoruichi glaring at him.


    He turned back to Duel to tell her to blow the ship sky high, to see her being led away while pouting, as apparently several crew members tag teamed the job of convincing the woman there really wasn''t any fun in shooting a sitting duck.


    The crew relaxed in general as they waited for Apple to slowly turn the ship towards the Big Top, the ship barely going to be a threat now with so much damage and casualties.


    "I can''t decide which one of you is more brain damaged." Yoruichi muttered.


    "You." Kaito complained, "Have you seen her!? A kiss was totally worth it!"


    "As first mate, I''ll remind you¡­ You wanted Buggy and his officers alive¡­ And magnanimously not remind you by ripping your nuts off for thinking with your dick!"


    "I guess¡­" Kaito pouted. Only half joking around, because he''d still probably take that trade.


    Within minutes they were within range and Kaito and Yoruichi jumped over the head of the enraged Buggy pirates climbing onboard their ship, to zero in on their targets.


    Kaito had no problem finding Buggy, he was at the very back of all his men, head flying off his neck, he was shouting so loudly about flashily executing all of them.


    "My what a big red nose you have!" Kaito yelled out, landing in front of the clown after stepping on several of his crew mates'' heads to get there.


    The Buggy pirates all shrieked in fear, except for the ones attempting to board Kaito''s ship, they were too busy dying or being knocked into the ocean.


    "I''ll flashily kill you!" Buggy yelled, eyes almost popping in rage from the damage done, and the insult. He flew forward several daggers held in his hands.


    With Yoruichi.


    "I thought he was kidding¡­. You really are on a unicycle¡­. And you look absolutely ridiculous." She stated flatly, standing in front of Mohji, Richie and Cabaji, the officers of the Buggy pirates.


    "Woman, you''ll regret messing with the Buggy pirates!" Cabaji threatened menacingly. Flashing his sword.


    "Yeah, you see¡­ You say something like that¡­ Yet you''re still on a unicycle." Yoruichi responded. "I kind of can''t take you seriously."


    "Enough of the insults!" Cabaji yelled, rushing forward. On his unicycle.


    Yoruichi grimaced, not even bothering to use her devil fruit as she sidestepped the sword strike and grabbed the idiot''s head, slamming it down on the deck. She can''t even be proud of a fight like this.


    "Y-you will r-regret-" Cabaji tried and Yoruichi started slamming his head down over and over again until he stopped making noise.


    She sighed as she looked over at the other officer. "I''m not sure I really like the fact you just stood by and let your crew member get his face smashed in. No matter how stupid your guy''s gimmick is."


    "Cabaji got too confident. Richie will show you who''s really the strongest on Captain Buggy''s crew." Mohji said smirking, "Go Richie!"


    Yoruichi took a step forward, transforming, smirking with sharp canines, giving the lion an animalistic leer. "Boo!"


    The lion backpedaled and suddenly jumped in the ocean, paddling away as Mohji stared after him in shock. "What!? Richie! Come back!"


    "Show me what you got!" Yourichi leered at the first mate of the Buggy pirates who promptly fainted, falling to the deck with a loud thud.


    Yourichi blinked, she slowly transformed back. As she went to grab the two unconscious forms she muttered to herself. "I can never talk about this fight. Ever."


    With Wire and co.


    "Keep your guard up." Wire yelled at a crew mate, having garroted the Buggy pirate trying to stab him in the back. He kicked the body away and quickly fell back into position in the throng of the action, standing in a triangle with Dice and Tears, Blackjack protected behind their backs, in the middle, throwing daggers at any advancing buggy pirate, making it easy pickings for the men to take care of them. So far none of them had taken an injury.


    "Take that motherfucker!" Blackjack cheered as he took another clown themed pirate in the eye.


    "Stop fucking swearing you little shit, dunno where you get this fucking habit from." Wire complained, slashing out with a wire tied into a loop at the end, getting a Buggy pirate caught around the arm, tightening the loop with a twist of force and pulling the stumbling pirate close, where Tears turned around and stabbed him in the neck, before just as easily moving back into position.


    "Yes, mate, I wonder who ever taught him how to curse," he laughed freely.


    Dice tossed aside a Buggy pirate with a broken neck, taking a step back as two advance on him with swords, letting Wire and Tears briefly launch out a wire and a dagger their way, Blackjack pitching in with a perfectly thrown projectile nailing one pirate in the throat, leaving Dice to pummel the now lone pirate out of position after ducking his friends attacks. "This is just like back home when we used to have those street fights¡­Just more sharp pointy things." He called out.


    They''re interrupted as their side of the fight is entirely cleared in a fwoosh sound as Duel lets loose.


    "Did anyone know Duel had a flame thrower?" Wire yelled out, seeing that the fighting had pretty much stopped on their ship, he was pleased to see that although there looked to be some injuries, everyone was on their feet. "And If you did, fuck you for not telling me!"


    "I knew!" Blackjack said smugly.


    "Why the fuck didn''t you tell someone for? It''s everyone''s job to keep an eye on Duel and make sure she doesn''t build anything that will kill us all!" Wire smacked the kid over the head really not happy with a fucking flame thrower¡­ On their wooden fucking ship¡­


    "She gave me candy." Blackjack shrugged as if that''s it. "And then she smiled at me and patted me on the cheek."


    "Tch," Wire scoffed, turning away knowing Duel was so popular practically anyone in the crew would have done the same.


    "Start stripping these guys of weapons, anything good, keep it for our stores, especially save any ammo. Any shit we can''t even sell off, dump it in the sea." He yelled instead of trying to tell the kid off. "And Duel! You fucking roasted those guys, so you clean it up!" He roared pointing at the mass of barbecued men.


    Duel looked at her flamethrower contemplatively, as if wondering if she could completely burn them away.


    "No! Fuck no! No more fire! Pick those motherfuckers up and throw them overboard you crazy woman!" Wire yelled, turning red.


    "We''ll help, before Wire has a coronary." Dice chuckled.


    Tears slapped the fuming man on the back. "Mate, relax, Duel is always like this, don''t let it bother ya." He grinned, "Just make it the Captain''s problem from now on!"


    "No, I''ll make it Yoruichis, that fool will let her do whatever she wants if she so much as smiles at him." Wire said, shoulders loosening a bit. "Thanks, Tears."


    "Anytime mate."


    Kaito and Buggy.


    Kaito grinned eagerly as Buggy flew towards him, this was a former Roger pirate, albeit a cowardly one that had never amounted to his potential. This was going to be so much better than that fool fight he had with Luffy with tickles and nutshots.


    He met the clown in the air dodging the flying fists and smashing him right on that ridiculous nose giving it all he got without utilizing armament.


    Buggy''s head rocketed away, slamming into the door to the galley.


    "How do you like that red nose!" He taunted.


    There were no flashy comebacks. No ranting. Kaito stared, slack jawed. The bastard was knocked out. With one punch. What the hell. He''d never be able to even tell anyone this story, this was just too pathetic. "What the fuck Buggy!" He moaned, embarrassed, idly he noted the body parts melding back together again with the clown out of it. At least the Buggy pirates got so scared of his rage when he called out his big nose they all joined the fight on the other ship, maybe no one saw this pathetic fight.


    He spent a few minutes just staring at the unconscious clown, hearing the noise settle, indicating the fight over at his ship was done.


    He turned around when he heard bodies being dragged to find Yoruichi carelessly dragging Cabaji and Mohji by their legs.


    "How was your fight?"


    Yoruichi lips twitched. "Epic." She eyed the clown, "Yours?"


    "Unforgettable." He answered dryly, bending to pick up Buggy and drag him to the ship.


    The rest of the crew was in the process of dumping bodies overboard when they got back. Kaito saw Cloud among the group and waved him over.


    "What''s up captain!" The gangly, effeminate man called out, he had a bandage around his arm, one of the few injuries Kaito could see, looking around.


    "Find Wire and tell him to organize looting every nail off that ugly ass ship." He ordered, "Then find Duel and have her meet me in the brig, tell her to bring her meanest stuff."


    Cloud runs off to get started as Kaito turned to Yoruichi, "Help me drop these shitheads in the brig then go see Archer and Apple, as soon as we''ve looted everything off that trash, sink it and sail us a few miles away, set anchor and use whatever supplies they had to throw a party to celebrate our first win."


    "Do I want to know what you''ll be doing?" She asked, as they dragged their burdens across the deck and down the stairs heading towards the brig.


    "I''ll be asking some questions." Kaito said innocently.


    "With Duel there." Yoruichi snorted. "Whatever, it''s not like I care, just don''t get so distracted by Duel that you''ll forget to do what you''re supposed to."


    "Hey¡­That''s¡­Not? Going to happen." Kaito defended himself.


    "I will judge you really hard if these pathetic losers pull one over on you because you were thinking with the wrong head." She smirked as she tossed Cabaji and Mohji into a cell.


    Kaito grimaced. "And this clown actually sailed as an apprentice on Gol D Roger''s ship. Hard to believe." He dragged Buggy into the other cell, where he left the seastone shackle, and locked it into place around the pirate''s ankle. Even unconscious, the pirate seemed to suddenly sag.


    "You''re right I don''t believe it. At all." Yoruichi called out, as she walked away.


    Kaito snorted, crouching down and staring at the idiot clown. "Yeah I don''t blame you."


    He simply sat there thinking about things while waiting for Duel. He''d always planned to try and get Buggy from the beginning, he just hadn''t figured he''d literally run into him without having to hunt him down. These lucky strikes were beginning to worry him. East blue is not where he needed luck on his side. It would be disastrous if that luck turned in the grandline.


    He paid attention again as he heard the footsteps coming, and the clinking of metal. Duel came into sight carrying a large box. She eyed the pirates, putting the box down. Kaito could see various implements that all fulfilled the goal of looking pretty scary.


    "Not. Torturer." She said firmly, gesturing at the box. Still minimally dressed and for some reason covered in soot.


    With difficulty Kaito pulled his eyes away. "These guys are such cowards you won''t need to do a thing but pull shit out and look scary." He snorted, "They might not even need that much."


    He gestured at Buggy, "I''ll start with that one, if at any point the other two seem to be waking up¡­ Go knock them out again. I don''t need them coordinating stories."


    Duel nodded, taking out a large contraption that seems like something one might use for medieval dental surgery.


    "Oh yeah that''s the stuff." Kaito grinned, starting to honk Buggy''s nose." Shit I can''t believe this is actually his nose." He laughed, as he kept doing it until the pirate opened his eyes, staring at him in rage and pretty well hidden fear.


    "Bastard! I''ll flashily gut you¡­" He spat out slowly, feeling the effects of sea stone. As he realizes that''s what it is, the fear isn''t so hidden anymore. "S-s-seastone! Who the flashy hell are you!?"


    "Hello Buggy! I''d introduce myself, but hey, let''s skip to the part where I ask you questions and you tell me everything I want to know or my friend here-" Duel stepped forward, brandishing the dental tool, good girl even made sure Buggy caught a view of her scar. "-will be convincing you to tell me anyway."


    ".......What do you want to know?" He asked reluctantly. Without the theatrics.


    Kaito grinned darkly, "Let''s start with every piece of information on islands, devil fruits and events that the Roger''s pirates encountered while you were onboard." His grin got more toothy as Buggy paled, gulping in fear, and shock, obviously not expecting to have been recognised. "Then move on to every underworld port, trade depot, fence and pirate safe haven that you know about."


    Kaito held up a pen and notepad. "If I have to stop writing. Then she''ll have to step in. So it''s in your best interest to talk, and not hesitate or lie."


    "I promise Captain to Captain that I will let you and your crew go once I''m satisfied." Some relief entered Buggy''s eyes. Kaito can almost see the thought process. What does Buggy care about all that old information compared to his life? He''ll spill. Sure some will be unusable now. However Kaito is sure many underworld routes barely change and should still hold use. Not to mention whatever knowledge he can pry out from their travels to benefit him. Or hidden caches still left behind.


    Buggy started talking, sweating profusely as Kaito''s grin just kept widening, as the sound of a pen on paper continued long into the night.


    £ª£ª£ª

 The Talky talk.

    Interrogation


    Duel got bored two hours in and with Kaitos permission dragged Cabaji and Mohji off to find Wire with a list of questions Kaito wanted corroborated. He wanted to see if the clown had shared stories with his most trusted, and if those stories differed from what he was saying now.


    He''d seen her walk off an hour ago, so it was about time he wrapped up, he turned back to Buggy, casually sitting in front of him, one leg over his knee. "So tell me more, you say you heard about a way to sail into the sky, along a cloud road, from the others?"


    The clown pirate glared at him balefully, "Yes¡­" He growled out, "I heard it from the others, even Raleigh, a meteorological event happening every few months during storms. A cloud road would descend from the sky down to the sea, allowing you to sail up it."


    "And this happens in the calm belt?" Kaito clarified, looking over his notes, tapping his on his leg, enjoying the twitching of the clown as he clicked the pen, as he''s been doing for hours. Buggy was ridiculously easy to rile up or throw off balance. The man has so many neurosises it''s amazing he managed for so long even in east blue.


    "Yes, but there''s an island not too far away, just on the edge of the calm belt, maybe half a day''s sail away from the sea, where the event takes place." Buggy ground out, "Sounded flashily fake, I thought it was just a story, to flashily rile me up."


    Kaito grinned cheekily, reaching over to honk Buggy''s nose, "Honk!" He exclaimed happily as Buggy stared murder at him with bloodshot eyes. Kaito chuckled, "Oh, Buggy. You really should have listened more to your betters. The things you could have done with the information you have¡­"


    The path Buggy was talking about, a way up to the sky without a knock up stream¡­


    It didn''t lead directly to Skypeia either thankfully, as Kaito had no intention of tangling with Enel, or more likely, dying to Enel. They''d just have to find a way back down after an island or two, to avoid going near Skypeia.


    He wanted into the sky for those dials, he couldn''t even begin to imagine the things Duel could make with that, and if he managed to convince Nami to join, the dials would give her that extra edge for her weather manipulation, especially since it''s unlikely she''d ever get to see weatheria if she joined the crew. If they ran into Kuma as the Straw Hats had, they didn''t have the protagonist plot armour to scatter them to beneficial areas, they''d be killed as common pirates.


    Nami would never be exactly like her canon self if he managed to snag her. But that was okay, if anything his training could help her be better in different ways. As in canon she remained someone who survived only on plot armor.


    Perhaps he''d be able to really get her to strut her stuff like she deserved.


    "And you say you have an eternal pose to an island nearby?" He hummed pleasantly. Leaning back, watching Buggy try and control his rage to answer in a way that wouldn''t worsen his situation.


    "It''s¡­.Flashily two islands away¡­." He muttered finally, averting his eyes. The sound of gritting teeth was audible in the cell.


    "What about the navy, what do you know of marine bases in the grand line? Any notable names?" Kaito asked, pretty much done with the interrogation for now, but seeing if he could drag just a tiny amount of crumbs more of information from the clown pirate.


    "Why would I know anything about that shit!? I flashily got out of there as soon as I could! I''m in East blue for a flashy reason you punk!" Buggy growled, incensed the longer Kaito kept the questioning going now, after he had really pissed him off earlier in regards to his fruit¡­


    "You have no idea what you''re getting into¡­ The things that''re out there for a flashy rookie like you¡­* He said ominously. Eyes glinting with madness.


    "Do tell." Kaito said, grinning holding his pen up, pointing it at the clown. "I''d love to hear all about it!"


    "I''m flashily done, I''ve got nothing more¡­" Buggy said sullenly, after a minute of silent glaring. Apparently he didn''t appreciate that Kaito got excited whenever he''d bring up something to be afraid of.


    Kaito stood up, "Well I am flashily pleased," He cocked his head thoughtfully. *No, it still sounds dumb even with someone cool like me saying it." He admitted, shooting the sullen clown a mischievous grin.


    "Youuuuu¡­." Buggy growled, Kaito had no doubt the pirate would kill him in a heartbeat if he wasn''t chained down with a sea stone bracelet. Well and if he wasn''t Buggy - who kind of honestly was a terrible waste of a good devil fruit.


    "Flashily see ya, big nose!" He called out as he walked out of the cell. Stopping to shake his head again, "No, it still doesn''t work. It sounds so dumb. What a bad catchphrase¡­ Believe it!"


    He looked around sheepishly, "Oh, good, no one heard me say that." He didn''t want to completely ruin whatever cred he''d gathered so far.


    ''I can flashily hear you, you flashy moron!" Buggy shouted weakly, even raising his voice straining him; he was so low on energy.


    Kaito scoffed, "Please, as if you count."


    Sky islands, he thought as he walked away, you couldn''t say you''d sailed all the seas unless you''d sailed the cloud sea after all, he could hardly wait.


    Of all the things in One Piece that made his blood thrum. Sailing into the sky was one of those things that he just had to do. It sang to him. If he achieved nothing else, he wanted to sail in the sky. He had an extra spring in his step - just the thought of going sailing in the sky was enough to get his mind spinning with ideas of adventure and treasure.


    The one piece of information he was sure the clown was absolutely lying about however, was what kind of fruit his devil fruit was. He was sure Buggy would have found out where it came from, and what kind from the crew - once he got over being a hammer. A little weasel like him would have wanted all the information. Wisely, although annoyingly for Kaito, he was lying about it. Correctly figuring out that Kaito definitely would kill him if he knew.


    It was so sad how no one trusted each other anymore in this world.


    Really, didn''t he look trustworthy?


    It took him awhile to figure that out, sadly proving that the clown was still an absolute idiot in many ways. Kaito even asked for and got a full description of all the different ways Buggy had figured out how to manipulate his powers, before Buggy figured out Kaito was angling to regenerate his fruit. He''d clammed up then, and no threats worked any longer, death scarier to the clown then Duel returning with her tools.


    So he''d walked off now, after giving Wire and Duel enough time with the others. After ensuring Buggy was secured by chains completely of course. Even with him being constrained with sea stone he wasn''t taking any chances.


    There is as always the possibility the idiot had actually picked up some useful skills from the Roger pirates that he''d just never shown off.


    He found Wire and Duel by the railing, smirking as he saw the wires suspending the Buggy officers into the water, cutting into their skin, the men did not look like they had been enjoying their time. Talk about sink or swim questioning, he joked to himself.


    "Having fun?" He asked cheerfully, joining them at the railing, looking down at the bobbing pirates.


    Wire smirked, "It''s actually been fun." He admitted, looking the cheeriest Kaito had seen him since he met him. Creepy¡­


    "Sadist." Duel nodded decisively, a small smirk on her face. She was back in her overalls to Kaito''s disappointment. She caught him looking and fingered one of the guns holstered at her sides pointedly.


    "I''m not the one that gets off on blowing shit up." Wire retorted, glaring at her, although there was no real heat in it. More like fondness.


    "That''s. Kink." She said straight faced, "You. Just. Sadist."


    He groaned, "I''ve known you since you were 5, please don''t say things like that." He slumped onto the railing, spitting down at the unconscious bobbing pirates. "Especially never use the word kink, again!"


    "No kink shaming!" Kaito argued cheerfully, slapping Wire on the back, "And it''s ok to be a sadist, buddy." He put on a solemn look, "We can hold meetings and print flyers and everything, we''re there for you."


    "Accept. Faults." Duel leaned over the railing just to give Wire a smug look, her eyes had an amused twinkle.


    "Fuckers always ragging on me." Wire complained, pushing Duel away by putting his hand on her face and shoving. "You''re all so annoying." Duel just grinned back at him.


    "You loooooove us though!" Kaito grinned, amused at seeing the two messing around, it was obvious they knew each other well. He was kind of jealous of the close relationships most of his crew had with each other. The downfall of picking up so many people that all knew each other beforehand. He was the one on the outside.


    It was kind of heartwarming seeing them all together though.


    "Tch, whatever. I guess you''re here to compare notes?" Wire redirected the conversation, seemingly uncomfortable with the L word.


    "Mhm, specifically if they said anything about Buggy''s devil fruit. Or what kind of fruit it was." Kaito replied, cracking his knuckles, enjoying the popping sounds as the other two gave him equal disgusted looks.


    "Duel has the notes," Wire said, waving at the smirking woman who reached inside her overalls and produced a stack of notes. "They were pretty talkative once we promised Buggy''s release once we had the information we wanted." Gullible idiots, all three thought at the same time.


    "Gullible. Morons." Duel said out loud what they were all thinking, shaking her head, handing Kaito the notes. He tried not to think of why they were so nice and warm as he flicked through them.


    Kaito laughed while checking the notes, "Yeah, did the same freedom promise to Buggy and he also sang like a canary."


    "They may be pirates, but they are shit criminals." Wire snorted. "Trusting your word, what are we, fucking nuns or something¡­"


    "Good for us." Kaito hummed as he continued to peruse the papers. "I got so much stuff we can use from Buggy."


    "That clown?" Wire asked skeptically. "Makeup lessons maybe, but what useful stuff could you get from that fucker?"


    "He was an apprentice on Gol D Roger''s ship." Kaito explained, finally finding the notes detailing the devil fruit. Going over them with relish.


    "Bullshit." Wire decided. "I call fucking bullshit. No way!" The man looked flabbergasted.


    Kaito laughed, "Yoruichi said the same thing." He admitted.


    "Found?" Duel asked, seeing him grin, holding a page up from the rest. "Kill?" She asked now, eyeing the two officers bobbing in the water.


    "Yeah, we don''t need them anymore." Kaito agreed easily.


    Duel reached for her guns, her expression turning a bit scary, eyes almost glowing. And she called Wire a sadist, Kaito thought amusedly.


    Before she could do anything though, the two officers disappeared under the water, Wire having cut the wires. Kaito raised a curious eyebrow - as the man himself mulishly glared at them.


    Duel stomped her foot angrily, turning around and storming off, periodically turning around to make sure Wire could see that she was glaring at him. Wire looked completely unaffected. Her shoulders were tense and he could have sworn he heard a hitch in her throat as she went.


    "Not that I care how they go, any reason why you stopped her from finishing them?" Kaito asked curiously. Especially when it seemingly really had hurt her feelings. Things were going around under the surface here that he wasn''t sure about. Maybe he was reading it wrong¡­


    "She''ll get enough blood, we''ve all spent the last decade and a half ensuring she had somewhat clean hands, we''re not going to let her do it just for the hell of it." Wire said tersely. He leaned back against the railing running a hand through his hair. "Duel was always pretty wild, ever since we picked her up off a wrecked ship. Luckily she had her mechanical leanings, so we got her a workshop and for the most part she''d focus there."


    Kaito frowned, looking towards where the pretty mechanic had stalked off to, making sure she wasn''t in listening distance. "Should I be worried about something...?" He had a feeling he wouldn''t like whatever he''d hear. He was starting to get a picture¡­


    "Eh, she''s mostly fine. Spends most of her time on the mechanical to care about flesh and blood. When she gets excited tho she gets fucking mean sometimes. Like sadistic mean." Wire explained, closing his eyes tiredly. "We''ve done our best to make sure she lets things out without going overboard. Dice managed to convince her she owed old Miguel a favour for all the free meals he gave her as a kid, so she''d work there some evenings. Get some interaction and a chance to bust some balls and break some bones without anything too crazy happening. Then we got her to join the fighting ring for whenever she needed to let loose. There were some deaths, but it was easier to control in the ring. Kept it away from sniping people for fun."


    "Hang on? When I brought her along as a threath of torture to scare Buggy she specifically pointed out she wasn''t going to do that?" Kaito asked, confused. That was not the read at all he was getting from her.


    "It''s when she gets to hold someone''s life in her hands for that fleeting moment before she pulls the trigger that she loves. Torture wouldn''t do that for her, fighting scratches that itch some, torture would be boring is what I bet she would say if you asked her." Wire explained."Not until it was time to get rid of them anyway, that would be the fun part." He finished sourly.


    Kaito thought that over for a moment. He got it to an extent. They probably all saw her as some little sister figure they had to protect even from herself. "I understand why it would be necessary in a civilian town¡­You''re not being fair keeping her constrained here." He held up a hand to stop Wire from protesting. "We''re pirates, no matter how you look at it we''ll always be surrounded by enemies. Let her be herself as long as it''s taken out on those that would do us harm. As long as she can control it to not hurt the crew let her be free. I get why you''ve protected her. I do." Wire looked pained the longer he kept talking, but Kaito continued, "She can''t spend her life constraining parts of herself to please you guys, while you guys are free to do what you want. It''s not fair to her and it''s not good for her either. I''m sure half the reason she is generally standoffish is she''s picked up on how much you guys try to shield her or keep her back, so she doesn''t put herself forward. You''re all criminals to begin with, even before becoming pirates, this stopping her from killing things while you do it is just frankly unfair to her." He shook his head, "You''ll let her fight in battle, then wrap her in baby blankets after. It''s not working."


    Kaito let that hang in the air for a few moments, "Look¡­ I don''t think she is half as bad as you say. I know you have known her longer. My read as an outsider¡­ She is trying to go stronger at it to prove herself to you guys, not realizing that you''re pulling her back because you don''t want her too."


    He let that sit in the air for another moment before continuing. "When she stormed off, I''d say it was more of a, I can''t believe they still don''t trust me, hurt and anger kind of feeling I saw. Not a, man I can''t believe that bastard didn''t let me see the pretty brains flowing out after I shoot them kind of feeling."


    Kaito let that sink in for a second, he couldn''t be sure having only known them all for less then a month, but he had found it odd that a woman that could be so bold, in attitude and body, and so lively in battle, was so withdrawn the rest of the time. Was an arm''s length away from the rest of them unless something important was happening. "She''s acting as she is because she thinks you don''t believe in her or trust her. So she''s edging further every time thinking she needs to go harder and crueler to prove herself."


    "....Fuck¡­" Wire swore, slamming a hand down on the railing, fingers clenching it so hard Kaito could hear the wood creaking. "Okay, I get it, fuck! I''ll have to explain to her what we were trying to do, she must think we don''t trust her. That we looked down on her!" He sounded anguished, "Fuck, that''s not what we were trying at all, we just wanted her safe¡­ Fucking happy!"


    Kaito politely looked away and pretended there weren''t any tears, Wire was not the kind of guy that liked showing any weakness. "All this time we''ve pushed her back, I never thought what she''d think, what reason she''d believe we did it for. Fuck, we''ve been complete idiots, why did we never try to see it from her side before¡­"


    "Is all this because of however she got that scar?" He asked once Wire had composed himself. He''d been curious, but wasn''t as insensitive as to straight up ask Duel.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Wires face went dark, there was rage in his eyes, and guilt, Kaito could almost taste the guilt in the air, it emanated so strongly, Kaito took a step back as Wire snarled at him. "Don''t EVER ask her about that!" The man looked ready to snap, muscles bulging and his eyes wild.


    Kaito nodded, frowning, hands up in front of him, "Alright, I promise I won''t." With that kind of reaction he wasn''t sure he wanted to know anyway, although he had a feeling that much of this whole protect Duel attitude stemmed from it.


    "You should apologize to her, she''s probably pissed as all hell right now thinking you didn''t trust her to do the job." He suggested to diffuse the rage of his crewmate. "And explain to everyone to stop treating her like a grenade half the time and baby sister needing a crib the other half."


    Wire deflated, running a hand across his face. "Yeah¡­" he started to walk off. Stopping suddenly, just within hearing distance. "Hey Captain¡­ Thanks for setting my head straight."


    "You''re welcome." Kaito replied after a moment, Wire already gone below deck. He stared at the waves wondering if he made the right call. His gut said that no matter what, they''d all be happier if they could live less held back and constrained. He didn''t have over a decade of friendship and feelings however, maybe they had a good reason. He sighed going back to the papers on the interrogation, either way Wire hadn''t been very hard to convince, so he must have had some doubts to begin with. He''d let the chips fall where they may.


    They were pirates now, there was no need to hold back anymore.


    £ª£ª£ª


    Kaito drummed his fingers on his desk, not yet willing to sleep even at the late hour, the interrogation of Buggy and the talk with Wire having occupied his mind so much that rest was pointless. Several open books lay displayed over the desk, but Kaito had barely read anything. Plans being made and discarded over and over again throughout the night.


    In the light of the sole lamp illuminating the room, he spotted a shadow under the door. He raised an eyebrow quizzically. Whoever it was seemed to simply be standing there. Before he could make up his mind on whether he should call for them to come in or not. A piece of paper slid under the door, quiet footsteps disappearing down the hall as the shadow receded.


    Sighing, he got up and walked over, bending down and picking the paper up, noting with surprise some tear stains. His eyes go wide as he begins reading.


    Captain¡­ No¡­ Kaito. Thank you. I''ve written this letter because I can''t express enough what you''ve done with only words. I''m not good at this, writing or thanking. You''ve changed everything for me, us¡­ I''ve always thought I needed to be stronger to protect my friends, because they thought I was too weak and needed protection myself. Every day I''d work in the workshop they had to be there, watching, defending me, helping me. I thought they didn''t trust me! Because I was too weak! Wire explained to me what you said, how he realized that I¡­and Him¡­Had completely messed everything up! We were both trying to be stronger for each other! Trying to protect the other without thinking of anyone''s feelings. I know I am harsh, I am cruel sometimes. I''ll probably punch you lots in the future. I''ll say it again... Kaito, thank you!


    Duel


    Ps, if you tell anyone about this letter I''ll rip your balls off and make you eat them!


    "Tch, saying she''ll punch me lots in a thank you letter." Kaito grinned, taking the letter and carefully folding it, before walking over, kneeling before his bed, pulling out a small iron box. Carefully putting it in the box, closing it, patting the lid before sliding it back under the bed. This was a memento to keep. The honest tears and thanks from a crewmember. The first time he really earned his chops as a Captain outside a fight.


    Suddenly there was no way he''d be able to sleep at all, he might as well join the night watch, maybe get a training session in. His grin was firmly in place as he turned off his lamp, leaving his quarters in high spirits. This journey was off to such a good start!


    £ª£ª£ª


    Yoruichi rolled out of bed, waking up at dawn like clockwork. She casually stretched, sending a searching golden eye over the women''s quarters. Surprisingly even though they had just had a party, most of the crew at least spending part of the night reveling, the quarters we''re almost empty.


    She cocked her head, not hearing anything signifying anything exciting happening on deck. Taking it as a good sign, she shrugged, stepping out of her sleepwear, tossing it in the communal laundry basket and headed for the communal showers attached to the quarters.


    Refreshed and dressed in a simple light white t-shirt and light blue jeans, a light blue bandana keeping her hair out of her face she walked into the sunlight, coming up onto deck.


    She took a deep, pleasurable breath, just taking in the sea air. Closing her eyes. Smiling pleasantly hearing the wind in the sails, the creaking of ropes. The sounds of the sea. Adventure was in the air, she had missed this, once she got her fruit she thought she''d be on the sea constantly, not relegated to holding a base. This was the life she was meant for, pirate, marine. What did it matter? She had endless sea and adventure.


    She opened her eyes, ears twitching, as she took in with a puzzled look how over the top happy everyone seemed to be. She spotted Duel tinkering by the mast, instead of down in the hold, the girl smiling, looking more relaxed then Yoruichi had ever seen her so far. Suddenly she was hugged from behind by Cloud. Yoruichi blinked as instead of being tossed off with a glare, the girl chuckled, rolled her eyes and then tossed him off. Everyone around them was smiling and laughing.


    She scrunched up her nose in confusion. Nothing had been different during the party, she''d had only a few hours sleep after. Everyone was supposed to be hungover and sleep deprived. Why were they¡­ Happier than ever? What did she miss?


    After a minute of standing there, just watching the crew working, arms crossed under her chest, she finally shook her head, chuckling. It wasn''t a bad change after all. Whatever it was.


    She made the rounds, checking in on everyone, asking them how they''re doing, if they need any help, rest, or if there''s something about their duties they don''t understand. Everyone cheerfully sends her on her way, all doing fine on their own. She felt her own slight tiredness and stiffness disappear as she made it to the wheel, checking in on Apple. Not surprised to find the short woman grinning from ear to ear as she kept the ship steady, one eye on the compass.


    "Anyone going to tell me anything? You know, first mate and all that?" She quipped, putting a hand on her hip, leaning over and checking on the compass and map, pleased to see that as far as she could tell they''ve still been going straight to where they needed to.


    "Just all of us realizing we''re really stupid." Apple said happily. Yoruichi didn''t quite see how that was something to be happy about. Her face must have said so as Apple laughed. "Mostly it''s Wires fault of course, so it''s solved now and we''re all really happy we don''t have to pretend anymore."


    Yoruichi squinted, the sun being really bright this morning, her eyes even in her normal body much more sensitive due to her zoan. "So¡­ Something to do with Duel and Wire?" She guessed.


    "Fucking hell, what have you been telling this woman, Apple!?" A groan came from behind her. Yoruichi glanced back and did a double take. While everyone else looked happy and well rested somehow, Wire looked like he''d had a really bad bender. His eyes were bloodshot, he was unshaven, his hair frizzy and he seemed dead tired on his feet, practically shuffling forward.


    ''I''ve been appraising miss first mate about how dumb we all are, you in particular." Apple said, tongue in cheek.


    "Yeah, yeah whatever, fucking leave it you dwarf¡­" Wire groaned, he eyed Yoruichi disgustedly, "So you know now the whole tale about how we''ve all been trying to protect Duel and in doing so actually crushed her self confidence and made her believe she was weak and needed to be stronger to protect us?" He sneered, although it didn''t look like his heart was in it. "Seen how shitty of a leader I really am?"


    Apple put her face on the wheel laughing quietly, "Wire! All she got told was we were being dumb and it''s all fixed." She was wheezing, trying to catch her breath, she was laughing at Wire so hard. "You just told her everything you wanted to keep quiet, yourself!"


    Wire seemed to slump as Yoruichi took a step forward, finally getting the situation somewhat. She grabbed the man''s shoulder, silently apprehensive at how fragile the other man seemed to be. "Hey, none of that bullshit!" She said firmly. "You made a choice to protect someone with everything you got!" She grabbed his shoulder harder, making him look her in the eyes. "So it didn''t work out. So what? You then did your best to fix that. That''s all someone can do. I don''t know everything, but it seems to me everyone seems really happy! So you''re not a bad leader Wire and you should be happy too!" She loosened her grip, patting him on the shoulder. "Go to bed Wire, I got the crew today, you did good."


    "You really think so..?" He asked quietly, looking away. Yoruichi could tell this all was weighing heavily on him. She hummed, grabbing him and turning him around. "Look!" She pointed. Wire followed her finger with tired eyes. They land on Duel, a small smile on her face as several crew members gather around her, chatting eagerly at her, the mechanic replying back in short sentences but none of the usual terseness there. "Doesn''t she look happier? I don''t know everything that happened Wire, but if it all worked out¡­Then it can''t be half as bad as your making it out."


    Wire stood there just looking for a few minutes, both Apple and Yoruichi keeping silent. Finally his shoulders started to shake slightly, a weak grin coming on the man''s face. "Yeah.." he answered quietly. "She does look happy."


    Yoruichi gave him a shove, smiling playfully, "Get some rest, that''s an order."


    "Aye, aye!" Wire chuckled. Just standing there for a few moments more, watching all his friends just gathered together, no tension or duty between them. "It was a good idea to come out to sea." He muttered to himself as he finally shuffled off.


    Yoruichi puffed her cheeks out, blowing out a deep breath. "Men! They''re all so stubborn!" She exclaimed to Apple, the girl still red faced from all her cheer. Yoruichi didn''t know the full story, but even with only knowing Duel for just under a month, she could understand how much the woman would have hated being thought to need the rest of them to watch out for her constantly. She would have felt the same if Archer had decided to follow her into the navy, just to constantly keep an eye on her instead of coming by every few months to catch up.


    "Ah, shit, that''s probably not good." Apple said breaking Yoruichi out of her thoughts, she saw the same issue as their navigator in training. Just in sight across the horizon is a storm front, the whole sky practically blackened with dark clouds. And it had been such a bright morning just a minute ago.


    She narrowed her eyes, "That crept up quick, we won''t be able to escape it." She knew navigation wasn''t their strong suit at the moment. If they tried to escape they might just hit the storm and waves out of position and be in a more dangerous situation. "Apple keep steady, I''m going to get Archer up here to help you with the wheel, keep on course straight ahead, we don''t want to end up turned around or facing it sideways so no matter what keep it straight!"


    "Aye!" Apple said sharply, eyes serious, her hands steady on the wheel. Yoruichi left the wheel in good hands and strode forwards, yelling for Archer and sending crew members scrambling to prepare the ship and tie down anything loose on deck.


    They barely get everything prepared as they entered the storm, Yoruichi soaked straight through immediately in the heavy rain, but she was still running around the ship, lending a hand whenever someone slipped or didn''t tie a knot quick enough. Trusting Archer and Apple to have the wheel, she concentrated on keeping the crew safe, onboard and working. At one point switching into hybrid form for the extra strength to tie down one of the booms zooming loose in a particularly windy part of the storm. At times she ran into Wire, never having gotten the chance to head to bed, soldiering on and she grinned at him toothily. They never exchanged words, too busy for that. And what was up with this storm anyway, this was pretty harsh for an east blue squall.


    It felt like hours, she didn''t really know how long, her muscles hurt, her clothes were so soaked through she was sure she was giving a show, she couldn''t care less though, as she lay panting on the deck, the sun shining through, the storm finally behind them. Crew members slumping down everywhere around her.


    "Here." A towel is tossed her way by an exhausted looking Wire.


    She grinned and wiped her face, resting her head on the deck. "Thanks, that was a bit of fun, eh?"


    "Woman, that''s to cover yourself, not for your fucking face." Wire groaned, looking away.


    Yoruichi shook with laughter, "Hah, I ain''t got nothing that hasn''t been seen by anyone here before." She does drape it over her chest however when Wire resolutely keeps looking away.


    "You okay? Yoru?" Archer called down. Looking unruffled as always. She kind of hated that about him sometimes.


    Yoruichi chuckled, hand over her eyes, "Ah, never better!"


    "Hey¡­ Why is everyone lazing around on the deck? The sun''s still shining, we got sailing to do, hey, Yoruichi! Quit napping." Kaito yelled, coming up from the hold.


    "....Where have you been exactly?" Yoruichi asked very sweetly, eyes hidden behind her hand still.


    "Oh, I was up all night!" Kaito laughed, "So I went to sleep right before dawn." He scratched his chin looking around. "I had expected better of you though Yoruichi, just because I was napping doesn''t mean you slack off."


    "I see." She said pleasantly. "You were napping." She took a deep breath, seeming to relax.


    "DIE!" She shrieked, shooting off the deck and reaching towards him with clawed hands. Kaito barely stumbled back as the crew burst out in cheers.


    Just another day.


    £ª£ª£ª


    With Wire exhausted, Yoruichi pretty beat herself and Kaito beaten up, it wasn''t until late evening that the officers gathered in his quarters to discuss Buggy and some of what they''ve pulled out of his head.


    Kaito couldn''t complain too much about being beaten up, having gotten the explanation of what he missed. Hard to complain when Yoruichi''s shirt was practically see through the entire time she pummeled him. Although it had led to a pointed discussion with Archer afterwards about keeping his eyes in proper places. Kaito had promised he would. He doubted him and Archer agreed on what places were proper is all.


    "So, what you''re telling me is¡­You want me to have Buggy''s devil fruit!" Wire gaped at him, Kaito having opened the meeting stating just that.


    "Weak." Duel snorted, her nose wrinkling, thinking of the clown.


    "He might be weak, but that doesn''t mean the fruit is." Yoruichi said, she glanced at Kaito, "However¡­ He has the fruit. Do you mean that you know how to remove the ability from Buggy, Kaito?"


    "That would be an incredibly dangerous ability." Archer said quietly, looking troubled.


    Kaito chuckled, leaning back in his chair, tenting his hands in front of his smirking face. "Nothing so world shattering as that, although I appreciate you think so highly of me!"


    "Death." Duel said, making a slit throat motion that Wire blanched at.


    Kaito gave Duel the finger guns, the woman actually smirking at him in return. "The pretty woman has it right. When Buggy dies his fruit is regenerated. What not everyone knows is that it does so to the nearest fruit of the same kind."


    "The interrogation of those two chuckle fucks¡­" Wire realized. "You were double checking what Buggy said about it."


    "That''s right! Most of the other questions I didn''t even care about their answers other then as a second confirmation that they and Buggy were on the same page. When it comes to the fruit the reason I believe I know what it is is because the fruit they gave you is not what Buggy told me!"


    "Is it not possible they had been instructed to lie if such a situation arose?" Archer asked, sitting cross legged on the floor, eyes closed.


    "Those two?" Yoruichi snorted, "they wouldn''t be able to get a lie across Wire and Duel."


    "Appreciate the support." Wire responded dryly. "Archer is right though, Buggy might have lied to them."


    "It is always possible." Kaito admitted, "Not likely though, Buggy is just the kind to brag about shit to his men, and not think of possible consequences like being taken captive." He leaned forward, "If anything, the fact I know Buggy lied when he was asked the question, makes me believe them more when they had a different answer."


    "You''re sure he lied?" Archer asked, "Just being a devil''s advocate." The large man said slowly. "Much of what you''re basing this on is suppositions."


    "I''m sure."


    "Well then welcome to the club, Wire!" Yoruichi grinned, shoving the man.


    "Why the fuck am I the one, and I haven''t fucking accepted anything yet, Yoruichi!" He grunted irritably.


    "Best. Choice. Do. It." Duel said, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze. Wire looked down at the interlocked hands and seemed to melt. It was so cute that Kaito almost got cavities. And he could see Yoruichi grinning and getting ready to say something that would surely derail the meeting, so he hurriedly stepped in. "It can only be you Wire!"


    "And why the fuck is that?" He grumbled, patting Duel''s hand as she gave him another squeeze.


    "He has the chop-chop fruit, making him immune to any blade attacks. You would be able to split your body avoiding any attacks as well. You''d have limited flight abilities and can lift anything you touch into the air without difficulties. You fight with wires, can you imagine what a monster you will be if Duel fashions some spool holders that you can hold all over your body? Split apart into a hundred pieces, every two pieces keeping razor sharp wires in between them." He lets that sink in for a second. "Imagine what you could do with that, you''ll be a splitting human, there''s no reason why you couldn''t also split your consciousness between body parts and wreak havoc."


    "You''ve thought this through. Is this the devil fruit you mentioned earlier this month?"  Yoruichi wondered out loud.


    "It is, although I had no idea Buggy would be this close, it was honestly pure chance. Now the only question is. Wire?"


    Wire frowned, thinking it through, looking up at Duel who nodded at him, eyes turning to Archer who even with his eyes closed turned his head down slightly in agreement. Yoruichi simply smirked at him, and finally Wire turned to Kaito. "Alright, I can''t promise I''ll be able to do all that fucking shit you just spouted. I''ll eat the damn thing."


    Kaito clapped his hands together, pleased. "Perfect! Now we just have to find some funky pineapples, hopefully the next island has some."


    "It is unfortunate we don''t have any, I''m assuming that it is the fruit needed for regeneration?" Archer asked, "I do not like the idea of keeping Buggy until we achieve this, if he escapes that will prove hazardous to the regular crew." He continued calmly, "I will accept the decision however." He finished, opening his eyes and finding Kaito''s. "Seastone or not, I do not believe we should leave him unattended, as pathetic as he performed, he has lived a long life as a pirate."


    "Chains. Guards, two." Duel agreed. She indicated herself. "Can. Work. Downstairs." She offered. Offering to tinker in the brig, keeping an eye on Buggy.


    "I''ll set up a rotation of people that won''t fucking slack off." Wire promised.


    "To be clear, this is something I''ll aim to do in the future, capture combatants with devil fruits alive, to see if we can utilize their fruit for our crew." Kaito explained further as it seemed the Buggy question had been decided.


    "That''s easier said than done." Yoruichi pointed out skeptically, "Buggy was a fluke, most devil fruit users who aren''t complete morons aren''t easy to take down."


    "Us. Why. Telling." Duel explained huffing, crossing her arms. "Only. Strongest."


    "We''re the strongest." Kaito agreed with a small smile, "It would be all of our jobs to try and capture these kinds of people." He leaned forward seriously." I''ll make one thing clear though, if it''s a fight for your life you strike to kill, don''t risk death for what is after all just a good chance, not a sure thing."


    "And if we happen to not kill them, then bonus huh, I get it." Yoruichi said running a hand down through her purple hair, for once loose instead of its trademark ponytail.


    "Oh, and I figured I might as well make things official." Kaito started, he did a finger gun motion towards Yoruichi, "First mate." Then to Archer, "Third mate and head chef!" Swiveling to point at Wire. "Second mate and Quartermaster." Then towards Duel, "Uhhh, mechanic and head eye candy?" SLAM!


    "The floor tastes like lemon!" Kaito giggled, face down, before slowly pushing himself up, the rest of the officers either laughing at him or glaring at him.


    Except for Yoruichi who pouted. "I''m totally head eye candy." She muttered.


    "If the charts are correct, we should be hitting a small island within the next day or two - although strangely the older maps don''t have it on there. We can see about resupplying a bit, and if they happen to have a certain fruit¡­ we''ll deal with things at that point." Kaito moved things along, ignoring the lemon fresh smell from his floor date. He rather doubted they would have the fruit, that special kind of pineapple being a decently uncommon fruit in this part of east blue. Being a grand line variation.


    He did not relish keeping Buggy around until the grand line. It''s why chasing after the clown was supposed to be a late stage quest before they entered. Not the first thing they did. But chance is what it is.


    "Resupply the nice way or the not so fucking nice?"  Wire wanted to know, snorting at Yoruichi''s chiding look. "What? Best to avoid any kind of misunderstandings, all I''m fucking saying."


    Everyone looked at him and Kaito chuckled, shaking his head, "As fun as it would be living up to the pirate name and all, this is such a small island I doubt it''s worth it, best just pay our way for what little supplies we need restocked."


    "Time. Crew?"


    "Not more then a day, just a resupply, let everyone stretch their legs off the ship for a few hours and then we''ll continue on." Kaito responded. "Make sure they know, defend themselves, but don''t start shit. These are just people trying to get by."


    "Softie." Duel scoffed, rising up, grabbing Wire by the arm to drag him with her.


    "I didn''t say the meeting was done." Kaito pouted. Archer and Yoruichi chuckling at him as they take that chance to leave as well.


    At least they were going to a small island in the middle of nowhere in east blue. They''d just have a nice quiet rest stop.


    What''s the worst that could happen?


    £ª£ª£ª

 First Contact.

    Unnamed island, East blue.


    They sailed up to the small island in the middle of nowhere, east blue, around noon. Everyone had been very excited for the chance to stretch their legs on another island, most having stuck around Whitewater for the majority of their lives, only a few of the older guys like Wire or Saber had been elsewhere in east blue. That excitement started to die pretty quickly once they got close. Most everyone gathered up on deck to watch with unease as they silently sailed into dock. Even the air around the island felt dirty, and there was hardly any sound, no birds chirping, no sea life or activity at all. The distant forest looked gray and lifeless.


    "That is the creepiest fucking fishing village I''ve ever seen." Wire stated bluntly, staring at the small village up ahead. Ramshackle, dark wood, with suspicious stains. Blackened, stained and ripped cloth hanging from crooked bent roofs. The docks were barely above water, more holes than wood. A few¡­ probably supposed to be fishing vessels¡­ They all agreed they looked more like floating coffins. It was eerie just watching the village. And although they didn''t see anyone, somehow they didn''t feel alone here.


    "Wire, you''ve never seen a fishing village in your life." Tears poked at him with a smirk. Trying to keep it light, with the oppressive aura around them. And making fun of Wire was always the best way to do so.


    Wire frowned at him, "You ain''t ever going to give me fucking anything, are you?" He said flatly. Creepy village or not, he wasn''t going to take any shit.


    Tears grabbed his chest with a mock hurt look on his face. "That''s hurtful, Wire. I give you tons of mocking!" He joked.


    "He does mock you alot. Like constantly." Kaito said, having come up behind them during the conversation. "Man, that is the creepiest fucking fishing village I''ve ever seen." He didn''t say it in a mocking tone at all. He was the Captain after all.


    "Fuck you!" Wire grumbled, dragging a hand through his mohawk. He eyed his Captain. "Are you still sure you wanna send them ashore to this shit hole?" His eyes shifted to the shitty village, "Are you sure anyone will even want to go?" He amended his question.


    "I''m sure it''s much more pleasant once you get to shore¡­ Somehow." Kaito said dubiously. "I mean, people live here¡­ Right?"


    They all looked towards the village again. There was not a sound or sight of anyone moving, no smoke from the chimneys, no clothes hanging out to dry. "This is super creepy." Kaito admitted, hanging his head, "My first real island as a pirate Captain and it sucks!" He moaned theatrically, hanging over the railings. He didn''t need it to be Water 7 or anything, but it could at least not be completely sucky!


    "I''m staying onboard, this dump ain''t got anything I want to fucking see.* Wire said bluntly, walking off immediately. He did not need to hang around while his Captain whined. He got enough of that from the rest of the idiots.


    "Tears?" Kaito asked hopefully. Eyes almost sparkling as he pushed his hands together. Surely someone had some spirit for adventure and wanderlust?


    "Yeah, no." Tears gave the village another look. "Change that to hell no." And he walked off to find Wire, getting drunk alone was sad after all. Also drinking Wire''s booze was cheaper than buying his own.


    "Why won''t anyone go exploring with me!?" Kaito roared, jumping onto the railing. The island was creepy, but it was a new island! Treasure and adventure awaited!


    "Because it looks like a dump!" Apple cheerfully told him from right behind him. Kaito lost his balance in surprise and almost hit the water. A quick moonwalk saving him and returning him to the ship.


    "I''m okay!" He shouted as he landed on deck again. Getting disinterested looks from a generally apathetic crew. All looking either disappointed or creeped out. The atmosphere around this island affecting everyone.


    "You should have hit the drink, we could use a laugh." Apple told him cheekily. "And for what it''s worth, I''ll come along and check it out."


    Kaito cheered, raising Apple''s arm into the air. "We have one brave volunteer for the sacrif- I mean exploration party!"


    "I''ll go as well, I need to stretch my legs, as it were." Archer said quietly, appearing from the inside of the ship carrying a large rucksack on his back. Someone came prepared. Hopefully with food Kaito thought gleefully. He had the best chef!


    "Me." Duel said, walking up, overalls done up and absolutely covered in weapons and ammo belts. Kaito still wondered if he had an overalls fetish or if she really just managed to make dirty overalls look that good.


    "Uh, Duel, we''re just here for a friendly visit." Kaito reminded her. Usually civilians had issues with people showing up armed like a battalion. Not like he overly cared, pirate and all that. But it did convey a certain image that made shopping or enjoying a town hard.


    She snorted, waving towards the village, "Not. Friendly."


    "Okay, so I admit it has some faults." Kaito said, before realizing the situation and gasping, grabbing Apple''s shoulders. "Oh, no, three officers and a redshirt for a landing party. Apple''s going to die!" He cried out, to mass confusion. Kaito loved using references no one could get. He''d always wanted to troll people, believe it! Hmm, that better not actually become a real tick or something¡­ He thought worriedly.


    Apple looked down at her shirt, raising a confused eyebrow as she looked back up again. "My shirt isn''t red?" She wondered, everyone else equally confused.


    Kaito pursed his lips, "Well¡­" He hedged, "Maybe the colour change will save you?"


    "What are you even talking about?" Yourichi called down from where she hung off a boom. "Just go explore the giant piece of crap of an island."


    "That''s not a very nice thing to say." Chided someone from down on the dock with a deadpan scratchy voice.


    "Yeah, Yoruichi, that''s not¡­.Who the fuck are you?" Kaito asked, just realizing someone had appeared at the docks without anyone on the ship noticing.


    And wow, he was yellow. Not like racist yellow, but like literally the guys skin looked like old yellowed parchment. He was rail thin with a few wisps of stringy dark hair on top of his head. He was wearing a plain dark robe, worn and filthy and showing way more than Kaito wanted to see. Kaito had seen corpses looking more alive.


    Frankly, corpses were more attractive. Which said something about just how unsettling this guy appeared.


    Kaito turned towards his crew, "Okay, important question. How did none of you see that guy walk across the village and onto the docks?" He looked around the crew, sweeping his arm out towards the village, "I mean, c''mon, he''s pretty noticeable!"


    He was mostly met by shrugs, those of the crew on deck staring at the if possible even creepier guy, from creep village. If necessary they''d throw creep island on there too.


    "I walk very quietly." The yellow freak said placidly.


    "No one''s that quiet!'' Kaito snapped, before realizing, oh yeah. This is One Piece, there''s plenty of weird shit. "Okay, so maybe you''re really quiet¡­ What''s your name?"


    "I am known as Four." He said and smiled. Kaito blanched, holding up a shaking finger as retching could be heard across the ship. "Okay, never do that again, alright?"


    The man had smiled and his mouth had stretched so far it had almost looked like it would go around the skull, the thin parchment-like skin almost translucent as it stretched. A worm had wiggled out of a blackened tooth. And there was something, some kind of background noise¡­ He could almost hear it ¡­ Like drums in the background¡­ If a horde of goblins was going to bum rush them he was going to freak out! No crossovers! He forbade it! Forbade!


    "I''m not sure we should stay here." Yoruichi said faintly. Looking disgusted, and staring off into the village, ears twitching.


    "Yeah¡­ I''m beginning to agree with you¡­" Kaito said slowly. There was one thing to want to hit up your first island as a new crew. Quite another to deal with something so very suspect. "Yeah¡­ Sorry¡­ Four, was it?" And like a number for a name wasn''t freaky as hell, or a red flag the size of Big Mom." I think we''ve changed our mind on staying."


    "Oh, no. That won''t do at all." Four said slowly. Blinking, one eyelid getting stuck, giving him an even creepier look.


    Kaito grimaced, "Look, you have a lovely¡­ " He tried to find a word for it, but in the end he defaulted to, "Shit hole here¡­ We''re just not interested."


    "I said, that won''t do." Four said firmly. Thin fingers trying to unstick his eyelid, which promptly fell off and fluttered to the ground as Kaito and crew watched in disgust.


    Kaito glared down at him. "Look, I don''t car-" SPLASH! Water sprayed up, together with a cut off scream and shouted curses. Kaito watched in shock as a tentacle of all things had snagged Apple by the ankle and dragged her overboard into the water. Quickly disappearing, even as Archer jumped in after her, almost propelling forward under the water. Kaito turned towards Four in murderous rage, only to find him gone. Nowhere in sight. "Did anyone see that fucker go!?" He shouted, incensed, looking into the village and not seeing any movement.


    Yoruichi landed on the deck with a grimace. "I swear I was looking right at him, and then just between one blink to the next he was nowhere in sight."


    Another curse heralded the return of Archer. Without Apple. The entire crew tensed. The big man shook his head slowly. "There are dozens of underwater tunnels under the docks, I have no idea which one she was taken through." He admitted.


    "Yoruichi, organize the groups. At least one officer per group. Ensure it''s the strongest members. You''re staying on board to protect the rest. You might hear them coming, whatever they are..." Kaito ordered, gritting his teeth. No one touched his crew. No one. And whatever or whoever this was¡­


    These fuckers were going down. Still he could feel it in his chest, like his heartbeat. Just Ba-dum, Ba-dum, a steady drum beat, just barely perceptible.


    "Is anyone else hearing anything weird?" He yelled out, slapping his ears, he was almost positive he heard it. He just wasn''t sure what it was, or what it meant.


    Well it didn''t matter, he was coming for them.


    He let loose a feeling of murderous intent as he glared at the island, he''d just gotten his crew, he would slaughter whoever dreamed of touching them!


    £ª£ª£ª


    Apple had not appreciated the sudden dunk into the water. Especially as no one had been courteous enough to forewarn her to hold her breath. She''d barely been able to stay conscious as she was dragged down a water filled tunnel. Finally as she was beginning to worry she''d drown, she had been dragged upwards and into a cavern with air. Unceremoniously tossed into a small iron cage, barely big enough for her to sit in. For once it was a good thing she wasn''t the tallest. The tentacle somehow managed to lock it, Apple wasn''t looking too clearly, every time she''d try and turn her head to look, something primal in her screamed at her to stop. Whatever being it was, it soon sank under the water out of sight. Allowing her to look around.


    She contemplated the cavern, looking for anything that would give her a means to escape or to find out more about her captors. She was sure everyone was already looking for her, but she was no damsel in distress, she''d find her way out¡­ Somehow. And looking at the cavern distracted her mind from whatever the hell had kidnapped her. As an artist she had seen way too many disturbing things with tentacles to feel comfortable.


    She was pleased to see that the underwater way wasn''t the only way in or out of the cavern. At the very back there was a tunnel leading away. Luminous moss covered the ground and walls, hanging in great masses, silvery light emanating from them. The ceiling was somehow covered in jewels, the criminal in Apple was delighted, so was the artist as the jewels gave off light, as if stars in the night sky, everything reflecting off the water''s surface. If only she wasn''t here as a kidnapping victim she''d have been delighted to find this place and explore it.


    To get to dig into that curiosity again and her wish to explore new sights, find new inspirations for art and new ways to create it. Something she''d practically suppressed due to needing to remain at Whitewater island.


    Her inspection was cut off as she was suddenly spooked, screaming in fright, shuffling back as good as she could in the cage, which meant not much at all. A face having just appeared out of nowhere to peer into her cage from an uncomfortably close distance. It''s nose sticking through the bars.


    "A guest!" The creepy face cried out in glee, hurting Apple''s ears. His white skull-like face had wild thin greasy looking hair, the hair sticking out everywhere like he''d had an electrical shock. He moved further back, allowing Apple to get a good look at him. The thin man looked comical in a horrific way, with a skeletal thin appearance with sickly bloated large hands and feet, and a large round head, painted like a skull. He had added makeup making a complete mess of his face, garish lipstick and mascara in neon colours murdering her artistic sensibilities. He was cross eyed giving him the perpetual appearance of looking at his own large protruding nose.


    Apple thought he looked like someone tried to make a clown and just made every part ¡­ Wrong¡­ "Hello?" She tried, really hoping this weirdo wasn''t the one in charge of her kidnapping.


    The clown¡­ Thing, did a little dance, which looked more like a seizure with the wildly flailing limbs. "Ohhhhhh! A guest! A GUEST! It''s been ever so long!" Apple winced, as there was just something with his voice that hurt her ears. Some screeching undertone she couldn''t quite pick out.


    "You treat all your guests like this?" She asked snarkily, indicating the cage. Masking her fear with attitude, something she was well practiced at.


    "Yesohyes! Guests for the master are very good! Cage is good, for guests, is the cage!" He laughed, skipping around the cage, tears of joy running down his makeup encrusted cheeks.


    "Fantastic¡­" She muttered, eyeing the lunatic warily. Who knew what could happen if he was set off. She''d have to be careful.


    "Food! Yes! Food for guest!" He cackled skipping across the floor to a pile of filth and broken wood and debris that was piled near the water line. She saw him dig, carelessly throwing things away, all the while cackling. Apple winced as her head really started to hurt the more noise he made.


    He finally found what he was looking for, scrambling over wet rocks to return to her cage. She watched in disgust and horror as he offered her bones, definitely human bones, rattling the bars of her cage with them. Strips of rotten flesh still attached to one of them.


    "Food, yes!" He grinned, he brought a bone to his face and gnawed on it, making exaggerated chewing noises. Then he offered it to her again. Apple reared back, shaking her head wildly.


    His eyes darkened, "Eat it! Three gave a gift of food!" He spoke, voice mad and ethereal, something dark and insane backing it. The feeling entered the small cavern, crawling up the walls and loomed over her.


    She didn''t know how she knew this. She just did.


    Apple threw up violently, feeling violated, and her head absolutely exploded into the worst pain she''d ever felt. Shakily she reached a hand out and grabbed one of the bones, dragging it through the bars, at least it wasn''t the one with the rotting flesh. The being appeared appeased and scampered off. Disappearing down the tunnel. Leaving Apple alone and more afraid than she had ever been in her life.


    What the hell kind of island was this!?


    £ª£ª£ª


    There had been a sense of urgency about them all, so in the end it only took ten minutes to have everything sorted out. Three teams set out from the ship, searching three different locations, racing to get to the bottom of this, and save Apple.


    Yoruichi watched them go, biting her lip nervously. Something about this island was off, the longer she stayed the more she felt like she needed to leave, there was just this feeling in the air, of imminent death. She was left behind to protect the ship and the rest of the crew, and she wondered how long that would be possible if this feeling persisted, or grew worse. Already the faces of the crewmembers staying behind were anxious and strained.


    "Figure this out quickly, Kaito!" She murmured, turning around and moving towards the crew, she''d try and cheer them up as best as she could.


    £ª£ª£ª


    Kaito''s team, consisting of Kaito, Saber, Cloud and Edge.


    Kaito hadn''t had much interaction with Saber and Edge. Saber was the oldest member of the crew, the tanned and wrinkled, white haired older man having been the only one of the criminals that had experience with the sea. Not surprisingly considering his name, he was covered in weathered tattoos of swords of different kinds.


    Edge was a blonde haired petite beauty, somewhat diminished by her constant frown and the heavy bags under her eyes. As with the other women she had been a bit more creative with her name and tattoos. Several tattoos of different weapons from axes to swords to scythes on her, and taking the name Edge instead of a more direct name like Arsenal. Kaito''s team had been chosen as it had because every member of it except him had numerous bladed weapons.


    "This is such absolute bullshit!" Kaito ranted, as they cut their way forward, "How it should go¡­ You get to come to an island, take in the sights, flirt a bit, get drunk, get roped into some adventure¡­ And then it turns out there were some bad guys behind it all in the end, like normal procedure for these kinds of adventures." He carelessly kicked away a tree that was in his way, sending it crashing down, clearing some of the path for them in the dense forest. The trees and brush in this forest was brittle and grey and lifeless, just like everything else, "What kind of shit luck and bullshit has the island be creepy and full of monsters from the start?" He continued ranting to the increasingly sweat dropping crewmembers following in his wake. "I''ve been gypped! Where''s my nice pleasant Island of hijinks hiding secret evil for the end!?"


    "Maybe next one, Captain." Saber said dryly, "And perhaps we could go ahead of you, as we''re actually equipped for it?"


    Kaito turned and looked, and yes, the three of them all carried swords and axes. The reason they were with him in the first place. As their team were cutting through the forest behind the village, heading for the small mountain that could possibly be where the underground tunnels lead to. Or so he had reasoned, and they could perhaps find an entrance there. His rant disrupted he stepped back, waving them ahead to cut down the foliage in their way.


    "I''ll listen for enemies I guess." Kaito sulked. He felt really guilty for the whole red shirt joke he had pulled, now that Apple had been taken, and who knows for what purpose. The back of his head kept itching like someone was watching, but their entire time in the forest had been a cakewalk. Not a single enemy or monster or even wild beast. Which was kind of odd now that he thought about it¡­


    "Hey, Saber, Cloud, Edge¡­" He called out, interrupting their plant massacre. "Have any of you seen or heard any animals at all out here?"


    Saber paused, cocking his head, listening to the absolute silence surrounding them once they stopped chopping away. "That isn''t right¡­" He agreed warily, sharing a look with the others. Most of them were city people, but even they knew any forest had constant life in it.


    Edge''s frown deepened as she walked up to a tree inspecting it closely, bending down to poke at the moss covered ground. "Don''t see any insects¡­" She reported. Kaito might have even said she was on¡­ Edge!


    Everyone looked at him weirdly as he chuckled briefly to himself. He shook his head, clearing himself up, he liked to joke around but he needed to stop playing now. Time to focus. He stretched his senses as much as he could, really wishing he had attained observation haki. He couldn''t feel or sense anything other than a general unease.


    "Keep your ears and eyes peeled. Something on this island is very wrong¡­" Kaito warned. He swore he could hear laughter briefly, but there wasn''t anyone else around.


    "I already fucking hate this island." He swore as he started helping the progress with tempest kicks, speeding up their demolition. The sooner they could get forward the sooner they could solve this and get out. The sooner he could go back to just messing around and having fun.


    Wire''s team, consisting of Wire, Tears, Dice and Pie.


    Wire didn''t like anything about this village, not at fucking all. He didn''t know if it was the air or just a sixth sense, he could swear he heard whispers everytime he turned his head, but there was never anything there and it was annoying the fuck out of him. But for every door they broke down, every house they searched. There was nothing but more filth, blood stains and silence. Not a soul around, no sign of Four or anyone else.


    "No basement level here either." Pie said angrily, smashing a kitchen table with his massive hands. Pie was a gentle giant of a man normally, and not prone to rage. 8 feet tall and massive muscles from spending most of his life working mines or shipyards, bringing in some legal cash for the gang. Pie wouldn''t hurt a fly normally, unless someone hurt one of them. If Pie got ahold of whoever took Apple, Wire suspected he''d get to see a motherfucker torn apart by bare hands. Pie had never been a particularly good criminal, but he''d been a loyal workhorse and worked great for intimidation, even with his ridiculous pie tattoos. Wire liked pies too, but he didn''t tattoo a motherfucking meat pie on his face for it!


    Wires were different¡­ They made sense!


    "We keep searching." Wire growled out, stalking out of the house, Dice and Tears following him silently. Pie snarling and smashing his way out of the front wall, huffing in anger as he stomped his way down the street after them. Considering his height he usually smashed through the houses anyway, so Wire didn''t give a shit about some walls. Fuck em anyway, they''d taken Apple. He''d tear down the whole place if needed.


    "Pie, mate, you need to calm down, if there''s someone here you''re advertising our movements." Dice said quietly, patting the angry man on his right arm.


    "Good, let them come out¡­" He said angrily.


    Wire shook his head, "Don''t bother, Dice. I want any fuckers hiding here to come out anyway. I''m way too fucking pissed to bother with being fucking sneaky." They''d been tasked with searching the entire village for any possible entrance to the tunnels, or someone to interrogate¡­ If the village was a bust they''d continue along the coast, there had to be an entrance somewhere, it couldn''t all be underwater.


    "Well, there''s a reason Yoruichi picked the Wire lead team to ransack the village I suppose." Tears said with a strained smile, trying to inject some levity. There was just something in the air, something foul that made him feel¡­ Unclean.


    "Oiy! Are you trying to say that I can''t do sneaky shit?" Wire snapped, offended. He had been a damn criminal for most of his life. He could sneak damnit. He just never did, because he just didn''t need to, that was it.


    Tears and Dice both chuckled, Dice speaking up. "Mate, you''re too colourful to do any sneaking." He eyed the Mohawk especially, to Wire''s ire. "And you have a tendency to break things when you''re pissed."


    "I break things cuz they need fucking breaking, ain''t got nothing to do with my sneaking skills¡­ You fuckers pay attention to the job instead of ragging on me!" Wire said annoyed, he looked up at Pie, "Hey, you see anything yet?"


    Pie squinted, looking ahead, his tall stature an advantage in spotting obstacles or incoming enemies. "I think I saw movement. Three houses down, on the left." He muttered quietly. Which for him was a booming voice that sounded down the street.


    Amazing friend to have in a tight corner, but not the cleverest or quietest one.


    Wire smiled unpleasantly, "Good, finally. Let''s go ask them where the entrance to the tunnels are, and remember boys¡­ There''s absofuckinglutely no need to be fucking polite about it ¡­"


    Archer''s team, consisting of Archer, Duel, Needles and Venom.


    Archer''s team took the longest to get going, despite having the shortest distance to their destination. They''d had to quickly fashion some masks, tubes and containers for air, it wouldn''t give them a lot of time underwater, but enough that Archer should be able to pull them through one of the several dozens of tunnels, and into one with air. Risky, but they all agreed to take the chance. Archer and Kaito had both agreed that if Apple''s kidnapping was meant to keep them here, then she must have been brought to somewhere with enough air to survive. Perhaps it was wishful thinking. Yet, they persisted with it.


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    Needles would be coming along as the former addict and drug runner was their most qualified medic, in case Apple needed immediate attention. Needles was also a decent fighter, both in hand to hand and with throwing daggers, having fought in the ring a few times when Archer had been around, not ever him directly. He wasn''t that good. He was gaunt with a shaved head and big beady eyes, he looked exactly like someone who ran drugs, which made it all the more amazing he had never been caught doing it.


    Venom, the stocky brusque woman, also had a shaved head, and was built like a brick wall. Yourichi had sent her along due to her being an avid poison user. She had been the fixer for the gang whenever someone needed to go, quietly into the night. Serpent tattoos and colourful deadly flowers covered her body. She was decent hand to hand with her physique, but mostly relied on thrown weapons and her poison.


    With Archer being a tank of sorts, and with Duels firepower at hand - the other two members had been picked for their utility and unorthodox skill set then for fighting. They had no idea what awaited them after all.


    They all affixed their masks, Duel grabbing Archer''s arm, Venom the other, while Needles grabbed around his neck. All bracing themselves for the ride. Apple was counting on them, and there was no way they''d let her down.


    Archer centered himself, took a deep breath, and then threw himself and his cargo from the docks, into the water. Using his abilities to flow quickly through the water. Picking one of the many gaping maws in the rockface of the island to swim through on random. Their tiny cobbled together air supply wouldn''t last more than a few minutes so Archer sped through, always heading up, ignoring any other diverting tunnels.


    With a minute or two to spare they all broke the surface in a small cavern. Three tunnels leading out of it, all on land. They all looked around warily, waiting for any kind of enemy action to their arrival.


    "Look!" Duel pointed to the side, grimacing. Less weapons on her than usual as she had to leave behind any weapon unable to handle being soaked.


    They all stared in unease at the morbid display in front of them. Human skeletons nailed to the side wall of the cavern, arranged as if they were dancing and cavorting around something.


    "Is anyone else having trouble seeing what is in the middle?" Needles asked, hissing as sudden pain flared in his head. His hand flew up to his forehead in confusion.


    Venom cleaned debris out of her long dark hair in confusion, her pink eyes going cloudy for a moment. "The middle¡­ Sorry, what did you ask?"


    Needles looked at her blankly, "What?"


    Duel cocked her head as if listening to something, shuddering for a second, almost staggering. "Hear. Bad." She let out, breathing heavily.


    Archer, who had been keeping his eyes closed ever since seeing something that screamed wrong to his senses, kept them closed as he grabbed his crew mates one by one, and exited the cavern. All of them snapped back to normal as they did, looking around with narrowed worried eyes, touching their weapons. Looking for something, anything, they could actually fight.


    "I don''t know what that was¡­ We need to be careful from now on. If any of us react strangely, one of us will need to snap them out of it, leave the room with them if necessary and we''ll take another way." Archer said slowly, still with his eyes closed. Thinking, trying to make sense of anything that''s happening.


    "That could take forever, if these things are around many caverns around here." Venom pointed out, spitting on the ground with distaste.


    "What. Choice." Duel said bitterly. Hands clutching weapons, eyes staring down the tunnel, trying to pierce through the dark.


    Needles rummaged around in his pack. Bringing out two bottles. "Worst case, I have some stuff here that could maybe prevent us from spacing out and getting stuck." He hesitated, rolling them between his fingers, "It''s not really healthy, definitely a last resort kind of thing." He warned.


    Archer nodded, opening his eyes. "We will continue on, no matter how many times we have to be redirected." He looked to Needles, "Save those until they are absolutely needed. I''ll trust you to decide when it''s necessary."


    "Yeah¡­ No pressure." Needles chuckled nervously as he put the bottles back in his pack.


    "We. Kill. Now¡­" Duel growled, looking tense. Only Archer''s calm presence kept her from going ahead.


    Archer smiled, "Yes. Let''s kill." He agreed darkly.


    With Yoruichi and co.


    Yoruichi didn''t want to freak out the crew with how anxious she was becoming for every minute they stayed here. So she put herself into the task of keeping everything in top top shape. Running the crew ragged with tasks, from cleaning to minor repairs, to duties with no real purpose except to keep them busy. Normally she''d have gotten some grumbles and whispered words of tyranny, yet today everyone seemed grateful for something to do.


    The problem with giving everyone else a job, became that she was standing alone, staring out into the island, no task for herself other than to keep watch and protect the ship. The atmosphere of this island made the hair rise on the back of her neck. Something here was utterly wrong.


    Unknown to her, underneath the ship, slowly, with crawling speed, blackened soggy limbs and silent gurgling, many beings were crawling up the hull. A dull gray webbed hand appeared over the water line, quietly attaching to the side of the ship, the being pulling itself further up. Followed by many more in all shapes and sizes.


    With Wire and co.


    Pie smashed through the house with eagerness, trying to catch whoever they had seen. Wire and the rest following behind, eyes watching for any movement, so they could pin down this illusive fucker. This was the third house they had followed someone to, only catching the sight of the edge of a cloak in their vision before they disappeared into another house.


    "Fucking hell, I hate it but we gotta split up! Catch this fucker before he slips to another house." Wire spat. He looked at Tears and Dice, "Go now, Pie will smash his way into the next house, you will be ready in front of the house after."


    Tears and Dice nodded and quickly took off as Pie roared in rage, sending a table flying out of the window. Their quarry had escaped again.


    "PIE! SMASH THE NEXT HOUSE!" Wire yelled, jogging off ahead to make sure their quarry didn''t try and slip to the side or double back or something now that they had a bead on its movements.


    Pie smashed through the walls of the house and it only took him a few running steps to arrive at and smash into the next one. Wire waited, tensely. He didn''t see anyone come out his way, he could hear Pie swearing, so their quarry wasn''t in the house. He ran to get behind it, to see if Dice and Tears had managed to corner their quarry before the next house. He skidded around the corner to see Dice and Tears standing with weapons drawn, looking unsure.


    Wire looked in front of them. "What the fuck!?" He shouted in horror. Water dripped off slimy grey skin, a rotten and wrong feeling emanating from it. The being now caught, standing there looking at them. The feeling of wrongness so strong no one launched an attack.


    With Archer and co.


    "There is something very wrong down here." Archer said, pale. As he stared at the pit of flesh in the cavern in front of him. The grey flesh pit pulsating with a strange purple light. Like a large strange mouth growing out of the floor. Human corpses laid inside of it, being transformed, gray pustules splattering over them every so often, a rotten and pungent stench following each time. Their bodies were deformed, faces turning into something¡­ Other.


    "Kill. With. Fire!?" Duel said urgently, hefting two grenades, looking at Archer for permission.


    Archer hesitated, the entire tunnel system, the further in they got, had this strange gray flesh running through the walls - until they were the walls, with gold like veins spread out, giving off its eerie light like a heartbeat. He wasn''t sure a grenade or two was going to cut it. Or whether it would bring the roof of the cave system down on them, if it did kill it. "We''re here for Apple¡­ Not whatever ¡­ This is¡­" He decided. He really wanted to destroy this place, but he had to think of the more important things. Apple, the crew with him. What would exploding this abomination do to the cave and them?


    "I disagree." Venom said, turned away from them, resolutely not looking at the gaping pit in the ground. Wiggling tentacles tasting the air as if aware they were there.


    Needles agreed vehemently, hiding behind Duel. And of course Duel wasn''t impressed with his decision. "Why?" She asked, squeezing the grenades in her hand angrily.


    Archer looked her in the eyes seriously. "What''s more important? This thing or Apple?"


    Duel scoffed, "Apple. Important." Then she pointed to the abomination pit. "That. Evil."


    Archer shook his head, "I choose Apple above all else, you all, above all else. We''re leaving."


    Before they could argue further the pit seemed to have a fit, the fleshy mass undulating back and forth. Before with a gush of vile black liquid, something came out of it. Standing up inside of it. The tentacles and feelers of the pit caressing it.


    "Told. So." Duel snarled, before throwing her grenades.


    Archer admitted if this was where these things were created he might have been a bit hasty, not that he''d admit that out loud necessarily. "No one take it for granted." He warned as he protected his face with one hand from the explosion.


    Sure enough, the explosion ended, revealing a charred but mostly undamaged enemy. Of course it couldn''t have been that easy. Archer thought aggravated.


    "Maybe I should have picked up a weapon¡­" Archer said seriously, as he prepared himself to fight the abomination in hand to hand.


    The pulsing light grew faster, the cavern seeming almost alive.


    £ª£ª£ª


    "Why!?" Tempest kick to the right, cutting through the attack, "Are there¡­" Jump above another one, use moonwalk to change direction suddenly and smack it away again, a large bruise forming on it. "So many¡­" Shave to the rest of the group all huddled together cutting away as best as they can at stray attacks, tackle the one that was going to knock them all over. "MOTHERFUCKING TENTACLES IN THIS FOREST!" He screamed, before one of the grey purplish appendages slammed into him midair, sending him through the underbrush and several trees. He panted as he lay upside down against a tree sturdy enough it finally stopped him. "It''s a pertinent god damn question!" He breathed out.


    They had been making good headway when all of a sudden with no warning, tentacles ranging from their size, to the size of small giants started attacking them, literally popping out of the ground. They resembled an octopus tentacle, down to the suction cups and everything. The difference lay in its sickly colour and the fact Kaito had to hit one several times to kill it, oh yeah and the fact they weren''t in the ocean... He hurriedly used shave to return to his crew members side, they had been doing well, but if they ended up the sole focus of the attack, they''d be unlikely to live.


    Except when he arrived it was to them standing in a triangle, facing outwards, panting heavily, and no tentacles in sight. "They can''t possibly have been scared away¡­" He said seriously as he landed in front of them. They were kind of winning as Kaito kept having to double back and protect the other three.


    Edge snorted tiredly, absolutely drenched in sweat. "I don''t know Captain, that girly scream when it knocked you for a loop was pretty scary."


    "Don''t you start now!" He said pointing at her, shaking his head rapidly. "I already have enough people on the crew to make fun of me!"


    Cloud rolled his eyes, wiping sweat off his brow, "You make fun of you, Captain¡­"


    "Should we try and move on? It might entice them to attack again, however." Saber asked, eying their surroundings warily. Weapons still held up. He obviously didn''t trust the sudden silence. Kaito didn''t either. It was weird, and it made him worry something worse was coming.


    "We have to move on, for A-!" He grabbed his head as a completely foreign sound made his head explode in pain. Through tearfilled eyes he saw his crew mates all falling to the forest floor, faces paralyzed in pain. He looked up, and gaped, slack jawed, through the pain. "A fucking Illithid! That''s cheating! This isn''t a crossover!" He screamed at the sky.


    Before darkness took him, he realized, it wasn''t. It was some horrible mismatch of an octopus and a human, cobbled together by someone who obviously had no idea how either worked.


    This knowledge didn''t assist him as he lost consciousness just as his crew members.


    The forest was completely silent once again.


    With Yoruichi.


    "Strike to kill! They''re not alive! Don''t hesitate!" Yoruichi roared, her sharp claws tearing straight through a shambling corpse - the body so wet and loose it practically disintegrated before her, the smell worse than anything she had ever experienced before.


    As a zoan her senses were stronger, and in her fully transformed state it was even stronger. She couldn''t fire out orders fast enough as she had to breathe through her mouth to not fall over retching immediately. The dank, rotten, foul stench of their attackers was almost more dangerous than the corpses themselves.


    Flexing her powerful legs she jumped onto the railing, tail swiping a octopus headed corpse of a small child off the railing and into the sea - before she scrambled up the rigging to get a better overlook of the ship. She tried very hard to not think about how many child sized abominations there were.


    How had the marines missed this? How had she never had a report? People missing in this magnitude¡­


    Her eyes immediately caught the issue currently facing them and she roared out another order, "Retreat into clusters! Everyone find a buddy! Sharpshooters into the back or find elevation, only target limbs and feet - slow them down, you can''t kill them!" She jumped down into a cluster of these soggy rotten undead, a whirling mess of claws and fangs as she severed the corpses into slimy pieces - allowing her crew members to disengage and reorientate themselves.


    She''d already sent Blackjack down to the brig - he''d be useless up here. She''d ordered him to let Buggy go if they got overwhelmed. The clown could at least save Blackjack if nothing else in his attempt to escape through the abominations.


    They were useless fighters really, just rushing straight in with no fighting skill or strategy apparent. What they had though was numbers. Still more were climbing up the side of the ship. And shooting them did nothing but make them a little less cohesive, more soggy - so already part of her crew were relegated to simply slowing down the approach - unable to put them down permanently.


    The deck was wet and slippery in blood and the viscera of the decomposing corpses they killed.


    They were never going to get this smell out of the ship¡­


    A silly stray thought to have, but when you had senses like Yoruichi did, then odor was of vital consequence on a ship. Kaito had given her a queer look at her instituting mandatory showers everyday. Like Yoruichi was the crazy one.


    Her crew mates were following her direction - clustering together in small groups, slowing down and taking down enemies in groups - protecting each other. But it was tiring work. Unsteady footing and the sheer terror of what they faced. Still they held strong. Their bond with each other proving stronger. These people had lived together and been raised together. They wouldn''t falter and let their friends be turned into that.


    Yoruichi threw herself back into the fight - seeing a flagging group that was being pushed back against the galley.


    They''d have to run out of corpses eventually.


    Right?


    With Wire and co.


    "You are resisting. Master do not like!" Came the screech from the man with an octopus for a head of all things, that stood before them. His black robes frayed and rotten, yellow skin visible, where it wasn''t patched with slimy pustules covered gray skin.


    "Are you seeing what I''m seeing? Cuz I don''t want to believe what I''m seeing!" Dice muttered with disgust.


    Tears spat on the ground, hefting his weapon. "The fact it''s so ugly just makes it easier doesn''t it?"


    "I was really hoping you were gonna say you didn''t see it¡­" Dice sighed, a reluctant smile coming to his lips, "I won''t be able to eat octopus ever again, mate."


    "Good, it''s disgusting anyway." Tears quickly fired back with a weak grin.


    "Fuck your master and fuck you! Where is Apple! Tell me right fucking now or I''ll tear you limb from limb and fuck you with each one you damn squidhead!" Wire roared suddenly, having built up into a rage, face red with anger, lips twisted into an expression of pure hatred.


    Dice and Tears knew him though, and could see the fear underneath. They shared a tentative look, grimacing. If corpses were turned into these things¡­ What has happened to Apple?


    The corpse in front of them shook with fury, screeching again, a bulbous finger three times the size it should be - pointed in their direction. "Master no like resist. Do the die. Do it!" It insisted loudly. "I number Two, have to do as say!" It stomped a foot angrily making a squelching sound.


    Wire uncoiled some of his razor sharp arsenal into his hands, "Dice, Tears¡­ Leave enough of the nice mister two to be able to still talk after." He growled, beginning an attack run at the stationary monstrosity.


    In a cloud of dust and a squelch of viscera, Pie came roaring through a wall, running straight into the monstrosity in front of them. The thing practically disintegrated in Pie''s hands as the gentle giant grabbed it and tore. Black bubbling blood splashing all over him as stumbled away from the ripped apart being.


    "Fuck, Pie I didn''t say for you to go in, dammit!" Wire cursed, running up to his crew mate. "Are you alright?" He spits down at the now very dead thing ripped apart at their feet. "Good riddance, but next time wait for me to signal you, alright, Pie?" He said, more gently.


    Pie blinked slowly, "Wire¡­Don''t feel¡­" He groaned, falling to his knees, retching, looking pale and sweaty. Then he simply fell down, not moving. Everything going unnaturally still.


    "Shit! Clean that black gunk off him! Maybe it''s poisoning him!" Wire ordered. Dice immediately tearing off his shirt and using it to try and clean off some of the black blood. With limited success.


    "Wire, incoming!" Tears called out with trepidation. Wire turned to see a slow shamble of corpses coming their way. At least two dozen. Perhaps more on the way.


    "Dice stay with Pie, he''s a fucking sitting duck like this!" He ordered as he glared at the incoming horde. "Tears I''m going to rip into them - you cover my back."


    "Or course, Wire. Just like in Durapest." Tears said with a tight grin.


    "You have a very different memory then me if this is like fucking Durapest." He muttered, slowly moving to meet the enemy.


    Kaito better have better luck then they are having.


    Because they''re shit out of it.


    Just as he thought so, one of the octopus corpses shambling their way shuddered, spasmed and seemingly got caught in seizures, before straightening up and screeching to the sky, "I no die! Master I like!"


    "Of course¡­" Wire bit out, a tingle of fear making its way down his spine. "I fucking hate Monday''s¡­"


    "It''s Friday." Tears felt the need to interject.


    "It feels like a fucking Monday¡­"


    "Wire, we don''t even work a normal work week, we''ve never technically worked, we don''t have Mondays like that."


    Wire flung a dagger into the head of one of the octopus men, side eyeing his crew mate. "You''re really interrupting a good bitchfest here, shut the fuck up with your logic!"


    "Alright¡­ It''s Monday."


    "Damn right it is!"


    "....Good day for someone else to die!" Tears said with a humorless chuckle.


    "....Damn right."


    Then the horde was closing in and there was no time for talking.


    £ª£ª£ª


    Kaito came into awareness slowly, a dull ache in the back of his head. The Ba-dum beat of a drumbeat was even louder now. It felt like his head was going to explode. He tried to rub his eyes since they hurt - and found that he couldn''t. His arms were locked to his side by a huge tentacle wrapped around him, only his head free.


    "What is it with this island and tentacles!" He growled out, shaking his head to try and make sense of what he could see around him.


    ¡­.No¡­ Still didn''t make any sense at all.


    He couldn''t see any of his crew mates. Saber, Edge and Cloud weren''t in here with him¡­ Wherever here was.


    The walls, floor and ceiling around him was this¡­ Gray matter, with golden veins pulsing through them to the beat of the drums. In front of him was a giant eye the size of his ship, taking up all the space to that side. A red eye staring at him.


    Kaito had a sinking feeling in his gut. That drum beat¡­. There was no Moria horde coming to ambush them. It was a heartbeat! This entire island¡­ Was the beast itself! The tentacles that so easily reached anywhere on the island! It was the island itself acting.


    "Ahh, comprehension setting in, I see." Drawled an amused voice from somewhere ahead of him. "Well even a lowborn such as yourself could gather as much here."


    Kaito squinted, with the giant eye taking up so much real estate it wasn''t easy to pick out the human walking his way at first. His vision kept being drawn to the giant eye, and couldn''t focus on the approaching man.


    When the man came closer, Kaito had trouble understanding what he was seeing. Because it didn''t make any sense!


    "What¡­ Is a Celestial Dragon¡­ Doing here!?" He grunted out, the tentacle constricting around him.


    "Oh, you recognize our kind, how quaint to find one of you vermin actually knowing instinctively the sight of your gods. I am Saint Jartal." The world noble said airily. Standing in front of Kaito in one of those ridiculous suits and air helmets that prevented them from having to breathe commoner air. The fat dark haired noble clicked his fingers and several dark suited men carried over a gilded throne, placing it in front of Kaito. Saint Jartal immediately sat down and appraised him with a smug grin on his face. "You know, no one ever made any trouble on this island, until you started running around making noise."


    "I am sorry for the inconvenience!" Kaito snarked, gritting his teeth. How were none of them affected by this wrongness he felt everywhere around them.


    "Oh it isn''t much of one, really. I was getting quite bored anyway you see. Some entertainment on the eve of takeoff to whet the appetite is actually just what I needed." Jartal said nonchalantly, leaning one leg over the other and peering curiously at Kaito. "I must say, the vermin here in east blue has been particularly pathetic - so you were a bit of a surprise."


    "Eve of takeoff? What is this place?" Kaito asked, perfectly happy to let the idiot noble keep talking while he tried to figure out how the hell he was going to get out of this situation. He could probably cut through the tentacle - but should he risk doing so with a celestial dragon so close? What if they had a direct line to Marineford. He could not afford an Admiral on his ass.


    That luck he had at the beginning of this journey really switched to amazingly bad one quickly.


    Like he knew he got his crew a bit easily, but to turn around and drop a Celestial Dragon in his lap was just bad juju. Overkill, fate or lady luck or whatever fucker runs this world. He thought angrily.


    "Oh well you see, this little beast here was found by one of my ancestors some hundreds of years ago, back then he was quite tiny of course." Jartal looked back at the giant eye watching their conversation and sighed, looking incredibly put out, "It''s really quite dumb you know, it took ages once it had grown to proper size to figure out how to use it properly." Jartal started counting on his fingers, quickly losing track, "Fifteen, how many years have I worked on this now?"


    One of the suited goons - the number 15, pinned to his hat, bowed low before the celestial dragon. "113 years, Saint Jartal-Sama."


    "You look well for your age." Kaito spat, twitching his fingers, finger gun while in a prone position like this would hurt like hell, but would puncture straight through this tentacle and give him an opportunity - he was just waiting for the right moment now.


    "Of course I do, I''m immortal now, thanks to the essence of this beast." Saint Jartal said smugly. "Oh it takes so many bodies to make enough essence for even one person, so that''s why I''ve relocated the beast here." He sniffed imperiously, "It''s not like anyone is really going to miss this little ocean anyway. And they''ll throw me a parade back home when I return after such a long absence with immortality to offer. I''ll be the god amongst gods!"


    Kaito couldn''t believe the tripe that was coming out of this fat bastard''s mouth. Kill the entire east blue! Even the marines wouldn''t be able to excuse a world noble doing that! Hell, Garp would come flying to kill the idiot himself, Admirals or cipher pols be damned. Immortality or not this wouldn''t ever work. Hells, did this idiot really expect everyone would just see his fat ass and bow down and let themselves die? Because there would be plenty of people in the sea that could take this island down.


    Arlong and his crew could probably do it. Let alone what people like Dragon and Garp could do. Fuck, Shanks would come over the calm belt and do it himself.


    "What did you do to the people you take! They''re not all dead! I met that¡­ Number four at the docks when we arrived." Kaito asked, fishing for information on Apple''s whereabouts and condition. And desperately hoping he''s not too late.


    Saint Jartal snorted, "Oh, those ones." He looked back to the giant eye again, "I told you it''s dumb did I not? Perhaps your inferior ears weren''t able to handle a god''s words¡­" He slumped in his seat slightly, looking bored. "Sometimes it fails at processing all the dead peasants, sometimes they survive, well not really," He amends quickly, "They''re dead, but still moving around. They can hear the beast, so we make use of them, give them a nice number, we''re down to only three now." He points at one of the goons, this one with the number 9. "Nine, which of the freaks are still left?"


    Obviously the freaks weren''t the only ones numbered. It takes a special kind of someone to spend over a hundred years with people and still not bothering to learn their names.


    Another low bow of obedience, immediately followed by the terrified voice of his agent, "Numbers 2, 3, and 4, Saint Jartal-Sama!"


    "No number one?" Kaito asked sarcastically.


    Saint Jartal looked confused for a moment. Seemingly thinking it over hard. Brows furrowed. The Celestial Dragon looked over at his still bowing agent. "Who was number one?"


    The agent hesitated for a moment, shaking as he answered, "You''re number one, sire¡­"


    Kaito smirked, "Fits, number one of the freak show. You''re no bearded lady but you could probably sub for the giant baby."


    Saint Jartal rose in his seat, fury on his face, "How dare you!" Quickly he turned to his now terrified agent, roaring at him, "You''ll go to the pit, let''s make a new number out of you for putting me in the same breath as those freaks!"


    "No! Wait! Saint Jartal-Sama! You were the one who told me you''re always number one because you''re the best and the most powerful god!" The agent begged, literally falling to his knees and begging.


    "You dare contradict me! Die!" Saint Jartal screamed, pulling out a pistol and firing at the agent. Actually managing to wound him but not fatally so.


    "This is just getting pathetic. Why are you all even following this tub of lard at this point?" Kaito chuckled, watching the few agents in the cavernous room freeze still. There weren''t many of them. Most have probably died over the years. Not to age, but to the whims of this moronic waste of DNA.


    To think the celestial dragons found a creature that would grow into island size and was capable of producing an elixir of life. And they were using it as some horror massacre machine in a dumb scheme. What they could have achieved if they''d just turned it over to Vegapunk. There was probably no reason for violent deaths. People could have come from all over to die in peace in their last days on this island and create possible cures to diseases and who knows what else.


    Probably for the best that it would all end here. This creature has only had celestial dragons to imitate. It would be a mercy to put it down. No wonder it felt so absolutely wrong and awful. It was literally the site of thousands upon thousands of dead over the last hundred years. It said something about the world nobles that Saint Jartal didn''t even seem to notice the effects.


    As Saint Jartal grew increasingly purple in the face in incandescent rage, his agents all stood shock still, not even the wounded agent daring to as much as breathe too loudly. All waiting for what the noble would do next.


    Kaito grimaced slightly, fingers ripping through the tentacle holding him, the beast letting him slip out of its grip for a moment as he shaved away to get some distance. Not sure where and how the beast can attack him here.


    He grinned at the screaming world noble that was firing at his own agents as motivation to make them go after him.


    "He''s been here with you for a hundred plus years¡­ He doesn''t have a direct line anymore. No Admiral back up. No one knows he''s here or that he''s even alive. Why do you allow him to do this to you?" Kaito grinned savagely, avoiding a finger gun attack from one of the dark suited goons, pushing him away, "DON''T YOU WANT TO BE FREE!?" He roared.


    As everyone stood still assessing each other. Even the beast not making a move. Kaito grinned savagely at the Celestial Dragon. He''d not been sure what exactly he wanted. Pirate king? Emperor?


    Did the title matter? Being on top?


    But he remembered now¡­ The nobles and their history of evil.


    He had his goal. Emperor or Pirate king - he was going to eradicate the Celestial Dragons!


    Every. Single. One.


    £ª£ª£ª

 Keep it simple, stupid!

    Kaito watched warily as the nut job Celestial Dragon seemed to miraculously calm down, even giggling slightly maniacally. The island beast was not making a move to attack Kaito as of yet, and neither were the agents, they were all not even looking at him, their stiff postures focused solely on Saint Jartal.


    These monsters in human skin¡­ These¡­ Dragons. Was there anything more foul in this world? Could even the likes of Blackbeard compare? Kaito thought, preparing himself for quick action when it would become necessary. This man could not be allowed to leave here alive. No matter what happened to them, he would kill Saint Jartal. That is a promise.


    "What''s so funny?" He asked quietly, flexing his fingers, it would be a difficult fight. Taking on these many agents, even if they were rusty as hell and weakened by their long subservient lifestyle. And fighting quite literally in the belly of the beast wouldn''t make things easier. That''s fine.


    He had a lot of anger to work out right now. A challenge sounded just fine!


    Jartal smiled slowly, with more than a touch of insanity. "Oh, I forgot to mention, didn''t I? That sometimes¡­ We dip people alive into the blood of the creature." He shrugged, shoulders shaking and twitching weirdly after, "Sometimes I''d get bored and just try new things, it''s very corrupting, and deadly. Drives them insane eventually. And dead. Very dead." Jartal put a hand to his head, laughing quietly to himself, before it rose slowly into a crescendo, the man''s eyes wide and maniacal as he just howled with laughter. "Where do you think your friends are? You lowlife worm?"


    Kaito froze, as dread filled his entire being. He just stared at the fat noble. "You didn''t¡­" He managed to grit out, hatred flowing out of him so intensely it was almost like a cloak of shadow flared up behind him, looming over them all as Kaito glared at the soon to be dead monster. And he''d get to the creature after that too! No one touched his crew!


    As far as he was concerned, Whitebeard was the sanest man in One Piece. You touch his family, he''ll destroy everything you have and are - to protect them. Kaito intended to live up to that. And this fat toad¡­ If any of them died¡­


    Kaito didn''t even know them that well yet¡­ But they were his! His crew. His Nakama! He''d paint the seas in dragon blood!


    The oppressive air around Kaito grew fiercer, some agents stumbling back as Kaito''s intent took literal life before them - promising to render them apart.


    The loony noble clapped his hands excitedly, not appearing to take any notice of the absolutely deadly intent facing him. "Oh do bring them out, let''s have a reunion shall we?" He looked at no one in particular, face twitching, "Reunions are SO much fun!" He clapped his hands again at a rapid pace, bouncing in place.


    Kaito twitched as part of the fleshy wall simply parted to his left, his muscles tensing as he watched the agents for any movements. In case this was all just a ruse to make him drop his guard.


    Out of the hole came Saber, Cloud and Edge. All still holding their weapons, but their eyes blank and unseeing. Some black ooze gunk attached to their heads and bodies. Pulsing with the heartbeat of the creature. Their skin was so pale that for a minute he almost thought they were actually dead.


    It felt like his heart stopped for a moment there, as he watched them, looking for any sign of life. The creature''s heartbeat loud in his ear, Ba-dum, Ba-dum.


    Wordlessly and silently they turned towards Kaito and raised their weapons. It was twitchy and jerky. Like they were fighting it. A small flame of hope flared to life in Kaito''s chest.


    There could still be a chance.


    Saint Jartal cackled appreciatively as he peered at Kaito''s enraged face, "Oh it''s always such a treat watching people kill their friends and family to survive. Almost makes me feel like I''m back in Mariejois again." He flicked a hand magnanimously, "Do entertain me, boy, you''ll live a little longer."


    "I really hope you''re actually immortal¡­" Kaito swore, eyes almost glowing, he was holding in so much anger, it felt like his veins were burning. He was running that hot, "Because I don''t want you to die too quickly!" He shouted viciously, as he exploded forward towards the World Noble, a wall of tentacles and several agents blocking his path.


    £ª£ª£ª


    With Wire, Tears, Dice and Pie.


    "How''s Pie?" Wire shouted with frustration, slicing through an outstretched soggy arm, kicking the body away, he was drenched in sweat, but thankfully not yet blood. These things were slow as fuck, but plentiful. He didn''t want to think on how many fucking bodies there were, because then he''d have to think of where they came from. He resolutely cut the head off the corpse of a child attacking him, feeling bile coming, even knowing she was already dead, children¡­ These. Absolute. Fuckers!


    Let Davy Jones fuck em with a mast for doing this to kids! He thought, feeling a mixture of deep weary sadness and burning rage at the sight of the already defeated corpses of children.


    Only positive thing was that the corpses attacking them were so rotted through, they didn''t splatter any blood on them - it seemed only that octopus freak bled that weird black gunk.


    Wire would already have nightmares, he didn''t need to add blood splatter to the horror of chopping up dead kids.


    "I can''t get all this shit off him, I think he''s waking up, though!" Came the shouted reply from Dice.


    About fucking time, gonna tell that lughead no more pies if he''s gonna sleep on the damn job like that! Wire thought, a measure of relief easing his shoulders at hearing the big idiot was waking up.


    "Good, we could use him." Tears grunted from Wires back, slicing through another iteration of the octopus man. The thing falling apart into goo once the head was dealt with. Tears shuddered, kicking out with a leg and breaking the leg of the corpse trying to flank them - marginally inconveniencing it. "This is just not what I expected when going out to sea!" He grunted. Finishing off the corpse by cutting its head off - the sure fire way to finish them it seemed.


    "Fucking octopus are fish ain''t they?" Wire grunted, slicing through a myriad of limbs reaching for him by interconnecting several razor sharp wires in front of him, using the sturdy leather armbands on his arms to hold it together. "And they''re thinning, we almost got this. Fucking finally."


    "Stop die! I no Die! You Die!" Another corpse turned into the speech impediment octopus - to Wire and Tears frustration.


    "When we run out of corpses, maybe that thing will finally go away!" Tears growled viciously, sending a dagger into its head, the screeching mercifully stopped, for now. "At least it''s completely useless at fighting."


    "They all are, if there weren''t so fucking many of them this would be easy." Wire complained sourly.


    A sudden yelp and thud alerted them to something going on behind them. They shared a glance, they were secure enough from the corpses, with only a few left, and they turned to look. Both cursed simultaneously as they spotted Dice gingerly getting up from where he''d been tossed.


    "What the fuck?" Wire groaned. "This better be fucking fixable!"


    "I know." Dice said tiredly. Dusting off his clothes. "You know¡­ This is the shit that happens when you gotta say something''s not difficult enough, Wire."


    "At least I didn''t say it was motherfucking quiet!" Wire protested, already grimacing at the prospect of what was in front of them.


    "That''s¡­ Going to be more difficult to fight." Tears said softly. A pained look on his face.


    They all watched Pie roar to the sky, eyes blank, the black gunk pulsing around his head. It was beyond obvious that Pie wasn''t the one running things anymore.


    "Dice, Tears. You gotta delay him, pin him down." Wire said grimly, eyeing the few remaining corpses and the once again furious and retarded octopus man screeching his nonsense at them. "I''ll deal with this trash and then come help."


    "What if it''s¡­ Permanent." Dice quietly asked what they all feared.


    "It''s fucking not." Wire bit out, a vein pulsing on his head visibly, as rage all but poured out of his every breath.


    "Wire¡­" Tears said, trying to lay a hand on his shoulder, only to have the hand slapped away. Wire glaring at him.


    "I say it''s fucking not. So it''s not! Got it!"


    He felt a rage he hadn''t felt in years,


    "He''s one of us!"


    Flashback


    "Wire!"


    Wire turned around irritably, scratching at his latest addition, his wire tattoos finally starting to spread out properly over his body like he''d envisioned it when he took the name. "What the fuck do you want?" He spat out, seeing one of his crew making his way through the crowd at the busy port. He was fairly new, and had decided on tear drops of all things for a tattoo. Fucking weirdo.


    That''s what they get for taking in someone like him. Fucking merchant boy trying to slum it up, tch!


    "Dice said you''d want to see it." The boy, who''d taken the name Tears, panted out, as he arrived by Wire''s side. Pushing sailors out of the way. Wincing as he held his side gingerly. Someone hadn''t taken kindly to being pushed, it appeared.


    No one ever cared about smacking a kid around. Fuckers.


    That''s why you don''t fucking run through a massive crowd of sailors coming on land for shore leave, Wire thought uncharitably, but held his tongue. For a second. "What are you fucking doing running around like a jackass for!" Wire grumbled at the fool, quickly checking his side over while the dumbass grinned stupidly at him. "Hmpfh, you''re fine, fucking crybaby."


    He''d make sure the kid got checked over just in case anyway. Not cuz he cared or anything. Just a waste to have him have a broken rib or something. Kids were too dumb to realize that shit.


    "Dice said you would want to see what''s going on by the port!" Tears said, looking pathetically proud to have achieved a task.


    "Tch. What part of the port?" Wire groaned, running a hand across his shortly cropped hair, so not in the mood to traverse the mass of humanity. They never paid particular attention to teenagers - unless it was to give them a whack. Or worse.


    Wire had spent a lot of time lately teaching people that ''worse'' got retaliation now. It was slowly working. Too slowly.


    Adults were fucking dumb.


    "Over by Genson''s turf." Tears said, falling into step next to Wire as he began to push people away, the two of them heading in the opposite direction of the throng of sailors coming ashore. The tattoos finally gave Wire more of a dangerous look, and he hardly got any bruises at all this time.


    "Why the fuck is Dice anywhere near Genson''s turf? The bosses don''t like it, not after what he did to the last couple kids¡­" Wire asked, scowling fiercely.


    If he had his say, Genson and his ilk would be fish food, and they''d expand their own turf as a lucky bonus. Bosses had an agreement though, and as long as Genson didn''t touch (their) kids, they left him alone.


    It pissed Wire the fuck off. He''d happily stab some fucker in the face any day. But kids, he didn''t give a fuck if they were civvies or not. They were untouchable.


    Except of course no one else fucking agreed obviously, or this whole gang of lost and beaten brats wouldn''t exist.


    Lost and beaten were the well adjusted lucky ones¡­


    Fucking world was shit, and it only gave you shit, it was up to people like Wire to dig through the shit and find something worth living for. Or so he liked to think. He needed some reason to not give up and just murder every damn adult around who didn''t give a fuck!


    The bosses were growing fat on deals with Gerson, cuz the prick controlled a third of the underground trade in the port. So they wanted to maintain the fucking status quo. Cuz it made them money.


    Like dead kids was a fucking thing to get used to. Like a notation on a spreadsheet. Weighing the dead kids against profit - and the kids always lost.


    And fuck, Wire was just a dumb kid for suggesting they take over his share, then they''d still make their god damn money - he fucking hated adults. They were all shit.


    "Dice better have a good reason for this fucking crap, Tears¡­" He warned, teeth grinding together as they neared the more run down part of the port. Where the ships who were less official could get a dock without too many questions.


    All to Gerson''s fucking benefit. The fat fuck. Even the marines looked the other way - growing fat off his bribes.


    Tears grimaced slightly at that, "He didn''t seem happy." He hedged. The smile slipped off his face when Wire sent him a dubious look. "Like really not happy."


    "Yeah, well he''s about to be fucking really unhappy when I get a hold of him¡­" Wire muttered.


    Within another few minutes they''d made it to the scrap yard in Gerson''s turf, stopping right before it, not crossing over. Wire stomped over to the metal sheeting that marked the boundary, Dice standing right next to it, looking apprehensive as Wire came closer.


    "Before you rant at me, just look over into the yard, Wire!" The youth begged him. Looking queasy.


    Wire chewed his lip angrily, "We''re still gonna fucking talk about what you were doing here after!" He warned gruffly. Swiftly leaning around the metal sheeting to look into the scrap yard. Looking for what got Dice desperate enough to send the newbie for him.


    It didn''t take long to see what had made him call him over. In the middle of the yard was a giant of a kid, chained by both legs to poles lodged into the ground. The kid had cuts and bruises all over and had an absolutely dead look. Wire recognized it easily, he''d seen it too many times. A kid that just had given up completely. He felt the rage build up inside him.


    Gerson''s men were bringing him steel that he was banging flat with his fucking bare hands. They were using a kid as a fucking chained up and beaten slave - to save them an hour with tools!


    "Dice¡­ Take Tears and gather up those I told you about," He grabbed the kids collar before he could run off, looking him straight in the eye, seriously, "Only those, get it?" Last thing they needed was someone running off to the bosses and stopping this shit getting sorted because of money - of all worthless fucking things.


    "Aye, Wire." Dice said solemnly. Grabbing Tears the moment Wire let go, rushing off to gather up the few that Wire could absolutely trust when it came to kids.


    Mostly only those around his age he''d gathered up the last couple years, but there were a few old timers who weren''t absolute shit, like Saber, that might give a hand. And keep it fucking quiet.


    Seeing the men go back inside to grab more steel, Wire climbed over the divide, strolling up to the chained up kid. "Yo, my name''s Wire, I''m gonna get you out of here, alright, kid?" He said casually but to the point, never being one seeing the point in talking around things.


    Also people freaked the fuck out if he tried small talk, so he stopped doing it. It just got fucking annoying to deal with.


    The giant ass kid just looked up at him dumbly, blinking slowly. Not replying. Just staring at him like he couldn''t understand what was in front of him.


    Like god damn, fuck all adults, Wire thought angrily.


    Wire crouched down, examining the chains, scowling as he realized the skin around the kids'' ankles were purple. "Anything you like more than anything? Something you want more than anything when you get out of here, kid?" He asked, trying to sound nice, but his voice wasn''t really meant for it. He scowled down at the detestable chains. Where was fucking Apple when he needed her? She''d be like an ant to this guy - hardly threatening.


    Also she was pretty good at talking to people. Better than he was.


    The kid stared down at him, eyes no longer so blank, but still terribly uncomprehending of the situation, or at being talked to like a human. Eventually he quietly muttered out one word. A soft wistfulness to it, "Pie¡­"


    Wire attempted a smile, "Pie, alright then, we''re gonna get you the biggest juiciest Pie there is, you can bet on it." His rage was further stoked, the flames fed, as the kid gave him a shy smile, disbelief and such naked hope on his face¡­


    At least it meant the kid hadn''t fully given up yet¡­ Those kids usually never made it, even after being saved. This was good. Fucking excellent actually.


    "What the fuck! You''re that troublesome brat again! You were told to stay outta here kid." One of the men had returned. And he wasn''t happy. Drawing a short sword and waving it around menacingly.


    Wire cracked his knuckles, "Alright friendly giant, I need you to close your eyes, alright." So used to obeying, the kid did so immediately.


    Wire turned towards the approaching man. Part of him needed the gang to get here ASAP! To back him up and dismantle this whole operation.


    The other part. Wondered if when they got here¡­ Would he even have left them anything to do anyway? He was burning hot. He pulled a dagger and a coil of razor sharp wire out of his pouch. He grinned sharply at the approaching man, spotting two more following. "Name''s Wire, you rancid feet sucking swine!" He shouted as he rushed the first man. "And you ain''t gonna live to regret this!"


    3 hours later, Wire would be sitting alone in the middle of a roaring party. Swathed in bandages. Holding his face in his hands, trying to not laugh where people could see. Because really?


    The damn brat had proudly named himself Pie. To raucous cheers from the others. Apple was already sketching out his first damn tattoo.


    These brats.


    Honestly he hated all of them.


    He wrapped the bandages around his jaw tighter to hide the grin. Hated them, really.


    Flashback end.


    "There isn''t any other choice. We ain''t fucking giving up on him, ya hear me you fuckers!? Wire shouted out hoarsely. " ''Til the end! We ain''t ever given up, we ain''t gonna fucking start!"


    " ''Til the end, mate." Dice said grimly, cracking his knuckles.


    " ''Til the end!" Tears cheered with a proud grin, wiping mud and grime off his face.


    "Now, Pie. This is going to hurt us¡­ A lot more than you¡­" Dice said with a sigh, moving in to constrain the out of control giant of a man, Tears following in on his flank.


    They''d never given up on each other before. They weren''t going to start now.


    £ª£ª£ª


    With Archer, Duel, Venom and Needles.


    Archer would readily admit he was a bit of a berserker at times, when his blood got flowing he''d toss himself straight into the midst of the action without hesitation.


    Yet if anything, for the first time in his life, he was fighting while feeling completely and utterly cold. He couldn''t get his blood pumping fighting this abomination. There was no joy in the meeting of fists to be had, no satisfaction in the art of combat. Of outwitting or out powering his foe.


    The others had immediately been tied down by corpses falling out of the walls, splits seamlessly opening up to spit them out, before closing again. Those rotten and sodden monstrosities were easily dispatched to someone like him - the problem lay in their vast numbers and continuous advance, although another problem was in Venom and Needles being disadvantaged slightly. They were not the kind of fighters to put them down permanently as easily as he and Duel could. Poison and thrown weapons were not ideal for fighting corpses.


    They were doing their best, and with Duel blowing up anything that got near them, they were at least holding steady. Even if they were not making much progress. Duel had to hold back to not risk hitting Archer - as he went all over the caverns in his hand to hand battle with the abomination.


    Archer couldn''t assist them and end things. Because of this thing, this corpse, with not only an octopus head, but a gaping bestial maw growing out of its chest as well, just wouldn''t stay down. Neither did it seem to be disadvantaged by any damage it received.


    Duel''s best grenades had slightly scorched it. But that had been it for damages, you''d think a corpse would be more flammable! Archer had punched the living hell out of it, it wasn''t a good fighter, more like a wild animal, but one with massive strength and stamina. And yet he''d not been able to put it down.


    It was time to utilize a bit more power. And a more focused and precise strike. End it in one move.


    Archer sank into a stance, lowering his center of gravity, cocking his right arm back, feeling the moisture of the air inside the undersea cavern, twisting the water particles just so, to smooth his way as he launched a strike as the abomination drew close again. Fortunately for Archer, it was heading straight towards him with no concept of strategy or ability to fear.


    His punch seemed to blur across the space, the air whistling as if a wind cannon went off inside the tightly confined caverns. The abomination''s head was blown clear off and disintegrated, the abomination''s arms latching onto Archer in some last ditch attempt to reach him.


    "Hah! Finally got you!" Archer cheered, it had been a frustrating ten minutes of pounding on this thing while his crew members fought a horde of undead on their own. Every blow was absorbed. Until now. The corpse no longer tried to attack him, just hung there. He''d won.


    Archer turned to Duel, uncaring off the cold and clammy grip the headless corpse still had on him, getting rid of the head killed the things, he''d noticed from the others fights "Duel, fall back with the others, I''ll clear this horde up in a heartbeat!"


    "Watch!" Duel screamed hoarsely. Already lifting a pistol to fire past him, Archer, cursing his own mistake, turned back to the corpse holding him, just in time for the maw on its chest to vomit a flood of black ooze all over him.


    He shouldn''t have let his guard down..


    "What¡­Is¡­" Archer began, before it felt like he was drowning, the words failing him. He was sinking, he tried to reach for the surface, but he felt weak, he couldn''t breathe, he was going under, deep into the darkness, the light faded¡­.


    Yoruichi¡­ Was the last sigh let out, before there were no more thoughts.


    Duel wanted to scream with frustration as she saw Archer turn their way, eyes blank, the black ooze covering his body pulsing in time with the veins on the fleshy walls of the cavern.  "Fool!" She spat out, not really meaning it, but with a lack of anything better to say about their situation.


    She suddenly wished Wire was here to properly curse about their situation. Their best fighter suddenly being taken over by the enemy by all accounts seemed a good time for cursing.


    "This¡­ Isn''t a good situation." Needles said nervously. And, Duel thought somewhat uncharitably, needlessly obvious.


    Venom side eyed him, "Can your little bottles help him?" She asked quickly, remembering the offer the man had made in case any of them started losing it in this cavern.


    A remedy to get their mind back straight, one not healthy for them, but a use in emergency kind of back up plan. This seemed like an emergency.


    Needles narrowed his eyes, hands nervously reaching for said bottles. "I don''t know¡­ But what other options do we have?"


    "Time? Delivery?" Duel asked quickly, before bashing the skull of one of the undead in with the butt end of her pistol. Kicking the corpse towards the approaching group of undead, bowling them all over. It wouldn''t stop them, but any delay helped right now.


    Needles chuckled darkly, "Oh it will work quickly¡­ But how we''re going to get it into him is another matter!"


    Venom slid him a couple throwing knives immediately, "Coat them, I''ll get it into his bloodstream." She said shortly. Stealing a grenade off Duels belts and bouncing it off the ceiling over Archer''s head - to impact the corpses approaching from that direction, and blowing them into a mess of limbs. "The sooner the better¡­" She said clippedly, as Needles stared at the carnage nervously.


    Duel suddenly gave Venom the rest of her grenades, stepping in front of them, cracking her knuckles, a resigned but determined look on her face. Venom and Needless looked past her and gulped, it seemed Archer was over the fugue of being taken over, and was going to attack.


    "Hurry." Duel ordered grimly. Raising her fists in front of her face.


    £ª£ª£ª


    "C''mon, C''mon!" Apple grunted quietly, tongue sticking out of her mouth as she concentrated. She''d managed to get a large chip of bone out of the one she''d been so generously gifted, by the freaky number three. And she was currently trying to pick the lock to her cage with it.


    She really regretted all those days reading manga and drawing instead of attending lock picking lessons. She''d have to actually suck it up and apologize to Wire.


    She shuddered suddenly. Hands still holding steady as they worked, no, on second thought, telling Wire anything was off the table. She''d just have to practice. In private. Where Wire will never ever hear about it.


    She''ll cut an hour out of her drawing time to practice¡­ Alright, thirty minutes¡­


    Ten minutes a day should do it right?


    She''d seen many things in her life so far, including apparently now a tentacle monster¡­ Which was going to make her dreams a bit strange, going forward. But a smug Wire she would not allow! Not at her expense anyway.


    A sudden click heralded her victory and she slowly pushed the door of the cage open, wincing at the noise it made. She got out carefully, letting out a whimper as she could finally stretch out, her legs and feet on pins and needles as blood rushed back.


    She eyed the area around her warily. One hand drawing a plain dagger, she hadn''t bothered to arm up for a supposed tourist visit, so it was all she had that had made it through her impromptu underwater trip. It had been too big for the lock - so she was ultimately lucky she''d been given the bone. And that she''d brought her dagger, so she could get a chip small enough out.


    She found no sign of Mister three, or of any tentacles. So she slowly started making her way out of the cavern, dagger held warily in front of her. Like so many of their crew, she was definitely better at long range then close up, although she was handy with daggers for when she needed to.


    As they''d all grown up as child criminals - getting in close was usually to their detriment. Under Wires tutelage they''d developed better sniping skills. Whether by knives or guns. Funny really. Since Wire actually preferred to get in close and bloody.


    At least she didn''t have to suffer through being rescued like some helpless little damsel in distress. Apple was a strong independent woman dammit! She bit her lip as she peered around the corner towards the next passage. Although now that she wasn''t officially locked up anymore¡­ It would be kind of nice if someone could come to help¡­ Just to keep her company.


    You know, to make the absolute silence and freaky ambiance more companionable.


    She turned abruptly, slicing out with the dagger, heart beating impossibly fast. She was sure she''d heard someone just behind her - or something. She nervously tucked some hair behind her ear, grasping the dagger with white knuckles. Moving slowly down the passage. Ears twitching, listening for any sound.


    She found nothing, and she allowed herself a small breath, before continuing on. One careful step at a time.


    Behind her, hidden by a sudden partition in the flesh wall. A corpse that had survived longer than most ever had under the influence of the island, shook in silent laughter.


    As the girl turned a corner, heading towards the wrong area by picking the passageway to the right. He/it shook in rage, "Wrong way! Three will find the way, oh the way will be clear!"


    The painted skull leered at the back of the girl as he/it popped out of the wall and peeked around the corner.


    "To the heart!"


    Apple never noticed, even as cautious as she was, when the passage ahead of her slowly rearranged itself to lead her around and back towards the left side.


    To the heart.


    £ª£ª£ª


    With Yoruichi.


    "We''re winning!" Yoruichi roared, stomping on the skull of one of the undead, crushing it, the flailing body stopping all motion as soon as the head was crushed. "Don''t stop, keep it up! The end is near!" She kept shouting, swiftly moving to tear the head off one of the octopus abominations that was haranguing a group of her flagging crew mates. It was tiring work, their footing slippery from the slime and viscera of the corpses they kept crushing.


    "Behind you!" Came a shout, and a short sword of all things, flashed over her shoulder, coming to a stop with a squelch in the face of a corpse. Sticking out of the left eye. Yoruichi immediately pivoted, grasping the sword with one claw and ripping it through the head of the corpse, killing it.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Thanks!" She shouted back, taking the opportunity to throw the sword with enough force - another corpse was nailed to the main mast, hopelessly struggling, its soft soggy skin not having enough purchase to rip the weapon out with as much force as it had pierced the things head to the mast. Swords weren''t normally throwing weapons - but if someone could throw it to help her out, why not replicate it, seemed successful enough. Also saved her claws from getting more muck on them.


    She''d need all the baths after this. Ugh, the smell was never going to leave her fur.


    "That was kickass!" Blackjack shouted excitedly. And Yoruichi turned around immediately with a snarl. Because what the fuck was he doing up here!


    "Get back down to the brig you little brat!" She roared. A corpse tried to catch her by her long hair - present even in Zoan form, she gave it a disdainful look, grasping its skull between both claws, her powerful Zoan muscles making easy work of it - as she crushed the skull like a grape. The refuse falling to the deck, as she turned her attention once again to the annoying kid disobeying her order. "Blackjack! If you don''t get down there right now!" She growled. It was a growl. She refused to say, hissed.


    "Okay, okay, I was helping, you know!" The kid had the audaciousness to pout. Yoruichi wanted to cuddle up to him just as much as she wanted to jump over there and pick him up by the scruff of his neck and shake him until he stopped being stupid.


    "Yoruichi behind you!" Blackjack suddenly screamed, reaching into his jacket for weapons as a shadow loomed over her.


    Yoruichi moved swiftly to avoid whatever Blackjack had seen, throwing herself through the air, trying to reorient herself to see her attacker. Only to see the shadow move towards Blackjack.


    Steel flashed through the sky as several knives sank into flesh. It was useless. Like mosquito bites. Blackjack cried out in fear and anger as the tentacle descended, more knives flashing through the air, unerringly on target, but failing to stop it.


    Yoruichi arrived in a flash, muscles straining as she held back the slimy flesh, stopping it from swatting Blackjack like a fly. "Get back downstairs! Now!" She managed to get out through gritted teeth. Blackjack scampering down the stairs, white faced.


    Yoruichi groaned as the tentacle pushed, the strain incredible, rarely had she ever found anything she could not hold against - Zoan muscles were not something to scoff at. But she was slowly losing this fight. Her feet cracked the floorboards of the deck slightly as she was pushed further down. She looked around her, breath coming in heavy gasps. The crew was winning. The horde had almost thinned out completely. There were no more apparent reinforcements.


    It was up to her. She needed to stop this beast from crushing their ship. She roared in defiance, claws sinking into octopus flesh. She pushed back with all that she had. And slowly. Marginally. The tentacle was raised up.


    Yoruichi glared up at it, golden eyes fierce, "I will NOT bend!" She shouted at it. She could hear more than she saw - weapons from the crew being thrown and fired into the tentacle. They were backing her up. She felt renewed energy, pushing with all her might, the tentacle lifting slightly more again.


    Suddenly it lifted off completely, Yoruichi quickly detaching her claws, leaving her completely off balance, stumbling, as the heavy weight disappeared off her completely.


    Which is why she didn''t get away in time as another, smaller tentacle, came over the railing to wrap around her waist. And pulled her over and into the sea, before she could put up much of a fight.


    The panicked cries of the crew, the last thing she heard before the effects of the sea on a Zoan user rendered her unconscious.


    £ª£ª£ª


    Four stood at the center of it all. Hands behind his back, eyes closed. As he listened to his master. Not the fat monster that had once turned him into this as a way to try and make him suffer - no not that one.


    His god.


    The god that had granted him immortality, and the wisdom to see the folly in petty human concerns. In such ridiculous notions as love and family, peace and freedom.


    His god was true. There was only hunger. And a world to devour. That was the primal basis of nature. Hunger. Survival. Only his god truly understood life and death. That''s why only he could grant immortality.


    Some of the humans had entered near the entrance to the heart from under the water. They hadn''t understood. They''d shied away from the truth, became jumbled - ran away. Had refused to accept it. To let the god into their being. Like he had.


    It''s why he had retained more of a sense of self. To better serve. His utter acceptance of his god and master.


    Two had been a failed experiment. Three had some uses - but alas failed as well¡­ But he. He, number four. He had succeeded. His god had made him anew. And had given him eternal life. One barely counted - even if that noble still lived - he was hardly a success. Using his control to succeed.


    The other numbers after them had been faulty by design - and had eventually died out. Either due to their own idiocy or to the people that sometimes fought back when they were in the trap. Number Four did not need any more of their kind. His god had him, and he had his god.


    The noble had the means still to control his god unfortunately, the only way he''d been able to survive the process to become immortal - by making his god do it. That was unacceptable. Four could not defeat him and his guards, however. He did not become reborn with any new skills - the agents were beyond him.


    He had a good feeling about these pirates though¡­ And as soon as that noble fell¡­ They would be the first sacrifices to allow their god to procreate. To spread across the seas. With Four as their loyal steward.


    His smile stretched his thin skin as a black skinned unconscious woman was brought through the water and unceremoniously dumped onto the altar. Pretty he supposed, if one still cared about the superficial. Fitting however for her role. His god deserved the best.


    He moved to restrain her. They still had one more sacrifice needed after all. And these ones had proved to have some strength to them.


    They''d soon have their second sacrifice arriving.


    After all, you needed two to make a baby. Even an eldritch beast that had grown into a God - knew those particulars.


    Pity that Three also had a female, it would make the process so much more painful. For them.


    Four could handle it though.


    Yes. Everything was going according to the plan.


    He tilted his head, smile widening as he listened to his God again.


    The wall in front of him thick with mucus and slime, a beating sound thrumming from behind it, part of an impossible sized heart pressed up against the wall.


    At the heart. They would be born anew.


    And the seas would finally see the light.


    Eat or be eaten.


    Nature as dictated by God!


    £ª£ª£ª


    Duel and co.


    "Not. Cool." Duel grumbled, working her jaw gingerly. Somehow she hadn''t lost a tooth there - or broken her jaw. She''d managed to roll with the punch enough to avoid it, thankfully.


    Somehow. Because Archer punched like a sea king on steroids. The only thing keeping Duel alive was that he''d lost all sense of strategy or martial arts ability - and was now just rushing her head on to beat on her. Whatever controlled him now was nothing more than a wild beast.


    Duel ducked under another strike, dealing her own blow to the man''s rib cage. Hissing as she pulled back, shaking her hand slightly. The man was just impossibly thick, even though he didn''t look like a complete muscle head - his muscles were so hard and well trained it was like punching steel. She scowled. Even as a light dusting of pink ran across her cheeks. Any other time she''d have a grand time running her hands across that kind of muscle¡­


    She shook her head. Focus, Duel! She scolded herself, barely missing getting her clock cleaned, sliding down onto her knees and rolling left, avoiding a stomp that shook the cavern and would have no doubt killed her if it landed. Or at the very least pulverized bone.


    She tried a kick to the man''s knee, but only succeeded in hurting her foot, while bizarro Archer simply tanked the hit. She got back on her feet after another roll away from his retaliation. Annoyed. She was a decent hand to hand fighter. Had fought in the cage matches often enough. But Archer was just built too tough - she mostly handled weapons. She hadn''t trained her hands and feet to punch through steel.


    She rolled her shoulders and put her fists up again, determinedly, she''d have to train a bit more. Maybe Archer would be willing¡­ She thought briefly, before tossing the thought away, she needed to stop being distracted like that. She didn''t need to act like Kaito.


    She made a face, punching away one of Archer''s strikes. Wincing at the pain in her fist. Definitely a broken knuckle now. Well, thinking of it like that sure poured cold water over those thoughts¡­


    "Time?" She barked out, dripping in sweat, and with muscles protesting in pain at all the effort she''d forced into them - to avoid Archer getting a clean hit and ending the fight.


    "Doing this at the same time as fighting zombies isn''t easy, Duel!" Venom snarled, knocking a corpse down and proceeding to bash its head in repeatedly with the end of one of her daggers. Until the skull was completely crushed. "Needles? Could really use some good news!" She snapped, eying the remaining undead with trepidation.


    "Think. This. Easy!" Duel snarled back, just barely avoiding a strike that tore a hole in the fleshy wall. Grimacing as slimy fluids gushed all over her, coating her, thankfully not that black gooey stuff, that''s all they needed now, for her to be controlled too. "Disgusting." She groaned, the fight wasn''t going well. The fact she couldn''t punch Archer in the face without risking getting the black crap on herself was limiting her substantially as well. He was built too tough, she needed to rattle his brain to have any chance - but she couldn''t risk punching him in the face and getting taken over herself.


    "I got it!" Needles cried out quickly, handing a couple knives to Venom, while holding one of his own, "Now quick, before they rush us again!" He said nervously, before seeming to calm as he lifted the throwing knife, getting into the zone. Eyes zeroing in on Archer and Duels fight.


    Luckily for the group, Archer literally seemed mindless. Simply fighting on, which stopped him from running over and crushing the weaker fighters while they made ready. Duel knew what she''d need to do. The best way to end this. She''d need to get Archer to stand still for one moment. Mindless as he was, he still had the ability of a beast to avoid danger, and dodge. They couldn''t afford to try a second chance at this. It needed to work the first time.


    "I. STOP. YOU. THROW!" She managed to force out loudly, even as she felt a searing pain in her throat. She let out a small cough with a grimace. Straining her vocal chords on-top of everything was perhaps not a wise choice, but they only had this one chance - she had to make sure they understood it loud and clear.


    "Duel¡­" Venom grimaced. Before nodding, Needles looked sick next to her. "Do it."


    Duel braced herself, they couldn''t risk the horde tying down Needles and Venom again. This needed to happen now. She allowed a blow to come through, without her usual acrobatic dodging. Duel planted her feet hard in the ground. Screaming internally as Archer''s fist practically buried itself in her stomach, spitting out blood and bile as she bent almost in two from the force. Forcing herself to remain conscious.


    She could feel and hear, more than she could see - the thunks, as throwing knives coated in the drugs Needles carried - sunk into Archer''s shoulders. Hopefully also disabling his arms in case the drug didn''t work.


    Please let it work! Duel prayed, not able to get away from a finishing blow, limply hanging around Archer''s fist.


    Venom and Needless were smart enough to not immediately rush in and check on her, or if it worked - Duel was pleased at their forethought, not so much with the pain she was currently in.


    The fact she wasn''t currently dead - made her feel it must have worked.


    Duel gingerly unbent herself, fighting the urge to vomit. She had never been hit that hard in her life - her throat being cut had been more pleasant. Needles ran up and helped her stand straight. Her stomach was flaring with pain and it felt like she had internal bleeding, but she ignored it as best as she could, "Work?" She asked shortly, her vision slightly blurry.


    "He appears unconscious, which by the way shouldn''t be the effect of the drug, from what you said Needles..." Venom said, eyeing the small amount of undead that were making their way over. "He''s still covered in that gunk, and we have incoming, so guess we''ll have to deal." She said tiredly, the stocky woman looking worn down.


    Fighting the hordes of undead wasn''t really something they did on a daily basis.


    Duel grunted, ripping her clothes off her body with one strong move, to Venom''s shocked gasp and Needles strangled one, as the man turned around, beet red. "Duel!" He complained, determinedly facing away, even ignoring the incoming zombies.


    Men were silly, Duel decided. They ogled all the time, then in situations like this, it was suddenly inappropriate.


    There were literal undead coming. What a silly time to be concerned about some breasts.


    "Still. Panties." Duel shrugged unconcerned, which did wonderful things to her upper body, although only Venom noticed. Duel tossed the clothes to Venom who was staring at her, unimpressed and exasperated with the manner in which she''d solved their problem. "Clean." She ordered. Directing her to remove all that black goo from Archer. Prevent another resurgence, they had no idea how long that drug would work.


    Duel picked up her discarded weapons and faced the undead. Barely dressed as she was, the giant purple bruise already appearing on her stomach stood out vividly. Duel showed her teeth in a vicious leer. "Explosions!" She almost cooed, as she ran her hand over her ammo. Picking out what she needed. She could finally just blow things up, with no one around to stop her.


    The undead didn''t stand a chance.


    £ª£ª£ª


    Kaito ducked under a finger gun from an agent, viciously swiping back with a bitchslap no jutsu which twisted the scrawny man''s head and broke his neck. He had to immediately moonwalk into the air, hopping around the area to avoid several tentacles slamming into the area, crushing the already dead agent into paste.


    He wasn''t idle in the air however. Firing several tempest kicks, scattering the remaining agents as the blades of wind and energy slammed into the beast cutting thick grooves into the flesh, severing several tentacles on the way.


    Utilizing a mix of shave and moonwalk to dash between the thick undulating forest of tentacles that kept trying to snag him, he appeared behind an agent thrown off balance by dodging his tempest kicks and the damage to the fleshy ground - his finger came away red and with brain matter coating it, the agent falling down dead with a hole in his head from Kaito''s finger gun.


    Kaito paid for it however, as the tentacles caught up with him, slamming him into the wall with brutal force, making his bones shake, more tentacles came out of the wall to ensnare him, but Kaito roared in anger, swiping through the tentacle holding him with a quick tempest kick, before spinning in the air, sending tempest kicks in every direction around him, severing the tentacles coming for him.


    The beast seemed to hardly be affected - more tentacles appearing in place of those lost. Kaito gritted his teeth, eyes finding Saint Jartal, the coward sat and watched the battle, comfortably surrounded by Kaito''s three crewmen - a protection Kaito couldn''t breach easily without risking damage to them.


    At least not if he went with full frontal assault. His favorite.


    Only two agents remained, Kaito''s wild tempest kicks had not only cut through tentacles, but some of the few agents left - they had really let themselves go, spending all this time serving their monster of a master. It felt like cutting down puppets more than anything. They felt¡­ fake. Like the emotions and intelligence they''d displayed was a facade. All that was left of who they once were. Perhaps they weren''t even human anymore. Kaito remembered when they first arrived on the island. The one named Four. How inhuman he''d seemed. Perhaps these agents were of a similar nature now?


    Either way it didn''t matter. They needed to die. And for all the talk Jartal had about immortality - they seemed to die just fine.


    Either he was lying. Or something was going on that he was unaware of.


    He could feel the strain of using shave and moonwalk so much - rarely did he use it for anything but training. His fight with Archer had been quick and had not seen this much usage. He''d start to flag if he didn''t end this soon. "Jartal! I''m coming for you!" He roared, several puffs in the air the only sign of his passage as he moved so quickly in the air - only the puffs of displaced air of his moonwalk appeared to anyone''s sight.


    Jartal just guffawed, tentacles coming to form an impenetrable shield around him, except for where Kaito''s three crew mates stood. "You''ll have to kill your friends then, I''d like to see that, actually, amuse me, boy!" He shouted, leaning back against his throne.


    Kaito arrived right in front of the throne, glaring up at the Saint, the swords of his crew mates falling unerringly to strike at him, but Kaito was already gone.


    Jartal looked around, confused, as Saber, Cloud and Edge simply stood back in formation. Reforming their living shield. "Where did he go?" He mumbled.


    Kaito had utilized the apparent attack towards Jartal - getting the tentacles focused in one place. And cleared the rest of the board. The other agents fell to the ground dead, holes in their heads. "I''ve taken all of your servants, fat one!" He mocked. He flicked his fingers, cleaning them of brain matter, "Who''s going to wipe your ass now? Or are you the kind who likes tentacles there?"


    Saint Jartal screamed in rage, "You''ll pay for that! I can always get new toys, you stupid pirate!" He waved at the three controlled pirates, "What are you waiting for! Go get him! Useless cretins!" He spat out, kicking the unresponsive Saber in the head.


    As one, the three pirates started moving towards Kaito, who grinned maliciously.


    The beast obviously wasn''t as dumb as its master - it immediately put every tentacle in play in-between Kaito and Jartal. Kaito ripped through them flying forward in a superman pose - his outstretched fist covered in shiny black. Kaito''s will burning with determination. Achieving the best armament Haki of his life - his fist simply disintegrated the tentacles in his way, his feet working furiously at shaving forward at speed.


    Until he blew through the last protection, and planted his black fist through the sternum of Saint Jartal, glaring up at him as the fat man spat out black blood inside his Celestial Dragon suit. "You shouldn''t have touched my crew¡­" Kaito said darkly.


    "I-I''m I-Im-Immortal!" Jartal spat out with blood stained teeth. His face, a mixture of pain and condescension.


    Kaito grinned savagely, his fist taking hold of the man''s insides, "Yes¡­ You''ve said. And it appears you can''t control your creature right now, what''s the matter? Something on your mind?" He taunted, as he twisted the man''s insides.


    Indeed the tentacles had all stopped once the man was perforated. Even his three crewmen had simply collapsed. It seemed the beast wasn''t even paying attention anymore.


    The large building size eye at the far end seemed unfocused.


    Kaito shrugged, easier for him, he had faith in the rest of his crew, they could handle anything. He had a noble to interrogate.


    He smiled, "So let''s have a chat, hmm?" He said quietly, "I''m not really one for torture, so I''ll make it quick."


    It wasn''t quick.


    Although immortality was obviously overrated. By the fifth time Jartal got his heart torn out he stopped regenerating it.


    Half assed immortality.


    The information however¡­ Kaito quickly cleaned the black gunk off his crew, he''d have to leave them for a moment. Unfortunate.


    But he was needed elsewhere. Right fucking now!


    This beast was going to be the death of his people otherwise.


    £ª£ª£ª


    Yoruichi came to with a start, gasping for air, believing herself to be under water. Her limbs jerked and she came to awareness more clearly. She was chained down. She wasn''t under water. She was in a cavern¡­ With an altar, and the creepy guy from when they arrived. Oh, this can''t be good¡­


    "Awake? Good. The process would be boring otherwise." Four said slowly. A thin finger trailing the wall, Yoruichi couldn''t move her head much, but she noticed with trepidation that the wall seemed to beat, like a heart. Was this whole island¡­ The tentacles¡­ Was she inside this creature!?


    "What process?" Yoruichi decided to ask, to probe for some answers. She tested the strength of the chains and shackles. If she transformed she should be able to break them, but she barely had energy to talk right now. She needed some time. So keep the freak talking it is¡­


    Four smiled, forcing a shudder down Yoruichi''s spine, it stretched the freaks skin too much, it was incredibly unpleasant to watch.


    "The process¡­" Four said quietly, laying a hand flat against the beating wall. Appearing to be listening. He hummed softly after a few moments. Looking pleased. Before he turned towards Yoruichi, "This island¡­ This God made flesh¡­ It needs to procreate, spread across the seas¡­" Four spoke slowly, taking time with each word.


    Yoruichi blanched, unconsciously she tried the restraints again as she took in the word procreate! "You can''t seriously mean what I think you mean!?" She hissed out, golden eyes flaring in anger. And deep down, fear.


    Four smiled, walking forward and condescendingly patting a disgusted Yoruichi on the head, his paper thin skin crinkling like parchment at the action. "Your sacrifice will be remembered." He crooned softly.


    "Oh, well at least I''ll be remembered." Yoruichi drawled sarcastically. Eyes looking around the cavern, trying to spot anything important. Weak or not, if anyone came near her to procreate, she''d transform and rip their everything off!


    "Yoruichi!?" Came a voice from the entrance to the cavern, Apple arriving, holding a dagger, staring incredulously at the situation.


    "Apple!" Yoruichi cried out, happy to see her alive, "Get me out of here!" She cried out, wriggling in her restraints.


    "Why is she not restrained, Three?" Four called out mildly, sounding slightly put out.


    Apple jumped in fright as an arm suddenly appeared across her torso, pulling her into a bony chest, constricting her arms. "Lemme go, you freak!" She yelled out, trying to bend and bite the arm that held her, but got nothing but bone.


    "Master needed girl, Three got girl. Three solved everything!" Three cackled out, rubbing his chin on top of Apple''s hair.


    Four shook his head, then sighed, "Well, all''s well that ends well. "He gestured towards the other altar, "Bring the girl, restrain her. It is time for our God to procreate and repopulate the seas!"


    Apple froze in the grip of Three, staring numbly at Yoruichi, "Did he say procreate!?" She shrieked. She started kicking out with her legs, "I knew it! Hentai! Hentai! Let go of me!"


    Four stepped towards her gripping her face, silencing her, "It is an honor." He said sternly, before releasing her face.


    Apple coughed, "If it''s such an honor then bend over and do it yourself!" She spat out.


    Four chuckled raspily, "Oh, if only I could." He said dreamily.


    "Ew." Apple said flatly. Side eyeing Yoruichi who made a face that Apple construed to mean keep distracting them, so she kept talking, hoping Yoruichi actually had a plan. "How are you even alive, you and this asshole Three? You look like you''ve been left out in the desert for a few months?"


    Three giggled, "R~ude!" He sang, pushing Apple into the altar, holding her down as Four locked her right arm into the shackles.


    "The blood of our God keeps us alive, no matter what state we are in, eventually all beings will join us." Four said kindly, patting Apple on the cheek, making her gag. The stench and the feeling of the skin was horrendous.


    "So you can''t die at all?" Apple asked probingly.


    Four sighed, shackling her other arm, "I know what you are doing, girl. It won''t matter. But there are ways, of course." He leered down at her, "You don''t need to know."


    With a roar Yoruichi transformed, and with bulging muscles tore through her shackles. Apple cheered, even as Three held her legs down, "Go girl, show them the business, procreate my ass!"


    Four smiled, "Powerful. You''ll make strong children." He said approvingly.


    "You''re going to die, how quickly depends on how fast you release my friend." Yoruichi hissed, flexing her claws.


    "Yes¡­ This form might actually be preferable, you''re right." Four said, not paying any attention to Yoruichi. Seemingly talking to thin air.


    Yoruichi took that inattention as her chance, and jumped forward to rip his head off, Apple cheering her on while kicking at Three who seemed not at all bothered by the hubbub.


    Before Yoruichi could get her claws around Four''s head, she was wrapped in tentacles, leaving her hanging in the air, face to face with Four. "Fuck!" She swore, struggling in the hold, but not able to gain an inch of purchase.


    "Bit crude. But yes." Four said with a terrifying grin. "Three, get her fully strapped in, then we can begin."


    "Me first, leave Apple alone!" Yoruichi demanded suddenly. Apple crying out in protest. "Shut up, Apple!" She stared at Four, meeting his eyes, "Me first!" She hissed. No way she was going to let Apple suffer through this, someone would come. They''d save them, and if not in time for her. They''d save Apple.


    "Oh, I''m afraid there''s enough around¡­" Several tentacles lowered from the ceiling." There really isn''t any need to wait for the first and second, my dear." He shook his head, "Both of you are needed after all. Together."


    Four stopped suddenly, putting both hands to his head, groaning. "Master¡­ What?" The cavern shook, a loud roar echoed across the space, sounding as if from far away.


    Three suddenly fell to the ground kicking and frothing, "Head pain, pain head! Stop!" He shrieked.


    Suddenly the whole island seemed to shake, the tentacles holding Yoruichi falling off, twitching in apparent seizures.


    Four moaned in agony. "I don''t understand!" Three went even further, bashing his skull against the ground until he fell limp.


    Yoruichi wasted no time in removing Four''s head. Shaking slightly, as she realized how close that had been, moving on unsteady legs to a crying Apple, ripping the restraints off. The shorter girl desperately hugged her, soaking her fur in tears. That had been close. "We''re okay, Apple, we''re okay!" She said in a shaky voice.


    "On the bright side, unlike the rest of everyone, we both had a dip in the water and are perfectly clean of gunk!" Yoruichi said, trying to cheer Apple up, and herself, as she still felt pretty off balanced.


    The wall in front of them exploded, a veritable flood of viscera and foul liquids washing over them both, covering them from head to toe.


    "This is your fault." Apple muttered into Yoruichi''s stomach. Yoruichi was staring at an absolutely grime-covered Kaito - that had just punched through the heart wall. "What the¡­?"


    Kaito looked around, spotting the dead Three and Four. "Oh good, you already took care of them, although once I punched through the brain of this bad boy," He patted what was left of the wall, "They were doomed to begin with, immortality not that useful if it''s tied to someone that can die."


    "You punched your way through this island''s brain? That''s so you." Apple removed her face from Yoruichi''s belly, breathing in a sigh of relief, "Is it over?"


    Kaito wiped the slime off his face with a grimace, "Well the brain, and the kidney and what I think was it''s liver, before I got through the heart and got here¡­ But yes, I think it''s over."


    "Do you know? If the other''s?" Yoruichi asked, breathing slowly, and trying desperately to not vomit from the smells surrounding her and unfortunately plastering her, right now. Damn enhanced senses.


    Kaito grimaced, "According to my unwilling source, several of the crew were infected with this creature''s blood, only killing it would save them so¡­" He shrugged, as in, so I did.


    Yoruichi paused in what she was going to say next, "Then good. Excuse me." And she bent over, vomiting loudly.


    "My shoes! Come on!" Apple cried out, before pausing, "Actually it smells better than this funk anyway, carry on."


    "Your cheerfulness astounds me." Kaito said to Apple, dryly, cleaning gunk out of his ears. It fell to the ground with a wet plop. The cavern rumbling ominously. "Right. We should probably leave¡­"


    "Island is dying right? Probably a good idea." Apple agreed. Patting Yoruichi on her back as she weakly grinned at them, wiping her mouth. Then going green as she realized her entire arm was covered in gunk and she''d just put it on her lips.


    "URK!"


    "Right¡­ You uh, help Yoruichi get out of here, I have to go swim back through all this shit to get the boys." Kaito said, wincing as Yoruichi hurled again.


    Apple huffed as Kaito left the same way he''d come, pulling Yoruichi''s hair back, "Men, they can wade through shit, but a girl getting sick has them panicked. Bunch of pussies."


    "Right?" Yoruichi grinned weakly. Trying to catch her breath.


    "Cute though." Apple mused.


    "Apple shut the fuck up!" Yoruichi groaned.


    Apple just grinned cheekily.


    £ª£ª£ª


    They were all finally back on the ship, the affected crew members all laying on the deck, all cleaned up, but still unconscious. Needles - as their somewhat medic - had confirmed they were all recovering.


    The island was still breaking apart slowly, but the process wasn''t violent enough to necessitate sailing too far away, so they''d prioritized making sure everyone was okay first. Besides, there was something satisfying in watching an enemy disintegrating slowly before you.


    Everyone had returned to the ship once the island had started crumbling, all of them having unconscious members to care for that necessitated the safety of the ship. Carrying Pie, had done more damage to Wire and co, then any of the undead did.


    Apple had gotten an insane hugging spree as the returning crew found her alive and well. Well¡­ After she had washed up. No one was that happy to see her.


    Their poisoned crew members all lay on mats on the deck being attended to by crew members, all watching for any change. The mood of the crew was good, but tensions rose slightly for every ten minutes they weren''t waking up.


    The information Kaito had extracted from Saint Jartal had indicated that the poison would disappear if the beast died - as would its effects. And it appeared it had. All their crew affected by it fell into a more relaxed sleep as soon as it died - instead of the fitful unconsciousness they''d been in before that. If the beast still lived - they''d all never recover. Or so the information he''d extracted claimed.


    If there would be any mental effects for such a short time under - they had no way of knowing.


    They were all just waiting now, for anyone to wake up. The crew chatted quietly together, while cleaning up the gunk and nastiness that was all over the deck.


    Needles and some volunteers that knew basic first aid were taking care of whatever other minor injuries had happened during the attack. Which mostly consisted of Wire, Dice and Tears. They''d all taken quite a beating subduing Pie. They were more purple than anything else at the moment. And another beating having to carry the huge man back to the ship.


    "Oy, one of them is waking up!" A crew member shouted, and the crew all gathered together quickly near the sleeping victims. Kaito and Yoruichi appeared in front of everyone in a blur of movement.


    Archer blinked wearily, sitting up and looking around, seemingly confused about where he was, "I remember¡­" He said slowly, as Yoruichi sank to her knees next to him and hugged him, her face sinking into his neck as she let out a breath of relief.


    There were cheers from the crew, and plenty of relief. Needles received plenty of pats on the back, no matter how he protested he had nothing to do with the recovery.


    Archer looked around suspiciously, "Is my memory screwed up or was Duel naked?" He asked, a small goofy smile appearing on his face.


    Kaito perked up immediately, looking around, as if Duel would show up nude at that moment. Spotting Duel in the crowd, he waggled his eyebrows suggestively. She sniffed, unimpressed, crossing her arms under her bust. "Had. Panties." She said unconcerned with their reaction. "Not. Naked."


    The entire crew reared back in shock, Wire slapping his face audibly, cursing, "Fucking damn it, Duel! Keep your clothes on!"


    Kaito''s head moved between the two, smirk growing, was her clothes disappearing a regular occurrence?


    "No." She said unbothered, glowering at Wire. The rest of the crew glancing at each other, all starting to look like they could barely hold back laughter.


    "Captain''s approval!" Kaito roared suddenly, one arm in the air, fist held high, "We''re pirates! No one can tell her to keep her top on! Live free, let them taste the sea air!" He was suddenly silenced as Dice and Tears grabbed his face and mouth and started pulling on it.


    "Don''t say shit like that, Captain!" Dice growled. Pulling his cheek one way and the other, Tears grabbing his lips, "Yeah, drop the subject. Captain!" Tears threatened, holding them together in a tight grip.


    "That''s my fucking boys," Wire said, a dark look on his face, "Rip his fucking lips off."


    "Men are just so damn dumb." Apple said with a fond sigh, trotting over to Duel, patting her on the arm, "Do whatever you want Duel. I''m just glad you''re okay."


    Duel smiled and patted the smaller woman on the cheek in thanks. She gave one last glance at the commotion Kaito was making, before slipping back through the crowd, no doubt to return to her workshop and see what damage the fighting might have done to it. Now that they knew for sure the crew would wake, she''d apparently had her fill.


    "So I did remember some of that right¡­" Archer mumbled. Receiving a light slap on the shoulder from Yoruichi. "What?" He said looking confused. Yoruichi never had a problem with him and women - if anything she was an amazing wingman, or was it wingwoman?


    Yoruichi rolled her eyes, mirth dancing in them, making them shine, "Trust you to be overtaken by some zombie sludge and the only thing you remember is a girl''s tits." She scoffed, but the grin on her face showed she was only teasing him.


    Archer chuckled weakly, feeling worn out from whatever happened. "To be fair, they were quite spectacular."


    "They''ve started a fight." Yoruichi said with a sigh, changing the subject, a fond smile on her lips as Kaito wrestled with Dice and Tears. "Where do they even find the energy?" They had just literally fought off a zombie invasion.


    "It''s a guy thing." Archer said seriously, "Can''t tell you woman, it''s in the code."


    "Oh my god, how hard did you get hit by Duel? You''re getting ridiculous too!" Yoruichi leaned back against his side, laughing freely.


    "It''s a guy thing." Archer repeated, lips twitching. Knocking his head against Yoruichi''s lightly.


    Eventually the fighting and laughing tapered off and crew members wandered off to take stock and check on whatever they felt was important.


    Kaito came up to Yoruichi and Apple who were hanging out near the main mast, just taking in the air and having an easygoing conversation.


    "Yes, Captain?" Yoruichi said with a raised eyebrow when Kaito stopped in front of them, looking serious.


    "Do I need to go? This looks like a Captain and first mate conversation." Apple asked cheerfully, leaning back against the mast.


    "Yoruichi," Kaito said seriously, looking her in the eyes, then turning to Apple, equally serious. "Apple."


    The two women exchanged a glance, "Yes?" Apple asked, drawing the word out.


    Kaito put an arm on each of their shoulders, "I just want you to know... If either of you feel like taking your top off like Duel, to distract an enemy in a fight, or just for fun." He grinned cheesily at them, giving them both thumbs up, "You have your Captain''s approval!"


    BAM!


    "The floor tastes funny!" Kaito groaned, two bumps on his head. Both women having given him a hard knock, impressive in Apples case as she''d had to jump pretty high to manage. "So is that a no?" He pushed.


    He soon saw so many pretty stars.


    £ª£ª£ª


    "Oh hey, Buggy you''re alive." Yoruichi said casually, poking her head in his cell. Chuckling at the absolutely bloodshot and insane look on the clown''s face.


    "I wouldn''t have let anything happen to him, Yoruichi." Blackjack pouted. Flipping a playing card between his fingers nervously, suddenly making it disappear, before it would reappear again.


    Yoruichi had a pretty trained eye, and even to her it was done with such speed she barely caught the blur of movement. The kid must have been practicing for years to get that good. Impressive.


    Yoruichi looked around the cell and the absolute carnage of playing cards everywhere, including on Buggy, and in his clothes, and his hair. The queen of spades was even nestled In-between Buggy''s front teeth. "Got bored, huh?" She ruffled the brats'' hair teasingly. Trying to keep it light. Knowing the kid had probably been pretty scared when she''d been taken off the ship.


    "Just practicing." Blackjack said proudly, a card materializing in his hand from nowhere before being sent flying, Buggy yelping as it hit him straight between the eyes.


    "Stop doing that, you flashy moron!" Buggy screeched.


    "Make me, big nose!" Blackjack taunted, sticking his tongue out. The clown practically frothed at the mouth at that, but wisely kept the bile on the down low with Yoruichi there to retaliate.


    She sent him a smug grin, flipping her hair casually. Before returning her attention to Blackjack. It felt good to be feared a bit. Even if it was from a two bit clown. "Are you doing okay?"


    "Me? I''m not the one dragged off by a tentacle!" Blackjack scowled suddenly, "I''m the one who should be asking you how you''re doing!" He sent another playing card off, hitting the clown straight on the nose. "Honk!" He called out, smirking, but it was weak, brittle.


    Yoruichi grabbed him by the shoulder and drew him in, ignoring his squawking protest, "You disobeyed orders, came up to fight. But you did it for a good reason, because you cared. And it all turned out okay, so don''t feel bad, okay?"


    "It''s not that easy." Blackjack mumbled into her belly softly.


    Yoruichi ruffled his hair, pushing him away slightly so she could look down into his eyes. "You did okay kid, and I''m okay, so order from the first mate, alright? Don''t take it to heart. Everything worked out." She poked him on the nose, "Next time just follow orders though."


    "Sure!" The brat grinned at her cheekily in a way that told her to keep an eye out, because he was definitely going to be trouble.


    "How sweet. It''s flashily making me gag." Buggy muttered.


    Yoruichi glanced at him, before completely discarding him, not even bothering to answer. Blackjack grinned cheekily at the furious clown.


    "You''re pretty good with those cards. Ever thought of finding a way to weaponize them?" Yoruichi asked curiously. To make a playing card fly as straight and fast and accurately as a throwing knife, was no small feat.


    "You can do that?" Blackjack asked with wide eyes. Practically vibrating on the spot.


    Yoruichi pinched his cheeks, he was just too cute! "We''ll find a way, just keep practicing, you never know with these seas."


    Blackjack rubbed his cheeks slowly, "I''m not a baby you know¡­" He grumbled.


    "Sooooo cute!" Yoruichi countered, ruffling his hair again, laughing as he squeaked in protest.


    It was good to be back to normal.


    £ª£ª£ª

 From Nami with love.

    £ª£ª£ª


    Marineford.


    2 days after the island incident in East Blue.


    Commodore Brannew felt a thread of honest and pure annoyance run through him. The offices of his department were a gigantic mess, courtesy of Vice-Admiral Garp, who had for some reason taken a larger than normal interest in East Blue this year - more than normally that is, as the man was always keeping an eye on that sea. Brannew could appreciate the kind of patriotism displayed by the Hero of the marines - watching over the sea that spawned Gol D Roger like a hawk, ready to snap down and end another wannabe king. It was just terrible for his office''s efficiency and order, however - when that incarnation of chaos came through like a whirlwind and upended all their work. Not to mention it always took weeks to get all the crumbs out of everything¡­ Half the time they couldn''t even find what reports were from Goa and which ones were from Whitewater - and they were in separate parts of East Blue! The mess defied logic - how could Goa reports be misplaced just by Garp''s presence, the man never even went near the files!?


    Brannew was proud of the work he did, running the department that identified and classified the pirate threats around the world. It was their work that had ended threats before they could gain traction - with a well placed, proper, bounty level, that had the threats taken down with extreme prejudice before they could bother the world government and its member nations.


    Now he stood just outside his office, seething in impotent frustration. A Commodore could not gainsay a Vice-Admiral, especially not the Vice-Admiral, but the department would be set back for days, fixing the mess Garp left behind. He rubbed his forehead, trying to keep a stress migraine away, he had two new holes in the wall he''d have to request repaired, one entrance hole and one exit one - why couldn''t the man use the same one instead of vandalizing more of his department? Brannew thought, frustration if anything growing, as he looked out over his department''s disarray. He was lucky the maintenance department were used to Garp''s antics - they fast tracked any request with the name Garp on it as the reason for repairs.


    There was actually a whole team in the maintenance department whose only job was to follow Garp around Marineford and clean up after him.  Brannew expected them here within the hour if things went as usual.


    His aide, Lieutenant Harrow, arrived soon thereafter, while Brannew was busy pondering his department. Unfortunately, Harrow was not arriving with a fix to his impending migraine. He was carrying a stack of dispatches. The new reports from East Blue. Just what he needed today. At least they arrived after Garp, this time. "Please tell me we''ve got nothing urgent." He growled out, as Harrow closed in with the heavy stack precariously balanced in his arms, the top of the pile brushing the ceiling. It was an unfortunate reality that the reports of piracy were still in such numbers that they never had a slow day.


    That''s why they worked so hard, so one day their children would be lucky if they got a single report a day of piracy and their kind, a world of justice.


    Harrow somehow reached into the middle of the pile and pulled out a few sheets of papers in a file folder - all the while balancing the stack, puffing away at his cigarette nonchalantly, face set in his normal sleep deprived look. "Most are small fish, but you might want to look at this one."


    Brannew sighed deeply, but he was a man of justice, and justice never rested, Harrow would not bother him if it wasn''t truly important, he reached for the file and skimmed through it quickly, years of doing this job allowing him to determine quickly if someone would be a threat or not, with just a skim of their file.


    "A destroyed island!?" He cursed, paying closer attention to the file. "Who would have that kind of power in the East Blue?" It got worse as it continued, a marine captain turned traitor to join this pirate, a major marine base completely crushed, a criminal gang turned pirates. Then he read the report from the few survivors of the apparent Whitewater crush - the pirate captain utilized the six powers. Impossible!


    Brannew read that part again just to be sure he was not having a migraine induced hallucination.


    Someone in East Blue was going to be demoted at the very least, if he had his way - how was this not reported to him, when it first happened? And now they''d gone ahead and destroyed an island. A small one that apparently only had one small fishing village on it (having been found and developed and added to the maps) but still an absolute travesty of justice. He''d need to get to the bottom of exactly who failed to report in a timely manner. The destruction of their base was not an excuse.


    Justice did not wait.


    His mind scrambled for any idea to latch onto to make this whole mess make sense. The six powers were not spread out and disseminated to just anyone, they were a powerful tool for the marines and the world government in the war against pirates and rebels. This was not a cipher pol operation, it couldn''t be - not in East Blue and not like this. Cipher pol were not this flashy. And did not leave survivors to tell tales, at least not very often¡­ But destroying an island like this¡­ It didn''t really scream cipher pol to him.


    "Get someone from the cipher pols, I don''t care who, give them a copy of the file and demand an explanation - you probably won''t get one, but at least they can get on this - it''s in their interest just as much as ours." He ordered sharply. Harrow knew him and his process well, so besides nodding, he stood still at attention, waiting.


    Brannew flipped through the file, focusing on the photos, "There were barely any survivors, how did we get such good photos already?" He asked, peering at them suspiciously. Usually they had to send out and get them surreptitiously - he rarely had such a thing on a first report. Anything out of the ordinary was suspicious. He dealt with thousands of files - no names ever came with immediate identifying information - unless they were defecting marines, royal soldiers and the like, who''d already have their pictures on file. That''s why they had their own photographic service to gather those.


    Harrow coughed lightly, "Apparently this Kaito sent it all in himself, picture and all, he wanted to make sure he got a flattering photo."


    The frenetic actions of staffers around them froze, every marine that heard that ridiculous statement, stopping in their duties to stare.


    Because, what!?


    Brannew clenched the file, his hands spasming, as he gritted his teeth, eyes flashing behind his sunglasses. "Are you telling me¡­" He said dangerously, "That the only reason I am holding this file right now, is because the pirate in question sent in the information himself!?"


    "That is so," Harrow said plainly, dark eyes uncaring, "Well except for the witness accounts from Whitewater," He amended, "We got those, once someone checked into the story, apparently they''d called Loguetown once their patrol ships returned, and their report never went any further." He shrugged, "Some petty officer or something got the packet from the pirate and put two and two together and sent it on to us under the nose of their commander, who was apparently, ah¡­ Drunk." Harrow looked constipated at that.


    Brannew felt something much worse than constipation. Everyone had some vices - it was an unfortunate part of life. Loguetown however¡­ It was the last watchtower before the grand line. The last line of defense to make sure something like Gol D Roger could not leave East Blue again. For their commander to miss this¡­ Due to such dereliction of duty!


    Brannew stared down at the file, his mind on the pirate again, the audacity¡­ Never before had he encountered a pirate sending him their information for a bounty. "Report that to the top, all the way. Loguetown needs to hang for this - obviously their commander is not fit for duty." He stopped Harrow before he could leave, having had a thought, "Wait, no. Report it to Garp." He ordered quickly.


    Harrow waited a moment for another order, When Brannew gave none, he nodded sharply, before he put his pile of files and papers down on a nearby desk and clicked his heels together, before turning around and making his way out with only one file in his hands. This is why Brannew appreciated the Lieutenant so much, he''d already copied the file, anticipating his orders before even entering the department.


    He''d have to get together with the other officers and form a proper bounty for this threat - let Garp deal with Loguetowns failures. If they were lucky, with how interested in the sea the Vice-Admiral had been lately - he''d take care of the problem for them. Both of them.


    Before the cipher pols got involved.


    If they were even luckier, maybe Garp would be out of his hair for a couple months.


    No matter.


    Justice would prevail either way.


    And better that some lousy pirate suffered from Garps interest then he.


    £ª£ª£ª


    The first week after the creepy monster island was spent on a much lighter schedule than normally. Kaito and Yoruichi both decided together - that the crew needed the break after that bullshit.


    Also they all had minor wounds to lick as well, so the break was warranted. The only major operation carried out during this down time was the complete cleaning of the ship - inside and out. The smell had been¡­. Strong. Yoruichi had been wounded nasally, more than anything she suffered during the actual battle - the smell was that bad.


    It took them another two weeks to get close to another island, further underscoring how vast the distances were in this world, and leaving them a little more needy for supplies now, having gotten nothing from their previous island, for obvious reasons. They could have hit other islands sooner, but it would have taken them away from their direction towards Goa, so Kaito had ordered them to continue forward.


    This morning, Kaito could be found lazing, hanging over the railing, staring down at the roaring waves of the clear sparkling water. They would hit an actual island today. And this for sure was an actual island. According to Yoruichi, it shouldn''t have a marine presence, so they could just sail into port. Kaito figured they all needed proper shore leave, so no raiding or funny business.


    They''d just have a calm relaxing time, stock up for their continued journey towards the proximity of the Goa kingdom - and get the morale up a bit. Money wise they were nowhere near needing to raid yet - their stash from Whitewater and all that they''d taken from the marine base there, holding them well still. It was mostly food and drink they needed to restock.


    Mostly drinks. They could fish for food. But they would be in desperate need for more alcohol soon.


    "Beri for your thoughts?" Yoruichi asked curiously, joining him at the railing, turned so that she was leaning her elbows over it, her hair loose and catching in the wind. a casual shorts and tank top combo in royal purple, her chosen lounging about outfit for the day.


    Kaito looked across the water, "I''m wondering¡­" He began slowly, meeting Yoruichi''s encouraging golden gaze, "If I should inflict baby shark upon the world." Kaito tilted his head, staring down into the water, "The world might not be ready." He mused out loud.


    Yoruichi let out an amused huff, "As usual I have no idea what you''re saying."


    They both stood in silence for a few moments, just enjoying the wind and the sounds of the ocean. The noise of their crew mocking each other and laughing, enjoying their downtime.


    Kaito breathed out, almost melting across the railing, feeling so relaxed, "It''s a ~song~" He sang.


    "Then no, don''t inflict your singing on the world." Yoruichi chuckled, wincing slightly, shaking her head, "If you''re done thinking of questionable music, we''re going to reach Torrance at some point today, according to the charts, or so Apple says, we should talk about what we''re doing."


    Kaito pouted, "Why is always work, work, work, with you?" He whined, slumping down further onto the railing, looking petulant.


    "Someone has to do it." Yoruichi fired back easily, a quick upturn to her lips showing Kaito she was having difficulty containing her amusement. She''d been like that alot lately. Like she found Kaito amusing. There ought to be something in the pirate rulebook that it was mutiny for first mates to feel that way.


    "My first mate is a bully." Kaito grumbled playfully, standing up properly, giving the railing a nice pat, "Alas, I am now drawn away from my resting place by a vicious ogre, I shall see you once again!" He declared with flourish.


    Yoruichi covered her face with one hand, her shoulders shaking silently, "Did you just bid farewell to a piece of railing?" She asked mirthfully, as they both began to walk away. Yoruichi was unable to hold back a teasing grin as she punched Kaito in the shoulder, hard. "And who''s an ogre, huh?"


    She obviously didn''t take offense too badly, since she was grinning at him - but that was one hard punch still. Kaito rubbed his shoulder, "You are, you just punched me, it''s confirmed." He shook his head as Yoruichi just let loose a tinkling laugh at that, walking ahead of him, "Hey and you owe me one beri, woman! Don''t scam me!" He called out, before following her. She was definitely the kind of woman it did not hurt to walk behind.


    All that training they were doing on shave and moonwalk was, umm, shaping her behind, very well.


    He followed her with an easy grin on his face, she seemed much more comfortable aboard now. It was good to see.


    Maybe he knew what he was doing with this whole crew thing.


    Eat your heart out rubber idiot!


    £ª£ª£ª


    The island of Torrance, East Blue.


    By early evening they arrived at Torrance, the island''s only city seemed to be in the middle of some sort of festival, the docks and the city spread around it - lit up in paper lanterns, banners and garlands strewn up between buildings, large crowds could be seen all the way from the docks, where the red Dawn Pirates were sailing in, even over those impressive big walls they had. The docks, despite the ongoing festival, were practically empty, and there were no other ships with a jolly roger anywhere to be seen.


    On the plus side, there were also no marine ships in sight.


    The island itself was heavily mountainous, the docks and the area around it full of tall buildings clustered together, everything beyond the city (at least in sight) seemed to be pure mountainous woods, except for a temple seemingly standing alone, halfway up the mountain, overlooking the city of Torrance.


    Kaito observed the city with a practiced eye, Yoruichi had never heard of there being a marine presence on this island - and from what Kaito saw, they probably didn''t need one. Everything on Torrance seemed built out of the mountain itself, the docks were watched over by a thick wall with cannons interspersed often enough to have a full range of the docks, several watchtowers seemed fully crewed even at a festival time like today - showing that they took security seriously. Only one entrance was leading into the city itself. Most pirates who tried to get funny probably never even made it off their ships. The rest of the city that could be seen behind the walls - seen even from the dock, as the city itself grew up the mountainous terrain on an angle - was covered by a wall running around the entirety of the city - except the back, which was literally the mountain itself. So no attacking from a different direction after docking on the other side of the island either. They must have farms or something somewhere on the island, he supposed, because Kaito couldn''t imagine they shipped in a lot of produce and schlepped it up the roads in this city - that would be absolutely horrid. It was pretty steep, it made him wonder how they''d traffic supplies down to the ship without risking it literally flying down the streets and crushing someone at the slightest slipup.


    Well not his problem. He wasn''t a logistics manager. He''s a pirate captain. Worst case he could bully someone into explaining it all. Or let Yoruichi deal with the logistics of it all - that''s why he had a first mate, after all. All the glory and cool fights to him - all the drudge work to her.


    He''d just have to remember not to say that out loud.


    He wouldn''t conquer the grand like if he was forced to become a soprano.


    Kaito didn''t think a city like this, in a place like East Blue, had many willing contenders to take it on, which suited him just fine at the moment. Of course since they seemingly allowed pirates in to shop and enjoy the sights, an inside job was a possible avenue, but surely they''d accounted for that as well - it would be foolish not to - besides, it was purely theoretical, he has no intention of performing any raid, either way. With some sort of festival going on, this had all the hallmarks of a perfect place for shore leave - as long as they all behaved moderately well¡­


    They could do that right?


    "Everyone is clear, aye?" He called out to the crew waiting eagerly behind him, once they had docked. "Groups of four, don''t split up, don''t get too drunk. Rotate back to the ship after six hours for the next shift to get shore leave." He''d donned his new captain''s coat - tailored by Apple, who seemed to have a wide variety of useful skills. Modeling it after the marines'' justice coats, except in black, with red lining, his pirate mark proudly displayed on the back amongst the red clouds. He wore it over his shoulders, a gold chain attached to it around his neck, keeping it from falling off, leaving his chest bare - for intimidation factor, level of cool - and to show off all his hard work over the years. He had a simple set of black cargo pants and combat boots on, his belt holding a dagger and two pistols - never hurt to have more tools available after all.


    "Yes, yes. Be nice, behave. Be boring. We got it!" Apple said impatiently, the short colorful artist rolling her eyes as Kaito turned and gave her a look, "I''ve already been kidnapped by a tentacle monster, it''s not going to be worse than that." She pointed out, a small cocky smirk on her face.


    Kaito pointed at Apple imperiously, flaring his coat back dramatically, "Just for that sass, and for tempting fate!" His eyes roamed across the crew, easily finding his target, due to it being taller than anyone else, "Pie, change of plans, you''re going with Apple''s lot, if anyone touches her, you break them into pieces." He hummed thoughtfully, cocking his head, "And then set fire to the pieces, mmkay?"


    Many in the crew broke out laughing at Apple''s absolutely betrayed look, even as Pie lumbered over, giving Kaito a salute, showing that he understood his orders. Even Duel could be seen laughing along, which made Kaito smirk wider. She''d been slightly withdrawn in the days after the island debacle, it was good to see her in a better mood.


    "How am I going to get laid if I have this lug standing behind me the entire night!" Apple hissed at Kaito. Patting Pie on the leg companionably to show she didn''t mean anything against him.


    Wire immediately jumped in, "Oi, none of that!" He ordered sternly, muscling his way through the amused crew. " ''Sides in a group of four you can''t pull that shit off anyway, good thinking, Captain." Wire gave Kaito an approving nod and thumbs up, the crew growing more amused at the show they were getting before their shore leave.


    Apple stomped on Wires'' foot, hard. Turning and glaring at Kaito, as the quartermaster started cursing and hopping on one foot. "I''d just like to have the option, damnit, don''t be a party pooper, Captain!"


    "Yeah, Kaito, don''t ruin the party." Yoruichi called out with a grin, from where she was sitting straddled across the railing, observing the hubbub. She''d already organized all the logistics, and was now therefore free to mock, as Kaito tried to rein in his excitable crew.


    "Ladies, ladies!" Kaito held his hands up placatingly, "If you need a man¡­." He didn''t get to finish before he had to duck from an assortment of items thrown his way. Apple especially glaring at him hard, her cheeks red.


    Kaito laughed, loud and carefree, holding his hands up again, settling the crew down, "I kid, I kid, if someone has an itch to scratch, man or woman or Wire, (the laughter doubled in volume at that) have fun and enjoy, but still, groups of four is mandatory, so have your fun in a locale where your buddies can watch your back from another room or the tavern room under it - just in case."


    "Or bring them back to the ship!" Yoruichi hollered, bringing another set of laughter from the gathered crew.


    "You''re an artist anyway, Apple! Put on a show on the ship for us all, aye?" Cloud shouted from the back of the group. He was part of Apple''s lot, so he''d probably suffer for that comment at some point.


    "I hate you all." Apple grumbled, a reluctant smirk blooming onto her face as another crew member ruffled her hair playfully, "Fine whatever, Pie is gonna watch my back, you just watch yours, Captain." She said sweetly. A threatening aura blooming around her. Before she led the exodus, being the first off the ship. Pie lumbering off after her, together with two other crew members.


    "Everyone''s pent up." Archer rumbled as he came up to Kaito as the crowd of crewmen started to ease up, Yoruichi hopping off her railing to join them. "For such a tight crew, it seems they don''t fraternize with each other, that way."


    Wire joined them as well, still limping slightly, a scowl on his face, "Fucking right we don''t, most of us have fucking known each other since we were little brats, you got any idea how fucked a crew would get if we all started doing that?"


    "Very fucked." Kaito said, wagging his eyebrows. Earning a snort from both Archer and Yoruichi, and a glowering look from Wire. Duel took one look at their little officer gathering, and promptly disappeared back towards her workshop. Slacker!


    "They''re all like my sisters, don''t fucking be disgusting!" He cursed, giving Kaito a hard punch to the shoulder. Coincidentally the same shoulder Yoruichi already punched.


    "Why''s everyone hitting me lately?" Kaito complained, an easy grin on his face, "No matter, I can take it, I accept hugs as well." He held his arms out wide for the always grouchy quartermaster.


    Cue eye rolls from them all, even Archer. Kaito pouted and lowered his arms, hugs were awesome, they were all bullies with no heart.


    "This should be a cakewalk, but just in case, keep an eye out. We don''t want those guns turned on us." Kaito warned, getting serious for a moment. They''d be sitting ducks if things turned sour here.


    They''d drawn lots to decide who amongst the officers would go out into the city with crew slot number 1 and who would stay with the ship with crew slot number 2. They''d be staying - if all went to plan - for at least two days. That would mean that the crew in the number 2 slot would get the earlier day and evening time that their contemporaries were enjoying now, tomorrow. And likewise the night time bar crawl that would tonight go to slot 2, would tomorrow be crew slot 1''s to enjoy. They''d tried to be fair to ensure there wasn''t any competition or acrimony over shore leave. Kaito and Yoruichi would be with slot 1, leaving Archer, Wire and Duel with slot 2.


    "We''ll keep an eye out, and find out what''s going on locally - suss out suppliers and the like." Kaito said, now all business. "Make sure you keep a watch, I want eyes on that wall at all times - if those cannons move, I want Duel and Archer defending the ship from them, while you Wire, get the ship out of here."


    "We know the bloody drill." Wire muttered and just to be contrary added, "Still a fucking stupid idea, leaving you all behind."


    "They can get out past the wall if necessary, and rendezvous out of reach of the cannons at another point of the island, but we can''t wait for us all to make it back to the ship if they open fire. It''s logical." Archer calmly rebutted.


    "As long as we behave there shouldn''t be an issue, pirates come through here all the time." Yoruichi said, a mischievous cast to her face, "So we all know it will be Kaito''s fault if something goes wrong, right?."


    "Hey?"


    "Naturally."


    "Of fucking course!"


    "The tentacle monster island was not my fault." Kaito protested vigorously.


    The other three shared a loaded look. "You''re good luck is turning bad, is all." Archer said politely.


    "Come on guys, it seriously wasn''t!" Kaito whined, as Yoruichi dragged him off the ship. Ending the conversation.


    Kaito immediately straightened up and rushed ahead as soon as she let go, he had a whole new island to explore. And this time he was fairly certain it was an actual island.


    What''s the worst that could happen? There weren''t even any marines or other pirates here. This would be the easy, fun, island they all needed.


    £ª£ª£ª


    They just managed to enter through the massive gate when they were immediately accosted.


    By a pretty girl of all things, so Kaito wasn''t complaining, she had light purple hair in a ponytail, a mischievous look to her blue eyes and was wearing a cute floral dress that barely contained her sizable cleavage, and there was a lot, for such a slim girl.


    Kaito liked this island much better than the previous one already. You couldn''t even compare the welcoming committees!


    "Hello and welcome to Torrance!" She chirped cutely, doing an exaggerated curtsy in front of them, surely, purely ''accidentally'' flashing her cleavage. "Do you need the assistance of a tour guide, perhaps?" She tilted her head, and blinked at them, with wide innocent eyes. A cute dimpled smile on her face.


    "Yes, all the yes!" Kaito agreed cheerfully, matching the energy of the girl. Yoruichi rolled her eyes at his side, letting out a slight huff, "This is so going to be a trap of some kind." She muttered, quietly enough that only Kaito heard it, due to the bustle around them of people moving through the gate.


    "Of course it is - ditzy tour guide is practically a classic, but information will be useful." Kaito said out of the corner of his mouth, giving the tour guide an exaggerated thumbs up, coupled with a wink. "And what might your name be then, pretty miss tour guide?" He spoke up loudly, covering Yoruichi''s continued muttering.


    "She''s no civilian airhead tour guide, her ridiculous chest notwithstanding - she has a gymnast build and some real muscles in those legs and arms." Yoruichi said quietly, tilting her head to the side, towards Kaito, making a point of looking aggravated, while also preventing her lips from being read. Let the ''tour guide'' assume she''s annoyed at the addition of a pretty girl to the party.


    Kaito gave Yoruichi a warning look, his first mate settling down with a petulant look on her face, as their guide did a little twirl in front of them, her dress swishing around her, showing off her strong looking legs. That''s the only reason Kaito looked, to judge how strong they might be. Really.


    "My name''s Carina, pleasure to be of service." She said with a wink at Kaito, before leaning forward and grasping his arm, "I''ll show you anything you want to see." She finished flirtatiously. Fingers lightly trailing down his arm. Rookie mistake, Kaito thought. By the feel of those calluses on her fingers, she was as far away from a civilian as he was. He smiled down at her and played along, acting smitten.


    "Out of the goodness of your heart, I''m sure." Yoruichi said dryly, crossing her arms. Perfecting the annoyed look of a girlfriend/companion.


    "For a modest fee," Carina corrected her cheerfully, giving Yoruichi a once over before sniffing condescendingly, turning back to Kaito, and thereby missing the sudden irritable sharpness to Yoruichi''s gaze. "A strong pirate like yourself can surely afford it¡­" She practically purred, as she brushed up against Kaito, looking up at him with those wide blue eyes.


    "I surely can." Kaito agreed magnanimously, offering his arm, which Carina happily clomped onto, "Lead on then, pretty miss Carina." He finished with a smirk.


    Yoruichi stepped up to the other side of him, her hair almost smacking him in the chest with how hard she was shaking her head, "How''d you know we were pirates?" She asked Carina, going along with Kaito''s idea to gather information.


    Carina smirked briefly, showing some fire beneath that silly girl act, before her eyes blinked innocently again and she tilted her head cutely, the moment lost, and it might have gone undetected entirely, if Kaito and Yoruichi hadn''t been immediately suspicious already. "He''s wearing a Captain''s coat." She said matter of factly, a look of innocent puzzlement on her face.


    "That''s it?" Yoruichi asked skeptically. Arms still crossed under her bust and the simple black tank top she''d decided to wear. The simple black skirt accompanying it made her feel underdressed, compared to this (likely con artist) with her fine floral dress and pretty pearl necklace and earrings.


    Carina shrugged, tugging on Kaito''s arm as they separated from the crowd around the entrance to Torrance. "Pirates stop by here pretty often to stock up, so it wasn''t a difficult guess."


    "How does that work, by the way? This whole city is carved out of a mountain, it just goes up and up and up!" Kaito gestured to the steep incline ahead of them, where the wide cobblestone road was climbing up - snaking its way in-between large blocks of buildings carved out of the mountain. It wasn''t pretty by any stretch, but Kaito would hate having to try and assault a place like this.


    Carina giggled, giving him a tiny slap across his chest, her hand lingering a bit overly long, "The tracks take care of that, don''t you see them?" She said with a smile, pointing down at the street before them.


    Now that Kaito was looking more focusedly, he noticed that on each side of the street, there was a groove cut into the road. As he was about to ask Carina about it, a clanking sound behind him heralded the answer. They all turned and saw a procession of metal carts - somewhat like mining carts, slowly rolling up the inclined street, an attachment sinking down into the groove, pulling them along, little wheels on the carts keeping them from dragging against the cobblestone road.


    "The ones on the right side," Carina gestured to the right side of the road coming up from the harbor. "Come up from the harbor and go all around the city, there''s some delays of course, when they have to stop so people can unload them, but no one''s really upset about it - compared to having to lift it all up themselves after all, it''s nothing." Carina explained, with a quirky little grin. "Neat, huh?" She exclaimed cheerfully.


    "That''s actually clever." Kaito admitted. Whatever way they had to operate the carts, they''d found a very good solution to the issue, "So the left side is for goods coming back down to the harbor, I''m assuming, and everyone walks in the middle?" He asked Carina.


    "Yup, that''s correct!" She said happily, tugging on his arm to drag him forward, "Come on, there''s plenty more to see! The festival of Torrance is going on, after all!" She winked at him, "I have to earn my fee, right, Captain!" The sensual twist to Captain had Kaito chuckling, giving her an obvious once over, the girl preening proudly, making sure he got a good look.


    Yoruichi interrupted, following along as Kaito was being gently dragged forward, "What is the festival about?" She asked, cutting off any further flirting from Carina.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Carina gave her a dark look, but seeing Kaito''s questioning glance, she answered quickly, her expression lightening, "Torrance was a merchant prince a few hundred years back, he settled the island, cut out the mountain," She pointed towards the mountains, the tops piercing the clouds, her finger pointing out the temple in the middle, between the mountains disappearing into the sky, and the city. "That''s his temple, they worshipped him almost as a god here, back in the day. Now they celebrate this festival for a week each year." Carina smiled mischievously, "They even say his treasures were all buried somewhere on this island," She gestured around her vividly, her face gaining a slight flush," So every year at the festival, they hold a competition where travelers and locals alike race, to try and find hidden clues and be the first to get to the treasure."


    "Is the treasure actually real? Or is it a gimmick?" Yoruichi asked, literally beating Kaito by a second, his mouth open to ask the same thing.


    Carina giggled, shaking her head, "The winner gets a trophy that was buried somewhere just for the competition that year. The locals all say there never was any treasure here."


    "You say that as if you aren''t a local, Carina." Kaito said, grinning down at her.


    Carina blinked, "Oh," She stumbled over her words for a second, "I came here when I was little, so I''m practically a local, but not born here." She hurriedly recovered with a smile, running her hand down Kaito''s chest again, a flirty smile on her face, "I should show you the Casinos," She switched the subject abruptly, "They''re an absolute must stop on Torrance, they considered him the god of luck and gambling after all!" She skipped ahead, allowing Kaito and Yoruichi a moment alone.


    "She''s decent, but definitely not fully polished as an actress yet, being flirtatious only gets you so far, do you think ambush, or simply a con of some sort?" Yoruichi asked quickly, gaze intent on their skipping tour guide.


    "I don''t know, but she seems to have a decent grasp on the city, so let''s use her for now, and see what she''s aiming for, there might be an opportunity here." Kaito mumbled, getting a short annoyed nod from Yoruichi. The two of them were unlikely to run into anything they couldn''t handle, better they dealt with whatever this was - then the rest of the crew. They''d miss out on watching over their crew, for now. But they could handle themselves for a couple hours, Kaito and Yoruichi were fast enough to arrive for backup if something loud went down.


    "Are you coming? You won''t want to miss it, they even have an absolutely amazing dance competition, all the local girls swirling around in tiny skirts made out of feathers." Carina called out, a cheeky grin on her face, looking back at them over her shoulder. "Number of feathers is entirely ~optional~"


    "She''s trying way too hard." Yoruichi deadpanned.


    "I know." Kaito admitted with a short amused laugh. Still¡­ It wouldn''t hurt to go see this dance, for the purposes of finding out what Carina was after, of course.


    "If she knew how easy you were, she''d save a lot of energy." Yoruichi snorted, shaking her head, before following the girl.


    "Hey¡­" Kaito began, before stopping and thinking it over.


    "....Alright, I''ll give you that one."


    £ª£ª£ª


    Apple could barely hear herself think, the music played so loudly, reverberating inside her skull, her vision blurry with all the lights flashing in the club they''d found themselves in as the night wore on. The place was attached to one of Torrance''s Casinos, and was obviously meant for the younger crowd, the fact it was almost all dance floor except for the space around the bar was a pretty strong sign of it. The mass of bodies congregating on the floor were of the barely dressed and high and/or drunk, variety.


    Apple was sweaty, yet filled with exhilaration, and her heart pounded in rhythm together with the beat of the music, and she loved it. This was exactly the kind of mindless fun she''d needed - to take her mind off what almost happened on the last island. Well¡­ She could go for a little more, but how likely was that with the crew with her.. She waved at Pie and the others who''d occupied some stools at the end of the bar, preferring to drink the night away as Apple gyrated and bounced in the crowd.


    She jumped up on a barstool, taking a deep breath, flashing some beri to get another of those pink little drinks she''d been steadily consuming in-between dances. The drink slid over quickly, and Apple grabbed it, but before she could pay, a slender hand got in-between her and the bartender, paying for her.


    "I''ll take the whole bottle for the pretty lady." The cheeky voice demanded, flashing beri. Soon enough, holding the entire bottle of the pink alcohol, teasingly just out of Apple''s reach.


    Apple glanced to her side, and then her eyes widened and she took a much longer look. The girl next to her was probably not supposed to be in here, Apple clocked her at 16-17, pretty significantly younger than the 20 something crowd here. Not that Apple much cared, because the girl was gorgeous, slim and curvy at the same time, with a cute smile and warm brown eyes, the orange hair in a pixie cut just finished off the absolutely adorably cute look. "I had that." She said dumbly. Cursing herself internally immediately. Can''t you do better than that, Apple!?


    "I saw, but you can''t blame a girl for wanting to buy a drink for the cutest girl in here, can you?" The vision before her spoke, a mischievous tilt to her lips that practically melted Apple. Apple barely noticed the girl fill her drink up, she was too mesmerized, quickly she downed it, feeling a little fuzzy.


    How much have I had to drink? She thought briefly, but then her eyes focused on the beauty''s lips again and she lost track of her thoughts. "You''re the cutest girl in here." She managed to get out from between her suddenly dry lips. Apple was quirky, colorful and a lot of other words that were used to describe her, but not a beauty, not like the vision before her.


    The girl smirked, leaning onto the bar, her dress enticing, yet not too revealing. It drew Apple''s eyes, the hidden curves making her want to explore them. She shook her head. I''m getting too horny if I''m not even able to speak to a girl, focus, Apple! But no matter how she tried to focus her mind seemed oddly distant. Had she really had that much to drink? She looked down at her empty glass curiously, blinking as she found it full, she automatically raised it to her lips and had another swallow.


    The girl in front of her said something, Apple could barely hear it, she had a hard time focusing, then the girl was kissing Apple''s neck, did things usually go this far and fast? She couldn''t remember, but she didn''t mind, the lips felt like fire on her skin and she just wanted more. Apple could see in the distance, her crew saluting and toasting her, barely, they all seemed so fuzzy and wavy. So everything must be alright then, if they all seemed okay. Smiling absentmindedly, she let the pretty girl lead her by hand, out of the club. This day was turning out to be just what she needed after all. Hopefully this daze would fade so she could properly enjoy it.


    Her crew followed her, Apple leading the cute girl back to the ship - just as the girl whispered for her to do. Untold promises hanging in the air that made Apple shiver.


    £ª£ª£ª


    Nami almost felt bad, but between the giant of a man, and the other two men, of which one was obviously gay, if the way he kept looking at the men around the club was any indication - she had been the best target. She hated using seduction as a way to get in, but it was the easiest and safest route. At least the clueless girl, both smelled and tasted better then any others she''d been forced into tangling with. Thankfully never more than kissing and some groping - so far.


    Nami wasn''t looking forward to the day when she''d be forced to use her feminine wiles to go further. Thankfully her marks were generally pretty easily duped.


    She was working a big score on this island, but seeing a pirate ship of that size arriving, she realized it must have a lot of loot, and since she had a partner for her score - and therefore would have to share the profit, some quick moonlighting wouldn''t be too out of bounds. It would likely net her a tidy stash to bring home. The more time passed and she didn''t have the 100 million, the more despondent she felt. So any chance for a score she saw - she''d take. She owed it to Bellemere''s memory. To save their village. Even if not in the way she would have wished for it.


    She''d take on all the pain of becoming something different, something her mother wouldn''t have wanted - so that Nojiko and the rest wouldn''t have to. She''d save her village!


    Slipping the girl something hadn''t been too hard, she kept going to the dance floor, giving Nami plenty of time to access her specific drink of choice, flirting with the bartender so he wouldn''t notice - eventually moving in and just taking the whole bottle to speed up the process. And for every drink, the tattooed and colorful pirate got more absentminded and flushed, likely attributing it to the noise and exertion. Nami had already cottoned onto the fact that the pirate liked women and men equally - with the way her eyes wandered, so she''d slid in easily enough, acting flirty, managing to lure the pirate out. Nami had never seduced a woman before, it was definitely¡­ New. Not bad per say. Just new.


    The rest following her hadn''t been ideal in her mind at first, apparently this pirate crew actually looked after each other, she scoffed internally, scum drawn to scum, they probably just didn''t want their plaything taken out of sight. Luckily enough, going back to their ship was exactly what she wanted, so the extra company was not necessarily too bad, it would get her on the ship easier, if she could make it there in one piece. After all, there was nothing suspicious going on if she was escorted aboard by the crewmen themselves.


    She just had to keep kissing the girl, Apple, she''d mentioned her name at some point - in-between kisses - to keep the rest of the crew at a distance, before they realized she''d been drugged, or wanted to talk to her, because she was barely capable of responding. Her lips were softer and had a faint fruity taste that Nami could admit made Apple more preferable than the men she usually seduced her way past. Again she felt a flicker of unease at the situation, but she soldiered on, it was only a pirate after all. She''d probably done ten times worse to some poor civilian. Nami needed money to save her home village, some kissing wasn''t even that bad, she steeled herself, no this was a pirate, Nami wasn''t a bad person, the pirates would probably think it all a great joke, anyway. They didn''t have feelings like normal people.


    Soon enough they arrived at the repurposed marine vessel, Nami wasn''t an idiot, it was easy enough to tell these things when you constantly traveled around the sea - it boded well for them having some money on hand too, they''d obviously raided a marine base somewhere. There was a fiercely scowling man with a Mohawk and even more tattoos, waiting on the deck, so she burrowed Apple into her body, grabbing her bottom, catching her lips with her own, hard. Letting out a slightly theatrical moan, stumbling past, trying to make it clear neither of them was in any shape to talk.


    Public displays of affection made people uncomfortable, and she was making sure to make it very uncomfortable. She couldn''t afford to have any questions asked to Apple right now.


    "What the fuck, Cloud? I thought Pie was supposed to rip apart anyone that touched her?" The Mohawk man grouched, as Nami led Apple towards the entrance to the innards of the ship. Having to give her a little surreptitious push that she hoped no one noticed, as the pirate was practically melting into her arms, making it hard to move her onwards.


    Either Nami was way better than even she thought she was - or the drugs were beginning to kick in harder. Either way she needed to be out of sight, now.


    The girl''s breath was coming away a bit raggedy with how hard Nami had been kissing her, as she slipped them both inside, her own breath a little flushed and rapid, just barely hearing the obviously gay man''s response before they disappeared out of hearing distance.


    "You saw them! Imagine what Apple would do to us if we interrupted that?" The effeminate man protested loudly, to a chorus of agreements from the others.


    "Let''s do it in the captain''s quarters, hmm?" Nami breathed into the ear of her easily suggestible captive. Giving her another slight push on the bottom. Pirate girl definitely worked out, Nami was kind of jealous of that ass if she was going to be honest. She shook her head briefly, I don''t have time for such silly thoughts, focus. She scolded herself.


    Apple quickly led her further into the ship, Nami eying everything around her for escape avenues and possible holding places for loot. Thankfully it seemed the rest of the pirate crew was partying it up on the deck, leaving her with the opportunity to get what she came for and take off, hopefully with no one wise to her actions. Apple stopped in front of a door, her face red, eyes a bit glazed over. Nami gave her a look, biting her lip, she might have overdosed her a little, she''d never done anything like this before, usually she could just sneak her way in or fool some idiot guard, a kiss or two and she was in. But these guys didn''t seem like the kind of crowd she could scam her way through with some fast talk - it''s why she''d settled for this way.


    She''d observed them for two hours before she''d gone and followed Apple''s group after all. They didn''t look like the kind of joke she could usually ingratiate herself with quickly, and betray just as quickly.


    Apple continued to sway on her feet, making Nami feel that twinge of guilt again. Either she''d messed up the doses, or she''d gone a bit too overboard with the kissing, perhaps. She''d definitely laid a lot into that when they''d passed the Mohawk man.


    She made quick work of the locked door, her lockpicking skills not even earning a comment from the dazed girl, she quickly led Apple in as soon as she got the door open, having a quick first look around the room, immediately identifying the most likely places for a stash. She turned to Apple, and guided her to the bed. The girl had a silly dopey grin on her face as she stared up at Nami dreamily.


    That guilt was hitting pretty hard no matter how much Nami kept repeating the mantra, just a pirate.


    "Sorry." Nami mumbled, feeling slightly ashamed despite the girl being a pirate, she hadn''t really gone this far before. She gave her a soft peck on the lips, before she shoved the sedative in between her lips, holding her down, a hand over her mouth as she swallowed. The sedative should work quickly in her state, and hopefully the apothecary had been right in that it wouldn''t interact badly with the drug. Carina had arranged it, so she might have messed with it just to mess with Nami.


    She really hoped not, she didn''t need that on her conscience.


    Within minutes Apple was snoring away happily in the Captain''s bed. No side effects immediately visible, leaving Nami relieved.


    Nami quickly moved through the quarters, before moving through the rest of the innards of the ship, working efficiently, moving carefully but quickly, gathering up plenty of jewelry and loose beri, the largest amount from the Captain''s quarters. So far she hadn''t run into anyone, but as she made it down to where the brig area usually was on marine vessels this size, looking for the treasury - she heard voices. Seemed not everyone got to party after all. How annoying.


    She put her ear to the door, listening to the quiet grumbling and the complaining prisoner they were guarding. She bit her lip in indecision. She could skip the brig and move on, but she''d already finished most of the innards of the ship, if they already had guards in the brig, it might be where they kept their treasury as well.


    Honestly, Nami had found pirate treasure in the weirdest places over the last couple of years. They literally would stuff their treasure anywhere.


    She ruffled up her clothes a bit, messed up her hair and gave herself a couple slaps to the cheeks to induce redness, giving herself a well tousled look, before she opened the door, gasping, "Oh, my, sorry, wrong door, I''d just been with Apple, umm, you know¡­ And I was looking for the bathroom." She simpered, fluttering her eyelashes, drawing in and letting out a deep breath, knowing the men''s eyes would be immediately drawn to her bust.


    "Fuck, Apple''s a lucky bitch." She could hear one of them mutter to the other, catching them exchanging an amused look, taking their eyes off her, both of them relaxed and off guard. Immediately she flung two pellets at them, kept in the pouch around her waist, the gas pellets exploding upon impact letting out a small cloud of knockout gas. She covered her face with an arm, turning away, hoping to avoid any possible blowback, luckily it seemed the effects were very localized. The two men fell to the floor with two loud thuds. Knocked out.


    Carina did have useful contacts it seemed. She''d have to make sure to never tell her. Couldn''t let her get a big head. The girl still thought she was a better thief than Nami. As if!


    "Hey, flashy girl, let me out!" Croaked the prisoner as Nami efficiently frisked the guards, her eyes peeled for treasure, inevitably finding the heavy iron chest in the corner, half hidden under a tarp. Jackpot! She thought smugly.


    Nami spared a glance for the prisoner, only to have her eyes almost bulge out of her head, "Buggy the clown!?" She shrieked, backing up against the wall. What the hell were these no names doing with a guy like this, locked up!


    "Ah, you''ve heard of me, of course you have." Buggy said smugly, eyes bloodshot. He looked unwashed and grimy and absolutely mad. He grinned terribly, teeth gnashing together like he was ready to chomp down on something, or someone, "Let me out of here girly, and you''ll flashily have my favor. If you know who I am¡­ You know how useful that can be¡­"


    Nami glanced around, looking at the chest again, it was big. Surely it held a lot of money. "Can you get me and that chest out of here?" She asked the pirate, managing to hide the tremble in her voice with sternness. Buggy was no joke, he''d definitely be able to kill her, but he was a prisoner of this crew, he''d be able to let her escape the ship with none the wiser - gaining all the attention of the pirate crew while she slipped away.


    She might even have an idea to get both the crew and this threat taken care of, leaving her scot free.


    "If you let me go, I''ll flashily take the chest anywhere you want." Buggy swore, a dark sadistic grin appearing on his face, stretching his painted lips. "And don''t worry your pretty little head, I''ll cause enough of a ruckus that you can get out of here." His eyes shone with murderous intent, "I flashily promise they''ll be too occupied with me, to worry about you!"


    Nami eyed the key she''d found in the Captain''s quarters, holding it in her hand. This felt like a really bad idea. But¡­. At the very least he''d distract the crew from her.


    Even pirates had some sort of honor, right? At the very least she trusted her well honed abilities at running away.


    She tossed the key through the cell door. Buggy managed to grab it, even as he sagged in place, the chains must be heavier than they look, Nami thought, slowly moving back towards the chest.


    With a triumphant cry, the cuff holding the pirate captain fell off, and Nami shrieked in fright as the pirate seemed to come apart. His head and limbs separating from his body. Rolling around in the air as the pirate laughed and laughed.


    As if to punctuate what a bad idea that had been, a thrum of thunder could be heard in the distance at that moment. Nami knew a storm was coming tonight, she''d hoped to be back in the city by the time it started however, she needed to get a move on.


    "Don''t flashily worry, sweetheart, this is just my ability." Buggy cackled. Smashing the cell door open, striding through. With a wiggle, one of his hands flew over to the chest and lifted it up like it was nothing. "That can take your chest wherever you want it to, while I flashily cause a ruckus. Here." Buggy tossed a foot into Nami''s arms.


    Nami stared down at the wiggling foot, and she couldn''t even. She had to fight not to fall to the floor, this was just too much.


    Pirate or no pirate - feet should not detach.


    "Don''t pass out now girl, you''re on the flashy homestretch." Buggy said merrily, stealing the daggers off the knocked out men. Twirling them in his one available hand. "Hold on to that foot, and my hand can still float along and bring the chest with you, lose the foot, and my hand won''t be much use, got it?"


    "S-sure, hold on to the foot, got it!" Nami said nervously. Staring down at the foot. It wiggled happily again, and she barely held back a sob. This was too weird! And she hung around fishmen!


    Buggy moved to slit the throat of the two guards and Nami shouted out at the last second, "Wait!" Holding a hand out hesitantly, the other holding Buggy''s foot to her chest.


    Buggy growled, glaring at her, an Insane look to his face, as he almost frothed at the mouth, "You flashily better have a good reason for stopping me. Girl!" He bit out murderously.


    "Fight and kill them all you want up there," Nami snapped, pointing upwards towards the deck, "But if you kill these guys, I''ll get the blame if someone saw me sneak in!" Not entirely true, but Nami did not want to see these men killed right in front of her because of something she did. And surely if they captured Buggy before, the people on the deck could handle him now¡­


    Buggy spat on the floor. "Fine, get out of here then," He said with a cruel look." ~I''ll be seeing you~" He sang, giggling, before he began cackling madly, stepping out of the brig.


    Nami didn''t waste any time, immediately stepping out herself, heading the opposite direction from Buggy. She''d find somewhere to crawl out, out of sight. A chill crawled down her spine as she looked down at the limbs she was bringing with her. And hopefully she wouldn''t be seeing the rest of him again afterwards.


    She was already regretting letting him loose.


    For my home. She repeated to herself. All for my home, my family.


    It''s necessary.


    Maybe one day she wouldn''t feel so horrible while repeating that inner mantra.


    One day.


    £ª£ª£ª


    "Why don''t I get to go drinking with the rest of them." Blackjack protested, hanging around the main mast, where Wire, Duel and Archer was hanging out, playing a game of dice to pass the time.


    "When your balls drop, maybe." Wire said, uncaring of the teens'' annoyance. Scowling as Duel once again beat him. It was a game of chance, how could she possibly keep beating him? He looked at her smug face suspiciously, "Hey Duel, you wouldn''t be cheating, would you, you fucking bitch?"


    Archer laughed, a deep rumbling sound in his chest as he learnt back, cross-legged as he sat with his back to the mast, "It took you long enough to notice." The cook took a large swig of ale, grinning widely, "She keeps switching the dice."


    Duel quirked an eyebrow, the smugness of her face growing. "Not. Cheating. Winning." She proclaimed. Tossing Wire a superior look.


    Wire threw the cup of dice down on the deck in disgust. "Cheating in poker is a given, but dice? You have no soul, woman."


    "Is anyone even listening to me!?" Blackjack whined in frustration, hands incessantly cutting a deck of cards, over and over again.


    "No." Came simultaneously, as all three replied at the exact same time - in the same bored tone. Having heard the kids whining all night.


    "Oh, come on, everyone''s drinking except me!"


    "Apple''s not drinking." Archer said, a wry smirk on his face. Duel soundlessly laughing along as Wires face grew dark and stormy.


    "Not. Ale. No." Duel agreed, a naughty smirk on her face.


    "What do you mean?" Blackjack asked, peering between them suspiciously. "I thought Apple was getting fucked, what''s that got to do with drinking?"


    Wire smacked his face, groaning, "If you don''t know, then you''re too fucking young to have a drink, and that''s final you little shit!" He cursed. Honestly the kid should know this shit, he grew up in a criminal gang for fucks sake.


    Anything else was interrupted by the cacophony of smashing wood as one of their crew members smashed through the deck, everyone jumping up, alert immediately, scanning for threats other than the one arriving from below. Needles immediately pulled the injured crewman away and assessed him at the same time, covered by a couple of bruisers.


    "Fuck." Duel said succinctly, pointing to the detached hand holding the unconscious crew member. Her other hand loosening the pistols on her belt from their sheaths. She wasn''t wearing her whole arsenal due to having been relaxing safely on their ship.


    "How did he get free?" Archer asked calmly, his eyes sharp, assessing the clown floating up out of the hole, a mad grin on his twitching painted face. This was a departure from the pathetic coward they''d all seen so far, the one who''d been brought down with one punch.


    Wire slammed a fist into the mast, cursing, "Fucking hell! Blackjack go find Apple! She''s the only one that brought someone aboard, fucking woman, of course she''d be the one! If there''s not one thing it''s a fucking ''nother!" He bit out at Blackjack who was still standing still, staring at the clown, "Go you little shit!" Wire, snapped. "If you see that orange haired tart, put her down!"


    Buggy''s eyes immediately turned their way as Blackjack started running towards the interior. "The flashy brat! Let''s see how you like things thrown at you!" He roared, parts of his body separating from him, becoming thin strands, each grabbing a dagger of his belt by hooking around it and unerringly flying towards the back of the running teen, faster than a dagger thrown by a normal man.


    Just as they were about to reach the teen, each dagger was hit by a bullet, throwing them off course, the daggers sinking into the wood as Blackjack ducked into the interior, in search of Apple - and their possible jailbreaker.


    The crew all remembered Kaito''s words of an orange haired woman now, when it was too late, and no one was in the mood to go easy on her. If this was the recruit Kaito wanted, Wire was going to have words with the motherfucking idiot.


    Duel smirked grimly as she raised her modified pistols again, having fired the shots taking down Buggy''s attack. They were modified to be able to fire half a dozen shots before reloading, magazines on her belt sliding into her pistols in one smooth arm movement as she unloaded the spent ones and slid her pistols down, inserting the new magazines. "Big. Nose." She taunted. Knowing she''d draw his attention.


    Just at that moment, when Buggy''s eyes inevitably turned in Duel''s direction, Archer struck, moving in a blur, gliding forward to strike the clown in the solar plexus. Buggy however, separated into hundreds of pieces, flowing around the strike, his mouth laughing mockingly, floating in the air by itself. "I didn''t flashily take you seriously and I paid for it, but now¡­ I''m going to murder you all flashy like." He cackled. "And DON''T MENTION MY NOSE!" He shouted, enraged, his floating eyeballs rolling wildly, a veritable storm of miniature strips of his body flying towards Duel.


    Wire and Archer both stepped in, as several crew members tried to target single body parts without much effect. Duel lost both her pistols in short order, flipping back from the tiny slices that still managed to have enough force to knock pistols out of her hands, bruising her fingers. Archer and Wire''s efforts helped her slam away the few that got through to her after. But it took all her power in her hits to slam the tiny pieces away. They all suddenly believed the story about the clown being an apprentice on Gold D Rogers ship a bit more.


    A fire suddenly bloomed on the dock, amongst a stack of boxes. Drawing the attention of all the fighters. Before whatever was in the boxes exploded - sending fire and debris sky high.


    "Tch, that girl." Buggy grumbled, before cackling madly again, his floating eyes seeing what the rest of them couldn''t see yet. Cannons turned towards the commotion immediately, and there was only one target down here, that whoever was up there, would find responsible. He felt out what direction his missing limbs were in, and gave a jaunty salute to the crew who''d so messed up his life, taking his crew from him, his ship. "Burn you rats! Flashily burn!" He cackled, fleeing the ship.


    He didn''t see that Captain of theirs anyway, that''s who he needed to flashily kill slowly, anyway.


    "What the F-" Wire began, seeing the clown fly over the railing.


    Then they all heard it. Cannon fire. "Archer!" Wire shouted desperately, as he raced towards the wheel, "Unfurl the sails, get that anchor up! Move, move!" He shouted as he ran. The crew scrambled into action around him.


    A cannon ball whistled past his head, missing him by only a meter, before whistling over the railing and hitting the water on the other side, the explosion rocking their ship, a geyser of water washing over them all. Wire grimaced, that close, they''d for sure get hairline cracks at least in the hull from the pressure of the explosion. Damn that clown to all hells and that fucking woman to Davy Jones locker, bound with her ass in the air!! He cursed mentally as he rallied the crew.


    Archer grimaced as he jumped up into the air and slammed a cannonball away with the back of his hand, having to let three others pass as he couldn''t reach them all due to their distance from each other. As he landed he breathed out in relief as two sailed past the ship, and the third was taken out by Duel, now hefting her bazooka, firing against the incoming cannon shots.


    With Duel armed up, they''d at least have a chance of getting the cannon shots Archer couldn''t reach.


    Somehow they managed to keep deflecting the fire away from the ship as they slowly maneuvered the ship out of the dock. The crew stared at the city in the distance in anger and shock, leaving half the crew behind.


    "What just happened?" Archer said tiredly. Encapsulating the mood aboard, as they managed to get out of cannon range.


    They could do nothing to help the ones trapped inside the city.


    Just then the storm hit.


    Because it was just that kind of day.


    £ª£ª£ª


    They''d been escorted to an absolutely delightful show - truly, Yoruichi''s eyes had almost rolled out of her skull with how much she rolled her eyes, as Kaito enthusiastically enjoyed the dancing ladies. Carina was always by his side, whispering encouragement, egging him on. Sending the odd hilarious smug look towards Yoruichi.


    Boy, the girl had read that situation wrong, Kaito thought with amusement.


    The Casino they were led to, didn''t look like much on the outside - like most buildings on Torrance, it was a simple carved out square monolith on the outside. On the inside however - pure glam.


    Skimpily dressed ladies, barely hidden assets under feathers and wisps of clothing, serving drinks and hors d''oeuvres to the wealthy looking clientele. Everything glittering around them, soft carpets leading to area after area of vices and excess. Kaito had the feeling that this Casino doubled as a brothel behind the scenes as well. It had that sleazy rich look, rather than the classy rich.


    That feeling increased after the third time Yoruichi had to slap a man that offered her a fortune for a night alone together - ripping them apart would have blown the whole ruse, so she''d had to limit herself. Carina almost ruined this whole escapade herself when she snidely commented that Yoruichi should have taken the last offer - she was hardly worth half of what she''d been offered. Kaito had needed some pretty strong non verbal signals to prevent Yoruichi from smacking a bitch.


    Finally after a few hours of playing along, trying their luck at some games of chance, ogling pretty ladies, and drinking more than they probably should. Carina offered them VIP access, for a special time together, leading them through a back door, down a tunnel, all very James Bond. The girl lost the cute innocent look as she gave them a superior smirk, opening a door into a badly lit room, "VIP room for you." She purred.


    Kaito flipped her a one beri coin as he walked past, "For your services, you should thank us, you''re worth barely half of that."


    Yoruichi couldn''t hold back a snort of laughter as she fell in behind him, "Oh that look on her face was worth the whole night!"


    Carina walked in behind them, with a sour look on her face, slamming the door shut. The lights dramatically turned on, showcasing a generic bad guy office, filled with about twenty armed goons, and a fat mafioso type guy with slicked back hair, sitting behind a large desk, smirking at them. "Good job, Carina!" He shouted, flashing several gold teeth. Honestly, Kaito half expected a shark tank with a trap door or something, this was gettin that cheesy.


    The guy didn''t even have a cat in his lap, that would have really finished off the look he was shooting for.


    "Oh, no. We''re caught. What. Will. We. Do." Kaito said robotically. Even making robot movements with his arms to punctuate it. Yoruichi broke out in laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation - the mafia types staring at them with open mouths - probably not used to this kind of reaction, ever.


    Kaito couldn''t really take them seriously though, this just wasn''t a threat.


    "This is the guy that secretly controls this city from behind the scenes! Show some respect!" Carina snapped, having come to stand next to the slimy mafioso, running a hand over his shoulder.


    Kaito really doubted that. For one, anyone running this city would make enough to wear something better than a cheap suit. Secondly, anyone running this city wouldn''t need to play games with random pirate captain''s.


    "I don''t know what''s more amusing. The fact you thought I fell for your routine - or the fact slick hair there, obviously did fall for it." Kaito pointed out mockingly, unconcerned with the weapons pointed at him. Single shot pistols - child''s play. He''d just use iron body to tank them, and then they''d be sitting ducks. Yoruichi wouldn''t even be scratched by those little pea shooters if she used her Zoan.


    "Don''t listen to him, baby. He''s caught in your net, now." Carina cooed in his ear, the mafioso nodding along confidently. Obviously completely wrapped around the girl''s finger. Which begged the question? What did she want to use them for?


    "Yeah, you don''t even have a bounty, pirate, don''t act so casually -"


    Whatever else he was going to say was interrupted as Kaito sailed over the desk, having used shave, grasping the man by the neck and slamming him down on the floor as he landed, immediately knocking him out. "Oh, sorry, you were saying something?" Kaito drawled, guns all turning towards him. "That. Was a mistake." He grinned at the goons. Carina shrieking in fear and ducking under the desk, seeing what the goons failed to see by concentrating on him.


    Yoruichi in her full Zoan form ripped through the goons like they were nothing. Tossing them into walls, breaking bones, going through half of them, before the other half could even reorient their weapons. Kaito could have helped, but he figured Yoruichi deserved some stress relief after being needled by Carina for the last few hours. He looked under the desk, smirking widely, "So, should we talk about what exactly the plan was for all of this?" He waved his hand around, "This all was obviously set up by you. No matter what the sleazeball thought."


    Before they could go any further, they were interrupted by the distant sound of firing cannons. Kaito immediately straightened up and shared a concerned look with Yoruichi. They had been the only pirate ship in the harbor. What were the odds another ship had come and was being fired on - with their luck - not very good.


    "I think¡­ You''ll actually need me, anyway, now." Carina said, crawling out from under the desk, regaining some of her bravado. Her eyes grew wide at seeing the moaning and broken men around her.


    "You won''t get out of this city without my help." She said with surety. A quick anxious look at Yoruichi escaping her before she managed to control her reactions.


    Kaito and Yoruichi exchanged another look. They had half a crew still left in the city - they never once entertained the thought that the others didn''t get away - Cannon fire wouldn''t defeat Archer and Duel. But they couldn''t leave the rest of their crew in this city, without any lay of the land and what they faced. Kaito and Yoruichi could get out no problem - getting the rest of the crew might be a tad more difficult, depending on the situation.


    "What do you want?" Kaito growled.


    Carina flashed a blindingly white smile.


    £ª£ª£ª


    In a hole in the wall bar, somewhere, East Blue.


    "New posters are here, Bailey. Got a reeaallly big''un this time!" A chubby sailor with a red bulbous nose and dirty shaggy beard shouted, jostling through the crowd of low lifes and criminals that made the three legged man their watering hole.


    Bailey, a bald old man with tanned weathered skin and yellowed teeth, spat to the side,"I''ve heard that before, fatbeard!" He called out snidely, before sliding a moderately clean tankard over to his new regular. Weird guy just kept showing up, looking surprised that the place was here. Fool kept insisting he was moving his bar. What a weirdo. He always stayed quiet and drank like a fish, so he was more tolerable than the rest of the clientele on most nights, despite his delusions. Bailey could handle the kind of weirdness that always paid up and kept their gob shut.


    "Bailey you gotta see this, I''m not joshing ya, this new kid got a first time bounty," The man called fatbeard by the barkeep, leaned forward, drawing it out, "Of forty million beri!"


    There were some murmurs in the crowd at that, but mostly low key, what did they care about pirates? Only thing that mattered in the three legged man was getting your thirst clenched or your cock. Bailey provided both - the back alley used for the second by his daughter, saved him the cost of renting a bedroom for the business.  And kept her damn gob shut well enough too.


    "You''re shittin'' me!" Bailey laughed roughly, finally, looking around the crowd showing off his disbelief, shaking his head, "No way that''s real, are you kidding me?" He eyed up the quiet guy watching them over his now empty tankard, with a huff he filled up another and slid it over, receiving a short serious nod as thanks. He was the only fucker in this town Bailey didn''t make pay up front, reliable sort, always paid up. He could use more customers like him. Even if he was an outsider. Probably the only one here that hadn''t gone for a spin in the back too now that he thought about it, Bailey scratched his chin thoughtfully giving him the evil eye. The boy better not be a sword swallower - Bailey didn''t accept that kind here. He''d show him what''s what, he had his own bounty from some things in his past, 2 million beri, he''d show a sword swallower a thing or two.


    "Yeah!? Look at this then!" A poster was slammed down on the dirty counter, drawing Bailey''s attention back. A young grinning man displayed on it, wearing an open black and red pirate captain''s cloak that hung off his shoulders and displayed his muscular chest, a flag with red clouds in the background as he literally gave the world government both fingers. "Red Dawn Kaito, he''s the strongest man in East Blue now!" The sailor insisted, pushing the poster forward on the counter with one finger.


    Bailey thought the pirate looked like a pretentious twit as he grimaced down at the ridiculous poster. There was no way he was worth 40 million beri - that photo was so incredibly posed, absolutely fake. Just some kid running a scam no doubt. He''d regret that. The marines didn''t take kindly to fakers.


    A tankard slammed down on the counter, empty yet again, the patron wiping his mouth with his muscled forearm. Bailey watched as the weird swordsman eyed the poster thoughtfully, one hand playing with the hilt of a sword idly.


    "Strongest in East Blue, huh?" He said in a low voice.


    "Interesting."


    The next day drunk men everywhere wept - for all of two minutes before finding another bar. The proprietor of the three legged man had mysteriously been turned in to the marines - no one had even known he had a bounty on him.


    One man still stood outside the shuttered bar. Three swords at his waist.


    Damn place keeps moving even now, I know I went left, who the hell put a defunct bar on the other side of town!?


    And why does this stupid island keep moving their docks everyday anyway?


    £ª£ª£ª

 Whos Lucky?

    £ª£ª£ª


    Nami stepped past the towering brute guarding the small-time gambling house, giving him a quick nod, grimacing as she tossed aside the half rotten tarp she''d stolen from the docks which she had been forced to carry over her head to protect herself from the torrential downpour. It did nothing to protect her feet unfortunately, which were now soaked and absolutely freezing. She''d consider herself lucky that was all she''d suffered considering¡­


    Her luck lately¡­ Maybe there was something to this god of luck in Torrance.


    That all could have gone a lot worse. It''s what she deserved, she supposed - for taking such a chance in the middle of an already ongoing con. If she''d had more time to plan and prepare maybe she''d have been able to suss out that they had Buggy the Clown in their hold. Which¡­ She probably wouldn''t have touched them at all if she''d known.


    She tended to avoid people on the most wanted list as a habit, the money wasn''t worth those kinds of pirates usually. She needed to be alive to succeed in her goal after all.


    She''d stashed her newly gained treasure in the abandoned apartment nearby - still locked, she had already deviated from the plan enough, besides it would be a nice treat for afterwards, getting to open it and find out how much she''d earned. The apartment and the gambling house was already scoped out by her and Carina when they committed to this con in the first place. Nami had been using it for the past two weeks. The - ugh, it still gave her shivers - foot and hand that came with her, she''d tossed down the garbage chute. If the pirate crew didn''t take care of Buggy then the cannons surely would, right? Either way, she''d come off scot free, except for being caught in the storm.


    She''d known it was coming, she''d been too careless, cutting it pretty close. At least by tomorrow night by the latest, the plan would be in motion.


    She settled herself by the u shaped bar, the bartender sliding her one of her usuals, the alcohol would warm her up and soothe her raw nerves. She sipped the strong liquor, cooly assessing the room. No one too important had arrived yet, just the usual gang, gambling and being rowdy. Good. She wasn''t in the mood quite yet for another acting job, playing pretend got so tiresome after awhile, especially when even her usual self was another pretense due to Arlong.


    She felt bad enough for her last con job, her act had worked perfectly. The girl had been sweet, for a pirate, though. She gulped down the rest of her drink, slamming the glass down on the counter, gasping out, ¡°Hit me with another, double this time!¡± She had hours before she needed to work, by the looks of things - might as well wash her guilt away with copious amounts of alcohol.


    She took the glass that the bartender slid to her, admiring the amber liquid and the way it almost shone through the dim cloudy glass in this dingy locale, their booze was definitely the only classy thing in here. She toasted no one in particular, ¡°To being a bitch!¡±


    Her mood only marginally improved over the next two hours, she''d learned how to handle her drink quickly while scamming her way across East Blue, so she wasn''t anywhere near drunk yet, she still hadn''t paid for a single drink either, these guys were just too easy. Still, the drink hasn''t helped much. It was silly to feel guilty, what with Nami''s situation and what she needed to do, maybe it was because it was a girl¡­ Made it easier for Nami to sympathize, see herself in her shoes¡­ She''d never felt this guilty for scamming and using a guy before, it was easier to equate them to the regular pirate scum. Her fingers clenched around the glass she was currently nursing, Arlong didn''t really believe in female pirates - herself the exception, not that she was a pirate, really. Slave fit more, she thought bitterly. Years of nightmares threatened to crawl through the cracks in her being, before she slammed the lid down. No! She''s strong, she got this, doubts are for the weak! She can''t afford to be weak, not now, not ever!


    Her other hand clenched around her tattoo - the sign denoting she belonged to Arlong, Nami growling at herself, what was wrong with her? The girl was a pirate! Stop thinking about it!


    A round of cheers told her she''d missed the gang leader''s entrance in her introspection. She plastered on a confident smile, glad for the distraction despite everything, raising a drink to him in a toast as he swaggered her way. He was young and dumb, exactly the type Nami could run circles around. In fact this entire gang was filled with the same type, people too young and dumb with a splash of arrogance, people not able to fit in with the already established gangs. Easy pickings for her, while Carina ingratiated herself to one of the largest gangs for their influence, Nami was to find them the cheap and most importantly expendable muscle. And you didn''t get much cheaper or expendable - than this guy.


    ¡°Nami! Finally done stealing every man''s heart, eh?¡± The odious weasel of a man said, showcasing his yellowed teeth in a horrendous grin, before he nudged the man next to him, ¡°Or just their wallets! Hahaha!¡±


    Nami didn''t know his real name, hadn''t been here long enough or cared enough to draw that information out. But she was definitely sure the weasel hadn''t been born with the name Machismo. Ridiculous man!


    ¡°You know me¡­¡± Nami said leadingly, wearing a small teasing smirk, ¡°All about those¡­¡± She trailed off again, this time not purposely, as she gaped at the front entrance.


    Buggy the clown stood in relief against the pouring rain and lightning that could be seen just outside. The flashing lightning storm provided an ominous backdrop, the pirate sporting a maniacal grin on his face, the water dripping off him only managing to enhance his sinister appearance. The brute guarding the front door held by the neck by a detached floating hand, The bouncer''s feet desperately scrambling against the wood flooring, finding no purchase. ¡°Knock knock!¡± Buggy called out, his tongue darting out to lick his lips fleetingly.


    ¡°W-who¡¯s th-there?¡± One of the more weak willed gang members asked, getting scathing looks from the people around him. Nami surreptitiously slid off her barstool, while everyone''s attention was ahead of them. Bravery doesn''t do anyone anything good when they''re dead, after all.


    She couldn''t help but notice the pirate had both hands and feet so that garbage chute didn''t do much good. Also likely meant he''d be pretty mad at her right about now. It was time to get out of here. Her cheap muscle was now nothing but a fleshy barrier to buy her escape. Carina would understand.


    Buggy cackled, the loud CRACK of the bouncer''s neck snapping making the whole room flinch, the 300 pound body smacking into the flooring with a loud wet thud seconds later. ¡°Who am I kidding, why am I even knocking - in a house full of dead men!¡± Buggy roared with laughter, spittle flying, as his eyes bugged out insanely.


    Nami continued to edge down the bar, not wanting to run quite yet, it would draw attention to her, Buggy must have been a captive for awhile, he was obviously insane. She really regretted taking the chance on another score - turned out her eyes were too big for her stomach.


    Buggy was one of the biggest names in East Blue. And she was now in the cross hairs. Nami cursed herself fifteen different ways internally. She prayed to Bellemere''s spirit, promising that she''d totally stop swearing if only she got out of this situation, this one time.


    That prayer had worked for her at least eight times now, so just one more time please!


    ¡°We''re the Wildcards of Torrance, no stupid clown is going to make a joke out of us!¡± The gang leader Machismo roared, getting a hesitant cheer out of his men, who were obviously intimidated, several eyeing the body on the floor with obvious fear. The gang leader of said Wildcards drew a short sword and waved it at Buggy, shouting, ¡°Let''s see how you handle real steel, you freak!¡±


    Crunch!


    Nami gagged, feeling weak at the knees, grasping the bar counter to keep upright, as several men around her shrieked in shock and fear. Buggy''s hand had flown in faster than she could see, and grasped the man''s face in a vice grip, (Which unfortunately she could see), the pirate chuckling, speaking in a sing song baby voice, ¡°~ little toy¡¯s break sooo easily!¡± squeezing Machismo¡¯s face, until it¡­ Was crushed into pulp - literal pieces of bone and teeth spraying into the air, the sword clanging uselessly against the floor, soon followed by the limp body of their unrecognizable leader.


    Buggy pouted, whatever makeup he had left, horribly smeared by the storm waters and now the blood spray, ¡°Aww¡­¡± He crooned sadly to the frozen room, no one daring to move. Buggy looked up, crazed eyes taking in the room, ¡°My toy broke¡­ But I see LOTS oooooooofffffff SPARE PARTS!¡± He cackled wildly, holding his hands out, the thumbs of his hands detaching and flying forward straight into the face of the gang''s number two, popping his eyes with a disgusting sucking sound, the sound somehow reverberating louder across the space than the man''s desperate screams.


    Pandemonium erupted as half the men tried to flee the premises, while the other half suicidally tried to dog pile Buggy, somehow believing numbers were going to change anything. Nami, limbs weak and barely holding down her bile, attempted to use the chaos to further her own exit strategy, just to shriek in shock, as she came face to face with Buggy. Literally.


    The head of Buggy floated just ahead of her at the end of the bar, glaring down at her, ¡°Where do you think you''re going¡­ Girl¡­¡± He growled, teeth gnashing together.


    Nami desperately looked back at the scuffle, flinching back immediately, as a spray of blood hit her across the face, her hand reaching up automatically, shakingly, to wipe at it. Buggy''s body was a whirlwind of daggers and body parts, cutting a swathe through the mass of bodies trying to pin him down. The body parts separating and going up and over the attackers, just to fall down with murderous intent wielding daggers, the whole front of the house was slick with blood and body parts and the screams of the dying. She wanted to puke, to cry, to get away from it all. Within two minutes, those who hadn''t fled - all laid dead at the feet of the headless body of Buggy the Clown.


    The body posed, one arm at his hip, the other flashing a peace sign. The sight might be comical if it wasn''t for the literal massacre surrounding the gore covered body.


    With strength she didn''t know she had, Nami took a slow breath, turned back around, ignoring the blood on her face for now, (She''s had worse¡­) and faced the nightmare, ¡°Funny thing¡­¡± She said with a nervous laugh, ¡°After stashing the treasure I completely lost track of your¡­ ¡°She searched for the right words, before ending it with a delicate, ¡°Parts.¡±


    Buggy''s hand joined his head, just to stroke at his chin in thought, his body walking over to join him, seamlessly transitioning together a moment later. ¡°You were somewhat helpful, so I''m going to ignore your betrayal, for now¡­¡± He spoke darkly, a dangerous look in his eyes. ¡°Besides, I flashily lost my crew¡­ Consider yourself flashily recruited to the Buggy Pirates!¡± Buggy''s hands both detached to land on her shoulders squeezing them, Nami was very aware how the thumbs pressed against her neck. Oh kami was she aware, as she felt one of the thumbs tapping her carotid artery.


    ¡°Of course I''d love to join you, great Buggy-Sama!¡± Nami immediately agreed, self preservation was something she wasn''t lacking in - she couldn''t die yet, not until her village was safe. She hesitated for a moment, before reaching up and revealing her tattoo, deciding it was worth a shot at least. She really didn''t want to go anywhere with Buggy, ¡°Only, Arlong already made me his¡­¡±


    Buggy stared at the tattoo blankly, giving Nami a sliver of hope that Arlongs reputation would be enough. Then he slowly snorted, before breaking out into mad cackling. Nami bit her lip at that and stood shock still, while waiting for the madness to simmer down. She was like a shivering mouse entangled in the body of a snake, just waiting for the snap of its jaws.


    ¡°Arlong is ~scary~,¡± Buggy sang, one of his hands rubbing against the tattoo roughly, making Nami recoil in barely hidden disgust. Thankfully the clown didn''t notice, too entranced by the tattoo. ¡°Once, I would have run the other way just hearing his name, hahaha¡­¡±


    Buggy suddenly had streams of tears pouring down from his eyes, ¡°My flashy crew is DEAD!¡± He wailed, ¡°My ship has been DESTROYED!¡± The tears stopped flowing as Buggy¡¯s mood switched on a dime and he snarled in hate and absolute rage, ¡°That man, He did it! He kept me prisoner, he wanted my ability.¡± Buggy slammed his other hand into the bar counter, splintering it with a loud crack, shouting in her face, ¡°I don''t care anymore, I''ll kill him, I''ll kill them all, then I''ll kill Arlong, then I''ll kill everyone!¡± He raged, saliva dripping down his chin.


    Nami winced, a fake smile plastered on her face, ¡°I''ll help you every step of the way, Captain Buggy!¡± She said subserviently. The man was obviously mad. So she''d need to play along until she could get away. He''d need to sleep eventually¡­ Right?


    Buggy''s head zoomed off his neck and got nose to nose to Nami, making her gulp nervously, his insane eyes, pupils dilating wildly, staring into hers. ¡°If you even think of betraying me again, girl, I''ll take you apart one little piece at a time¡­¡± Buggy promised with dark intent, his rancid breath washing over Nami, the hand on her tattoo slipping down and cupping her left breast, freezing her in place, a spike of terror shooting up her spine, ¡°Do not try me¡­ I will flashily make you suffer¡­¡±


    There''s a moment of silence as Buggy stares into her soul and he must see the absolute terror and no,no,no that she''s feeling. He backs off, seemingly satisfied, his hand moving away. Nami finds she can suddenly breathe again.


    ¡°Now¡­ Tell me everything.¡±


    Nami was left with no other good options, so slowly, she began with telling the insane pirate what she''d been up to on Torrance, and the reason she''d been conning the Wildcards.


    I could really use a hand right now, Carina!


    £ª£ª£ª


    Why is Nami never around when she could be useful¡­ Carina thought with annoyance. She''d literally been saved by a hairs breadth with that cannon fire. Her and Nami''s plans were pretty well ruined now, with the pirates she''d intended to trap and use - instead bowling over the gang she''d worked so hard to wrap around her fingers. They were the only ones with connections to the temple¡­ And they had their fingers in every avenue of Torrance''s society.


    Carina would have to make do with these two, and hope Nami could move the mass of muscle with no brain cells - in one direction long enough to be useful. At least they were strong¡­


    She flashed a brilliant smile at them as the Captain asked her what she wanted. She hopped up on the desk, doing her best to ignore all the people strewn about, dangling her legs casually, trying to instill a picture of calm, while her stomach was still subjected to a roller coaster of feelings. ¡°I happen to know that the treasure that they based their little treasure hunt for, is real!¡±


    She only smiled wider at their unimpressed looks. They needed her, if they wanted their crew to get out of Torrance without casualties. These two might make it, but surely the rest weren''t at their level, they''d need help. And might come to some use as well¡­


    ¡°You guys are going to get it for me!¡± She chirped cheerfully, sending another assessing look at the goons on the floor.


    This might actually work out better. If Nami could get the disposable meatheads into position, the two of them could steal everything while the pirates took on the real obstacles. It also would have the benefit of all their patsies likely taking all the fire and all the consequences, while she and Nami sailed away.


    ¡°Please work diligently!¡± She said, tilting her head cutely and winking at them. Taking pleasure in their unimpressed faces.


    She lived for moments like these.


    £ª£ª£ª


    Kaito was¡­ Not in a bad mood, per say. More like¡­ Very unimpressed with life at the moment.


    He just wanted to enjoy an island with his crew. Have fun, mess around, maybe pick some fights at the end just to show off. The regular new island stuff.


    And now this¡­ He recognized Carina now. After seeing her cat got the canary style grin as she laid out her orders. She was Nami''s old rival from the One Piece Gold movie, the master thief trying to scam Gild Tesoro.


    Sooooo, Nami might be around - which yay! But also, this bitch somehow has his crew in a bit of a rough spot. Kaito had no doubt about his officers abilities in defeating whatever this city could throw at them¡­(Monks? Really?) But that amount of cannon fire would prevent his ship and assorted crew from being much help, stuck on the outside as they would be.


    The strongest of them could handle cannon fire, sure¡­ To an extent. There''s a reason for why even at Marineford massed cannon fire was used. It''s effective, there''s only so many cannon balls the elite can take care of. So with Torrance''s well defended walls, his crew on the outside was limited in their ability to assist.


    And the regular crew members that are right now locked inside Torrance¡­ They wouldn''t be able to protect themselves from the city turning on them. Quantity didn''t beat quality usually - but a whole city against half his crew¡­ Yeah, Kaito wouldn''t bet on his crew coming out on top there.


    ¡°I''ll do this on my own.¡± Kaito said, eyes hard, as he stared down Carina. ¡°Give me the information I need to know, I''ll take care of it.¡± He snorted like a bull, feeling the stirring of real anger inside him, pointing at the smug thief and con artist. ¡°You''ll take Yoruichi and get my people out, now!¡±


    Both women in the room with him angrily shook their heads and protested at the same time, before shooting matching lightning filled glares at each other.


    ¡°Dumb cow!¡±


    ¡°Cheap slut!¡±


    Kaito snapped at the sniping women, ¡°We''re on a time limit here!¡±


    ¡°I still have connections, I can get them busy diverting and hiding your crew away for your¡­¡± Carina grinned evilly with a toothy shark-like grin, meeting Yoruichi''s eyes. ¡°Wh~ore!¡±


    Yoruichi smiled pleasantly, meeting her gaze without hesitation before turning towards Kaito and indicating the grinning girl behind her with her thumb, ¡°Right, so we''re killing her and getting our people out, yeah?¡± She said matter of factly.


    Kaito cut his hand through the air, meaning to make a point and cut through the arguments, accidentally adding power in his anger - forming an impromptu wind blade that smashed into the flooring crashing up dust and debris. He blinked in surprise as the two women shied away from the dust. Huh, I didn''t mean that, sooo I can do tempest kicks with my arms too? Cool..


    Carina cleared her throat, ¡°Was that supposed to lead to anything?¡± She inquired warily.


    Kaito stopped theorizing ways to use wind blades with all his limbs, trying to hide his sheepishness behind a stern look. Crossing his arms, ¡°I''ll go sack this temple for you,¡± He promised, ¡°You''ll go with Yoruichi and get my people out. Non-negotiable.¡± He stressed, when Carina adopted a mullish look.


    ¡°Why do you get a non-shit job?¡± Yoruichi groaned, making a face as she looked over at Carina, ¡°I mean, you sure I can''t just kill her?¡±


    ¡°Firstly I''m the Captain that''s why!¡± Kaito said firmly, before he rolled his eyes, ¡°You were a marine captain not that long ago, miss murder¡­¡± He chastised, making a hand sign quickly, potential asset. Advising Yoruichi that Carina could be useful.


    Yeah, she was being annoying right now, but she''d be a potentially useful crew member, they could use the sneaky cunning type. Although she''d definitely need a lot more subtlety in the future and less of an ego to get anywhere. As long as his crew didn''t get really hurt in this whole setup¡­ He could make it work. If any of them were dead¡­ Kaito''s face hardened imperceptibly. Canon character or not. She''d die by his hands, he swore.


    He and his first mate had hammered out a few useful non verbal signals in case of situations like these, like the one he just flashed Yoruichi. She''d caught it immediately, of course. But Yoruichi looked incredibly unimpressed with his order.


    Her!? Her entire bearing seemed to scream, before she scoffed, tossed her hair across her shoulder and nodded shortly, ¡°Fine. I won''t kill her¡­ At the moment.¡± She gave Carina a very unfriendly look, her eyes shining with something animalistic that made the girl reel back slightly, ¡°Please give me an excuse¡­¡±


    Carina gulped, before she shook her head quickly and pointed at Kaito accusingly, ¡°Hey! I''m in charge here, what gives with giving out orders, huh?¡±


    Kaito tilted his head slightly, narrowing his eyes, meeting Carina''s defiant gaze. He let out some of his anger, his frustration at the situation, some of his hate. It was still steaming since his encounter with the Celestial Dragon, he sharpened the intent, and then tried to manifest it - like he had with said Dragon.


    Carina suddenly scooted back so fast on the desk in a mad scramble, that she fell over to the other side, a terrified squeak escaping her. ¡°Okay¡­ You''re in charge!¡± Carina squeaked, as she peeked over the desk, her eyes big and wide, her fingers trembling, grasping onto the edge, her knuckles white.


    ¡°Give me the information I need¡­ Then let''s get moving. I want to rendezvous with Archer and the others by morning time at the latest.¡± Kaito said seriously, speaking to both women. Yoruichi watching him with a raised eyebrow and pursed lips, Kaito knew he''d definitely have some questions coming his way after all this was done.


    Carina stood up, a weak smile on her face, before she straightened her spine, her smile growing slightly more sharp, ¡°Fine¡­ I can work with this¡­¡± She stabbed a finger forward, ¡°If you try to run off with the treasure yourself¡­¡± She warned, before trailing off as she realized she didn''t have quite as much leverage as she had thought, scowling darkly at him, ¡°Don''t do it, is all I''m saying¡­¡± She muttered.


    Kaito smirked, he figured she wouldn''t be quite as gung ho on setting the city on his crew if she was in the middle of it all. Yoruichi would be able to keep the leash on her tight. ¡°I just want my crew safe, keep your damn treasure.¡± He barked, ¡°Give me the details, now!¡± He was done waiting.


    ¡°....Alright¡­ So these monks up at the temple have been running these treasure hunts pretty much since Torrance himself croaked, right.¡± Carina explained, eyes flickering between Kaito and Yoruichi, her posture hesitant now, ¡°Worshipping him like some god of luck, it''s why gambling is like a sport here, everyone does it.¡± She made a dismissive gesture, ¡°The actual treasure hunt is fake of course, a gimmick. But I found some really old tablets on¡­Uhh¡­ Another job,¡± She said hurriedly, moving along, ¡°The temple is where Torrance was buried and his treasure is supposedly buried with him! The monks have been guarding it this entire time.¡± She scoffed, rolling her eyes, ¡°Apparently they believe that the gambling itself is holy and that winnings are immaterial.¡± She clenched a fist muttering to herself, ¡°Religious people are the worst!¡±


    ¡°So your plan was a simple grave robbing job? Then why the con job with these losers? And trying to ensnare us in the first place.¡± Yoruichi asked, sniffing, ¡°Doesn''t seem all that hard, although I guess for some¡­¡± She trailed off with a condescending smirk.


    Kaito had to admit his first mate had a point. From what he knew of Carina¡­ And Nami, if they were still doing that partnership at this point in time - this didn''t really sound outside their capabilities to sneak in and rob.


    Carina blustered for a moment, before her shoulders slumped, ¡°Ugh, fine¡­ So the monks aren''t exactly¡­ Normal¡­¡± She said reluctantly.


    ¡°If these guys are undead I officially resign from the crew. Two out of two is just¡­ Nope!¡± Yoruichi told Kaito in a not really serious¡­ But kind of actually serious, voice.


    Kaito scoffed, ¡°They''re not undead. What are the odds of that happening again?¡± Then he tilted his head and thought about it, realizing they were on an island of gambling, where they worshiped a god of Luck, so anything relating to bad odds might actually be possible. ¡°They''re not, are they?¡± He asked Carina, slightly dreading the answer.


    Carina looked at them both with a weirded out expression on her face, ¡°I don''t even want to know¡­ No they''re not undead!¡± She snapped, holding a dainty hand against her head like she couldn''t believe this discussion was happening, ¡°They''re just all really boring people¡­¡± She made a disgusted face, ¡°That has nothing to do but spend twenty four hours a day practicing martial arts to protect their island of divine luck¡­¡±


    ¡°How many of them are there?¡± Kaito asked, grimacing slightly. Never underestimate the old men that spent a life on a mountain top. Manga had certainly taught him that. Still¡­ This is East Blue, so it couldn''t be that bad, surely.


    ¡°About 300 give or take some,¡± Carina said with a shrug, she noticed Yoruichi''s judging look and reared up, snarling, ¡°You try and get an exact number when they only ever leave that temple to kick pirates out or for the treasure hunt festival!¡±


    Kaito and Yoruichi exchanged a look, Kaito speaking up, ¡°So with the cannons firing, would the monks come down from their mountain? And what was your plan anyway with that many opponents?¡±


    Carina grimaced, ¡°There''s probably already a detachment on the way to search the city.¡± She admitted, ducking her head at their glares, ¡°And¡­ There are fifty or so already in the city running the festival¡­¡± She wilted slightly, as the glares intensified, waving her hands in front of herself nervously, ¡°I can still get your crew out, don''t worry!¡±


    ¡°What. Was. The. Plan?¡± Kaito gritted out.


    ¡°I have¡­ Someone that''s pulled in one of the more excitable gangs, ¡°Carina explained quickly, ¡°They''re supposed to be used as expendable muscle, too young and stupid to think the Monks strength is anything but myth. They''d riot and attack the monks in the city, which would mean the temple would empty of most of its inhabitants to come and suppress it, it''s apparently happened before.¡° Carina looked around the room, sighing, ¡°I had these guys wrapped around my finger, they have connections all over the place, they''d shut the gates, deal with the normal guard regiment and create a lot of confusion to muddy the waters even worse.¡± She pouted, looking very put out as she sent them a weak glare, ¡°Their leader is one of the only people in this city allowed to travel to the temple, he''d use the influence to go speak to their leader about the situation, with me and my partner as his totally expected eye candy.¡± She sighed dramatically, ¡°And you two and your crew would have been perfect to blame it all on and give us that much extra time and another side for the monks to fight.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Kaito rubbed his chin thoughtfully, ¡°Allowing you two to sneak around an almost empty temple, find the treasure and make off with as much of it as you can while the whole city is in complete turmoil and the monks have too many things to deal with to notice, let alone find, two lone thiefs.¡± He had to admit it wasn''t half bad. Although ridiculously counting on the two of them managing to find the treasure quickly and carting it off undiscovered. He felt a thrill run through him, Nami was likely here then¡­ He couldn''t wait to introduce her to his crew. Her and Apple would probably get along really well. They both liked navigation and maps and stuff, people became friends easily with shared interests like that.


    ¡°Kind of ruthless¡­ How many civilians would be harmed or killed in this riot?¡± Yoruichi said disapprovingly. She sent Carina an icy look, ¡°Didn''t think a hussy like you had it in them¡­¡±


    Carina scoffed, ¡°I''m sorry? Is the pirate lecturing me on civilian casualties?¡±


    ¡°She''s not wrong.¡± Kaito said seriously, it was definitely more ruthless then he''d expected from Nami, perhaps that was Carina leading the plot?


    Carina slumped against the desk, looking depressed, ¡°The monks are notoriously against killing on purpose, they believe only their god gets to gamble with anyone''s life,¡± She rolled her eyes violently, ¡°Nuts, right? Either way it means it''s unlikely anyone''s going to die, they have no religious compunctions about breaking bones though.¡±


    ¡°I doubt the gangs fighting will feel the same about the monks, or the civilians caught in the crossfire.¡± Yoruichi said dryly. Shaking her head.


    Carina just glowered at her, ¡°No ones going to kill a monk, that''s like sacrilege. Even the numbnuts Nami has corralled won''t go that far!¡±


    ¡°Enough! This doesn''t matter anymore. I''ll go through these monks if I need to, you get my crew out.¡± Kaito ordered, nodding at Yoruichi who immediately appeared behind Carina, and ignoring her enraged yelp, pulled her up and over her shoulder.


    ¡°Lead the way, con slut!* She said carelessly, messing with her hair, messing it up, something  that had the girl kicking her legs in protest.


    ¡°Don''t you dare steal my treasure!¡± Carina shrieked at Kaito as she was carried away. Yoruichi gave him one last judging look, making Kaito sigh. He was going to catch so much flack for this. At least he had confirmation Nami was here.


    He didn''t really need to follow Carina''s plan. There was no need to smash through the temple. With his abilities it should be easy enough to just walk in. He looked around, a thoughtful frown on his face. With these guys knocked out, the extra confusion won''t happen, so even if Nami sets that gang into a riot, the monks could handle it without delay. The weather should help keep civilians out of the way too. He hummed, snorting softly, actually Nami might have planned it like that regardless of any intention from Carina. If this storm is supposed to last a day or two¡­It definitely seems like Carina just slapped us onto her plan randomly at seeing the chance.


    Yes¡­ The civilians should be out of the way. Carina would lead Yoruichi to his crew and ensure their safety. He was sure Yoruichi would find a way out of the city no matter if Carina would prefer to bunker down, she was resourceful, she''d find a way to get the crew out and he trusted Archer and Wire to find a way to link back up again with her.


    That just left his part. Carina had been confident enough, even carried off, that if he didn''t get the treasure she probably had some way of calling down the monks on them still. She was too self assured to be leaving this all up to chance, because Kaito could just steal it all and not give her a single gold coin. He''d already shown the woman he could destroy her with a look. So, she had an ace hidden in her sleeve then - how like a con artist.


    No matter, he didn''t need the treasure, he needed his crew safe. So monks, or Carina and whatever backstab she had planned. He''d figure it out and get it handled.


    He started moving. He had a mountain to climb and a temple to rob.


    He just really wished the god of luck thing wasn''t actually real. He did not want a bad luck curse going into the grand line.


    £ª£ª£ª


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Yoruichi snapped out, still carrying the protesting Carina, uncaring of the deluge, absolutely soaking her and her guide. Some weather didn''t matter in the face of her crewmates drinking and partying the night away having no idea what could happen at any moment.


    Hopefully they''d noticed the cannon fire and taken precautions¡­ And didn''t do anything stupid to draw attention to themselves.


    Oh, who was she kidding about that¡­


    Carina shrieked, as a loud echo of thunder broke across the alleyway Yoruichi was running through, her arms latching onto her midriff with sudden need, ¡°We''re going to freeze to death! Or become charred husks in a lightning strike!¡± She wailed out, kicking her legs out uselessly.


    Yoruichi rolled her eyes at the dramatics, it was just some water and thunder, civilians, she scoffed. She stopped before exiting the alleyway, addressing the lump of useless con artist over her shoulder, ¡°Hey, I''m talking to you, slut! Pay attention, where is my crew!?¡±


    Carina slammed her fists into Yoruichi''s stomach, only succeeding in hurting her hands, muttering out, ¡°What the hell are you made of?¡± Before reorienting, gaining a shark like mien, ¡°Hey, where''s the female solidarity? Stop calling me a slut!?¡± She yelled, the rolling sound of thunder almost drowning her out.


    Yoruichi wiped her face, immediately beset by more rain whipping into her face, making it an exercise in futility, ¡°Excuse me? You called me a whore!?¡± She yelled back, ¡°I''m not the one on my knees to a whole gang of slimey losers to get what I wanted¡­¡± She pointed out snidely. This girl just rubbed her all the wrong ways.


    Carina squawked in outrage, ¡°I never!¡± She shrieked, uselessly hitting Yoruichi again, ¡°I can control men just fine without¡­ That!¡±


    ¡°Sure you can¡­¡± Yoruichi patted her on the head condescendingly, before blinking and realizing she''d allowed herself into a stupid argument again. This woman! ¡°Where is my crew!?¡± She bit out, pulling Carina''s head back by her hair, so she could stare into her face, an ice cold expression on her face.


    Carina refused to meet her eyes, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth for a moment. ¡°Some of the gang members would have invited them to a party by now¡­ Get them all together in one place, make it easier for a full blown fight¡­¡±


    Yoruichi snorted, the air misting in front of her in the cold weather, ¡°Of course you did.¡± She shook her head slightly, still gripping the woman''s hair harshly, ¡°Where?¡±


    Carina squirmed in her grip, ¡°Through this alley, then maybe five minutes walking downwards before taking a right by the candle shop and then a left into the alley with a sign of a broken wheel. Only¡­¡± She trailed off uncomfortably.


    ¡°Only¡­?¡± Yoruichi asked suspiciously.


    ¡°The monks¡­ The gang members would have kind of¡­ you know¡­¡±


    Yoruichi sighed explosively, dropping the girl''s head back down again, ¡°They''ve reported the location to the monks. Of course they have. And how exactly do you plan on avoiding their attention?¡±


    ¡°There''s a hidden tunnel underneath a bar only a couple minutes away from where the ambush location is, if you can handle the gang, we can take the tunnel and end up in a warehouse near the eastern wall, a good place to hole up.¡± Carina explained, hanging limply, looking altogether done with the weather and the situation.


    Yoruichi didn''t trust her sudden cooperation one bit, but she''d go with it for now. ¡°We''re not turtling up¡­¡± She said determinedly, ¡°I have my orders, we''ll take your little hideout for now, and then you''ll find me a way out of the city.¡± She gave the girl a light slap over the head making her squeak, before she stepped out of the alleyway. Just to freeze.


    ¡°No fucking way!¡± Carina groaned under her breath.


    Yoruichi silently agreed. What was their luck¡­


    Coming down the street was a procession. Walking double file, wearing plain brown robes, the hoods deep and hiding their features, they were the monks of Torrance. They walked in perfect silence, Yoruichi''s sensitive ears couldn''t even hear their boots hit the cobblestone street. At the front, back and at the sides, walked monks carrying steel poles from which sole lanterns hung, shining a light over the somber procession in the falling night and torrential downpour. She counted 21 monks in total.


    Three monks broke off the procession to approach, Yoruichi cursed under her breath, tightening her hold on Carina.


    The lead monk stopped a few paces in front of them, tilting his head slightly, the hood still hiding him completely, ¡°Citizen¡­ Explain your situation?¡± A mild voice asked, barely heard over the storm.


    Yoruichi smiled, ¡°Just on our way home, got caught in the storm, you see.¡±


    The monk tilted his head the other direction, Yoruichi felt like she was being evaluated, eyes roaming over her. She gritted her teeth and tried to maintain her pleasant smile.


    ¡°Your musculature is impressive,¡± He intoned blandly, one hand raising, a finger held up, ¡°Not, I think, the body of a civilian.¡± The procession of monks creepily all switched their heads to look in their direction at the same time, ¡°Our God is great, luck shines upon us, a pirate in our hands already.¡± The monk nodded decisively and several more monks broke out of their procession.


    Yoruichi prepared for a fight only to squeak, cheeks red as she almost jumped into the air, ¡°Carina!¡±


    Carina slowly and teasingly slid her hand back out from where she''d boldly stuck it, unseen to Yoruichi she had a mischievous look on her face, looking up at the monk from her hanging position, ¡°Just petting the kitty, sweetie, just can''t wait to get home.¡± She purred, eyes half lidded, ¡°Me and my girlfriend are just heading home after a night of very good luck!¡± She explained to the monk, ¡°very good¡­¡± She licked her lips salaciously, ¡°Her muscles are great for carrying me home and¡­ Other activities¡­¡±


    Yoruichi couldn''t believe what she was hearing, and also had to keep her instincts at bay from tossing the con artist at the nearest wall for so casually¡­ Doing that! Her eyes grew wide as she saw the leading monk hold a hand up, pausing the diverting procession.


    ¡°You''ve had good gambling tonight then, citizen, Torrance blesses you. Be well and be warned, pirates are in the area.¡± The monk said, some more life in his bland voice, before turning back towards his group.


    ¡°I don''t care that it worked, you''re paying for that stunt as soon as we''re done!¡± Yoruichi hissed down at Carina, still red cheeked.


    Carina giggled, hiding her mouth behind a hand, ¡°The kitty doesn''t like being pet?¡± She teased. Gaining a low growl from Yoruichi.


    A loud cackle drew their attention, someone jumping off a nearby roof to land in front of the procession with a splash.


    ¡°Oh, no! Pirates are in the ar~ea!¡± Buggy the Clown shouted, spreading his arms wide, leering at the monks, ¡°What a tragedy!¡±


    Yoruichi felt ice cold, and the rain had nothing to do with it. If Buggy was free¡­ What about¡­


    The monks all as one, raised their fists and slid into a martial stance. ¡°Pirate. Stand down and accept justice.¡± The lead monk stated slowly, walking in front of the procession to stand before Buggy.


    ¡°Justice? Hahaha,¡± Buggy laughed darkly, lightning flashing overhead, ¡°Justice¡­ IS BLIND!¡± He roared, thumbs detaching from his hands and impacting the lead monk, the man letting out a low gasp but nothing more. The rest of the monks standing ready but not moving into action.


    ¡°Hehe, eye popping is fuuun!¡± Buggy laughs, before frowning, wiggling his hands as his thumbs come flying back, the hood of the lead monk falling back. ¡°That''s cheating!¡± Buggy whined, looking despondent, ¡°No leaky eye juice¡­¡± He moaned, shoulders slumping.


    Yoruichi and Carina stared, the monk was blind. Not only blind¡­ He had an obviously self-inflicted cut across his eyes. How had he seen her then? Yoruichi shuddered, but she had more important questions to ask right now, she slid Carina off her shoulder, giving her a stern look, ¡°Stay¡­ If I have to track you down,¡± She thumbed her nose meaningfully, ¡°I will make you regret it!¡±


    Carina could only nod, shivering in the rain as she hugged the wall, seeing the tableau set up for violence ahead of her.


    ¡°Luck is blind, not justice. Torrance lost his eyesight before he ascended to godhood, so we, his chosen, follow that path in his name.¡± The lead monk said, sounding more firm now as he straightened his back. ¡°Justice is not blind, pirate. You gamble with god on this night.¡±


    ¡°Gambling is what pirates do!¡± Buggy cackled, showcasing a one beri coin, tossing it in the air, a murderous grin appearing on his face, ¡°Heads I murder you! Tails¡­ I flashily murder you!¡± He roared, splitting in half to avoid the lead monk''s sudden palm strike, the monk having closed the distance in under a second.


    Buggy''s two halves each strike with hands holding daggers, just to be kicked away at the last second as Yoruichi flies in with a roundhouse kick, getting both sides of his body and kicking them away from the monk. ¡°What did you do to my crew!?¡± She spat out, standing before the monk, sparing him only a glance to check he hadn''t been stabbed.


    Before Buggy could answer, Yoruichi had to flip away, the monk striking against her. ¡°What''s wrong with you!? I just saved your life!¡± She yelled.


    ¡°You are a pirate causing havoc in Torrance.¡± The monk said with religious fervor, continuing to hound her, somehow following her even without sight. The other monks join the action, half moving towards Yoruichi the other towards Buggy.


    ¡°YOU!? You''re part of that man''s crew, I''ll kill you and rape your corpse!¡± Buggy roared at Yoruichi, rocketing forward, soaring through the air, managing to cut through three monks before he''s forced to split to manage the men in front of him, ¡°Don''t go anywhere girl! You''re mine! Just need to teach some kids about the dangers of gambling first¡­¡±


    Yoruichi growled as she dodged the strikes of the monks, they were fast. Not as fast as her, but with several of them attacking at once and trying to corral her into being surrounded - it wasn''t an ideal situation. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted Buggy slaughtering his way through his half, only to stop and laugh madly, using slain monks body parts to fight the others, slivers of his own body holding them up. ¡°You''re going after me when that''s going on?¡± She shouted to the monks attacking her. And what the hell had happened to Buggy? He wasn''t like this before!


    ¡°They gambled on the wrong opponent and lost.¡± One monk said, and unknowingly sealed their fate.


    Yoruichi growled loudly, no need to hold back for people so willing to see comrades die, after all. She felt herself grow as she tapped into her Zoan, her body expanding, her limbs growing longer, stronger, claws sharp and deadly appearing at the end of thick strong fingers, the ears and snout growing into place, vastly enhancing her senses. She let out a roar, showing off her sharp teeth capable of crushing stone, ¡°Don''t you dare look down on me as a pirate when you''re sacrificing your comrades like that!¡±


    The fight was on.


    £ª£ª£ª


    ¡°Carina, what the hell?¡± Nami said, shaking her friend/partner/rival''s shoulder, having climbed down from the rooftop upon seeing her friend arrive and that Buggy was occupied. She blanched and just barely dodged as Carina shrieked and flashed a fist towards her face.


    ¡°Nami!?¡± Carina gasped, pulling back her fist, her face filled with fear, which soon disappeared under a mask as Carina collected herself and smiled bitingly, ¡°What happened to your part of the plan, huh?¡± She pushed her forehead against Nami''s challengingly.


    Nami gasped, offended despite knowing that Carina was deflecting, ¡°My part? Since when did the plan involve a¡­ What is she? A purple werewolf!?¡± Nami bitched, pushing her own forehead against Carina''s, trying to push her back, both their eyes meeting, glaring at each other.


    The sound of cackling and body parts hitting the street had both drawn back, holding onto each other, pressing against the wall.


    ¡°We need to get out of here!¡± Nami hissed, eyes fearful as she followed Buggy playing with the monks, using their own body parts to smack them around, drawing the suffering out.


    Carina bit her lip harshly, ¡°We can''t¡­¡± She whispered into Nami''s ear, their proximity making her heard, ¡°That woman''s captain is robbing the temple for us, if we leave now we lose everything.¡±


    ¡°She can''t beat Buggy and he''ll kill us. And that''s if we''re lucky!¡± Nami retorted hotly. Her body shivering, not from the cold of the rain, but the memories of the things Buggy could do and had threatened to.


    Carina held on to Nami, a stubborn look on her face, her hair plastered to her face. ¡°We wait and see.¡± She said firmly, stopping Nami''s protest with a hand over her mouth, ¡°We wait and see.¡± She grit out, before grimacing and removing her hand, ¡°Really, what are you? Five?¡± She complained.


    ¡°Don''t put your hand on my mouth then, and why does it taste fishy?¡± Nami complained.


    Carina smirked, ¡°I''ll tell you when you''re older.¡±


    £ª£ª£ª


    Archer hated having responsibility thrust upon him. He was the one that should be in the middle of the action throwing down, not the one making choices for others.


    ¡°You know what you need to do?¡± He asked for the umpteenth time.


    Duel just rolled her eyes, ignoring him, as she strapped on yet another weapon. Looking like walking artillery already with that giant bazooka of hers strapped across her back.


    ¡°You''re gonna piss her the fuck off if you don''t leave her alone.¡± Wire warned, from where he was standing at the railing looking towards the distant island, barely visible in the storm.


    ¡°I don''t like this plan.¡± Archer replied irritably, stomping forward to stand next to Wire, hands clenching hard around the railing, making it creak.


    Wire scoffed, ¡°Grow the fuck up, I don''t like a lot of things, I still gotta do em!¡± He had a distant look as he continued to stare forward.


    Archer took a deep breath, putting aside his own concerns for the moment, he put a hand on Wire''s shoulder, ¡°They''ll be fine, Kaito and Yoruichi will look after them.¡±


    ¡°And if Buggy finds them first?¡± Wire snapped, dragging a hand through his mohawk roughly, ¡°We should have wasted that motherfucker to begin with, we''ve got three people in the infirmary as is, and obviously no idea what the fuck he''s capable of.¡±


    ¡°We did know he was part of the pirate king''s crew, we just didn''t take it seriously. That''s on all of us.¡± Archer said seriously, hand squeezing the quartermaster''s shoulder comfortingly, ¡°He won''t be able to match Yoruichi, let alone Kaito. Trust me on that.¡± He looked behind them both, frowning, ¡°And we''re sending in Duel¡­ And she''s¡­¡±


    ¡°Murderously enraged.¡± Wire supplied dryly, before sighing, giving one last look towards the distant city. ¡°Alright, I''m done fucking moaning, no need to massage my balls anymore.¡±


    ¡°Must you phrase it like that?¡± Archer said with a pained expression.


    ¡°I want to go too!¡± Blackjack suddenly interjected himself between them, staring up with a mullish look on his face.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Wire said casually, getting a bug eyed look from everyone on the deck. ¡°Just convince Duel.¡±


    Blackjack squirmed, glancing over at Duel who was obsessively checking her gear over while constantly cursing under her breath, practically steaming in the cold weather she was so enraged. ¡°Uh, but you''re the boss?¡± He tried.


    Archer raised an unimpressed eyebrow, ¡°Actually right now I''m the boss¡­¡± He grimaced, ¡°Unfortunately¡­¡± He looked at Duel with a conflicted expression, ¡°Duel has her team, you''re not going on it without her permission, I''m not going over her head on who she feels comfortable with for this.¡±


    ¡°Aww, come on man, I''ll never get to do anything like that.¡±


    ¡°Good, now fuck off and go keep watch over Apple,¡± Wire growled, a vein twitching on his neck, ¡°Like you''re supposed to be doing!¡±


    Blackjack blanched and scampered off before Duel could realize Apple was unattended. Duel had not taken recent events well.


    Duel finished checking her gear as Blackjack slipped inside, stomping over to Archer and Wire, followed by Dice, Tears and Needles. ¡°Go?¡± She asked, eyes cold.


    Archer sighed, rubbing his temples, eyeing the storm, ¡°Aye, if you think you can make it. Their visibility should be practically zero¡­ As will yours¡­¡± Not to mention the risks of using a rowboat to approach an island in a storm¡­


    ¡°We can still deposit you on the other side, less fucking risk, you''re being stupid due to emotion, woman.¡± Wire grumbled, hands in his pockets.


    ¡°Go. Now!¡± Duel insisted, showing a smile that was all teeth.


    ¡°You heard the boss, Wire!¡± Tears joked weakly, ¡°We''ll find a way in.¡± He said more seriously, the rest of the team nodding along, all looking ready for war.


    Wire grumbled some more, before he stepped right into Duel''s space, putting his mouth to her ear, ¡°You find that girl who fucked with Apple¡­ Leave nothing behind, got me?¡±


    Duel''s lips twisted into a snarl, eyes flashing, she didn''t need to reply, Wire saw the answer in her expression, he stepped away, giving the team a quick nod, feeling grimly pleased.


    Archer wasn''t sure what was said, but he felt worried about this team. Ideally he would be going instead, but he was the strongest crew member still remaining on the ship and needed to remain in case any ships were sent against them. Duel was running too hot right now, he wasn''t sure she was the best choice to insert into an already volatile situation.


    As they prepared to depart, he stood with crossed arms and worried. Tears and Dice had known her for a long time, and would hopefully be a more stabilizing influence than Wire, who he suspected was egging her on.


    Worse was the feeling that he wasn''t sure which one of them had the right idea about things.


    At least they were taking Needles as well, showing that they weren''t solely thinking of firepower. The man''s drugs and tinctures might get them in without a commotion, surely a festival would mean there would be ways to enter from the land side.


    Yoruichi¡­ You better be okay! It should be you here giving orders¡­


    Archer continued to worriedly stare at the distant city as Duel''s team set off.


    How he wished he could be fighting right now.


    £ª£ª£ª


    Kaito had quickly given up on traversing his way up the mountain the normal way. The darkness, the wind, the rain, it was just slippery, rocky hell.


    Not that his backup solution made him feel that much better. Using Moonwalk up the mountain while in the middle of a storm was testing his limits to the extreme on the ability. The wind pushing down against him, the chill from the rain and wind combined, it was a purely miserable experience. But at least he wasn''t stumbling over rocks anymore.


    It was notably quicker. There was that at least. He let out a breath of relief as he approached the temple, it''s white marble structure standing out against the backdrop of the mountain, its more classical look standing out even more so from the blocky look of Torrance. He set down in an open courtyard, drenched to the bone, he couldn''t feel his fingertips, that was probably a bad sign, right?


    Despite the storm raging overhead, it was eerily silent in the courtyard. Kaito couldn''t spy any sign of the monks that made this temple their home. He quickly walked out of the courtyard and entered through an open doorway. Letting out a sigh of relief at immediately encountering a lit brazier crackling in front of him. Warming his hands up as he crouched in front of it, his head was on a constant swivel looking around for threats.


    The structure was barely lit up on the inside, it was surprisingly dark and filled with shadows for a supposedly holy place. The walls around him were unadorned, very dissimilar from the beautifully done outside of the temple.


    As soon as he could feel his hands again, he rose up, still no sign of opposition coming for his illegal entry. It was a temple, so any treasure or ¡®holy¡¯ place - should be in the middle.


    He started walking, wincing at the sloshing sound his boots made. Well he wasn''t here to go about things like Nami and Carina in the first place. If he could get the treasure without a fight, all the better. But sneaking in wasn''t really in his wheelhouse.


    That said, he''d prefer not to bulldoze his way through the temple, that''s how a guy gets a bad luck curse. Also he really didn''t want there to be some old man super fighter - who''d sat on a mountain top for a few decades, as a cliche boss fight.


    As he continued to walk inwards, he found no residents and a continuing lack of ornaments, which was very odd. The temple worked somewhat like a spiral, heading ever more inwards - the darkness becoming total once he entered the final sanctum.


    Fucking monks, He thought with annoyance, they apparently didn''t have much use for possessions or decorations, but to forego lights as well. What was up with these people? Aren''t they monks of gambling and luck or something, shouldn''t they have a casino up here? Or anything?


    Flames suddenly flared up at every corner of the room in braziers. Making Kaito roll his eyes, ¡°Very dramatic. A+ for effort.¡± He said sarcastically.


    As the room became visible he drew in his breath, shocked. Because on a pedestal in the middle of the room, overlooked by a statue of who he was assuming was Torrance himself, was a devil fruit.


    Is this¡­ Torrance''s treasure?


    ¡°Yes it is.¡± An old genial voice said from right behind him.


    £ª£ª£ª


    Yoruichi tried. She really did. But taking it easy on these zealots wasn''t working. And with their disregard for their comrades, she eventually had to start putting her full force into her strikes, cracking skulls and breaking necks.


    She kept both her ears and nose on Buggy, to ensure he wouldn''t strike her while she was busy bowling over the monks, with his splitting ability he was uniquely capable of hitting her unawares.


    She grimaced as she struck down another monk, crushing his ribcage with a double fisted strike. The stench of blood from Buggy''s side was overpowering. The mad man practically bathed in it as he skipped around cackling, playing with cut off limbs like a little girl playing with her dolls. Utterly disturbing.


    The monks were unrelenting, forcing her to put them all down, their silent relentless assault off putting, almost as much as the discovery they were all blind, and somehow still fought better than most of her previous marine underlings could.


    She dispatched the last monk with a strong stomp on his neck, crushing it beneath her foot, grimacing at the absolute mess the street was in, the downpour doing nothing in washing off the blood and gore, it was that spread out and encompassing.


    ¡°Buggy¡­ How did you get free?¡± She growled out, cracking her knuckles, part of her feeling ice cold, Archer surely wouldn''t have let the man escape¡­?


    Buggy tilted his head so far it tumbled off his neck, the clown cackling as he caught it in his hands and juggled it for a second. ¡°Whaaat? Are you worried? Kitty cat?¡± He taunted, his grin widening creepily until it looked almost inhuman.


    ¡°Beat it out of you it is.¡± Yoruichi scoffed, why she even bothered trying to talk to the mad man she couldn''t say. With a powerful leap she was upon him.


    Buggy seemed unprepared, just watching her with big eyes, until her claws was just upon him, at which point he melted away like she was a knife cutting through butter, his body sliding apart and away from her strike, parts flowing around her, forcing her to leap into the air to avoid the dagger strikes to her kidneys that were incoming.


    ¡°Miiistake!¡± Buggy shouted gleefully, his hands flying into the air after her.


    Yoruichi couldn''t maneuver fast enough and took a hit to the chin and one to the sternum, thankfully from non dagger wielding parts, a loud gasp erupting from her as she twisted in the air punching the body parts away, finally landing, spitting some blood out of the side of her mouth. The guy hit hard.


    Unseen to Yoruichi several minor parts of Buggy had detached from him and hidden amongst the strewn body parts on the street as she was hit.


    ¡°Come at me, red nose!¡± Yoruichi taunted, raising her fists. She needed to feel the clown and his abilities out a bit.


    As she suspected Buggy practically exploded at the taunt. Flying apart at the seams, literally. A barrage of dozens of body parts flying her way, his screeching head leading the way.


    She smirked as she punched at his face, putting a lot of power behind the hit. He might not be able to be cut, but a blunt strike would still do damage. To her utter frustration he proved his capabilities with his devil fruit once again, his face splitting apart around her hand, closing back up again as it flew over her arm and headbutted her, staggering her back. She immediately dropped to all fours, avoiding the coming strikes coming at her with sharp implements.


    She might have miscalculated about the ease of this fight, she thought, as she rolled away as the flying limbs stabbed down at her, just barely missing her. The cackling clown head floating above her, ¡°Ahh, look at the kitty play!¡±


    She roared in frustration as every strike she returned, missed. A dozen flying missiles had both the speed and the maneuverability to be incredibly hard to hit, and a real danger to her continued health. She kicked away a dagger held in one of the flying hands, cracking the cobblestone street as she exploded forward, aiming for the head.


    To her frustration, Buggy simply split apart again, avoiding her. ¡°Stand and fight you bastard!¡± She growled, a lull in the fight having the two combatants standing ten feet apart glaring at each other.


    ¡°I might be mad, but I''m not stupid, bitch.¡± Buggy spat, licking his lips, his body splitting apart again. His eyes flickered to the side for a moment, making Yoruichi glance in that direction as well, finding an orange haired girl together with Carina.


    ¡°That''s the girl who let me out, to wreak havoc on your crew¡­¡± Buggy crooned in a slimy tone. ¡°I killed so many of them, the cannons did the ~rest~.¡±


    Yoruichi felt a cold hand grasp her heart as she stopped breathing for a moment. ¡°You''re lying.¡± She accused him, he is, he must be!


    Normally she wouldn''t believe Archer could lose, but¡­ She was having a lot of trouble hitting the mass of flying body parts. It only took one well placed dagger¡­


    ¡°His feet don''t float or move to attack!¡± Carina yelled suddenly, before the orange haired girl literally jumped on her to make her shut up, Yoruichi gave her a minimal amount of credit for providing valuable Intel.


    Yoruichi immediately took advantage, rushing forward to strike while Buggy was glaring at the interference. This time as Buggy split apart, she dodged but continued on, targeting the feet, if she could get and eliminate those parts of him, perhaps it would impact his ability. Or at the very least give him less to use against her.


    Buggy''s feet immediately began running away once he saw her targeting them, barely avoiding her claws as she combat rolled under a strike from a forearm and a knee, both attempting to slam down on her. Yoruichi felt some triumph, the feet were running, not flying.


    ¡°Get away from my feet you freak!¡± Buggy screeched, eyes bulging out of his head. His body sliding in and reattaching, protecting his feet. Yoruichi was now even more sure that his feet had something to do with his ability or at least the flying part of it.


    She finally got a hit in, as Buggy got distracted trying to come together again and protect his feet, while frantically dodging, his body splitting to avoid her clawed strike against his heart, avoiding it, but not her fist impacting his cheek, breaking something as it crunched, his head rocketing off his body to slam into a nearby wall, cracking it.


    Buggy''s body collapsed, Yoruichi breathing heavily as she stared down at it with hard eyes. He better have been lying about killing her crew mates¡­ She sent a glare over at the girl that had jumped on Carina, and about that too¡­


    She sighed, feeling some of the adrenaline leaking off as she watched Buggy''s head slowly slide down the wall, no sign of consciousness. At least for all his skill at avoidance and strength in his hits, he had a real glass jaw and was easily distracted.


    She flexed her clawed fingers, ¡°Sorry, Kaito¡­ But I''m not taking prisoners right now.¡± She muttered, one clawed hand to the heart should be enough.


    She heard screams behind her and twisted to see the two girls screaming at her, the words lost on her as she felt the impact, her world shifting.


    She looked down, feeling odd, weak. She grasped lightly at the handles of daggers stuck in her torso.


    How had Buggy managed to hide three daggers from her. Damn it she couldn''t smell anything anymore due to all the blood¡­


    Sloppy of her¡­


    Sloppy¡­


    She fell.


    £ª£ª£ª

 Complications.

    £ª£ª£ª


    Kaito really didn''t need this right now. He sighed wearily, eyeing the devil fruit on a pedestal before him, before he turned around and inspected the old man that had snuck up on him. The room was not that large of a one, and the old man now stood before the only exit.


    Alright, points for the freaky factor¡­ He thought, seeing that the ancient looking bald man had cut his own eyes out, the slash was unmistakable as anything other than self-inflicted. Which in Kaito''s opinion made them cultists.


    Everyone was free to practice whatever religion they wanted to, in Kaito''s opinion, but when they started slicing eyes out or drinking poisonous kool-aid - they were a cult, not a religion.


    He was wearing a simple gray wide sleeved robe, no adornments visible other than a belt, and he also sported a stereotypical old wise man beard, trailing so far down he had it tucked inside his belt. The fu-manchu mustache just sold the entire thing even more. Kaito was really growing tired of East Blue having all these obstacles, it was supposed to be the easy ocean.


    If every island was going to be full of complications here, what did that say about his chances in the grand line?


    Kaito inwardly tried to dampen his sudden excitement. As annoying as the obstacles were, they were also all new, an adventure where he could keep learning new things and have new fun experiences.


    Like fighting an old monk that meditated on top of a mountain for a few decades. That''s bucket list stuff right there. Kaito wondered if he knew how to do a Kamehameha! Oh, that would be so fricking cool!


    If he could learn how to do Kamehameha his life would literally be the best it could be.


    ¡°So¡­ You''re the wise old man in charge I suppose?¡± Kaito asked, seeing that the man was just standing there, a genial smile on his face. Creepily ¡®staring¡¯ straight ahead. Another hint that it was a cult.


    And really, the last island had been kind of cult-like too, what were the odds Kaito would run into another one? He hoped this wasn''t going to be a theme. Cults were really a pain in the ass. And just so¡­ Annoying.


    ¡°No one''s truly in charge, we all serve, waiting.¡± Oldbeard said serenely, his smile almost looked joyful to Kaito. He was definitely a bit weirded out now.


    Kaito shook his head, letting out an amused huff, ¡°Alright then, wise guy, but out of everyone else equally serving, you''re the most equal, amirite?¡± There''s never such a thing as complete equality in a group. Ever. Especially when they say it is.


    Democracy is a lie. He let out a quiet chuckle to himself.


    Oldbeard smiled pleasantly, bowing his head slightly, ¡°One could see it that way, true. If such a thing as rank mattered.¡± He shrugged casually, bringing a wrinkled pale hand out from his voluptuous robes to point at Kaito, ¡°We all have been waiting for a long time for you.¡± He said, and although his tone was perfectly pleasant, it all felt very ominous to Kaito.


    Dare he say, cult like? He wasn''t drinking any kool-aid, no matter what promises offered!


    Sadly there was no boss music playing to go with the ominous feeling either. No sadly and creepily clinging bells, no chorus of children wailing in the background, nothing. Just an old man without eyes. If the devil fruit on that pedestal allowed for him to play background music for his fights, Kaito might even be tempted to eat it. Just a little though.


    Epic background music was almost as good as a Kamehameha after all. Both¡­ Well that would just be him being greedy.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I don''t care. If that''s all the treasure you have, I''ll just have to disappoint a little lady and bully my way forward out of this city.¡± Kaito stated bluntly. He had no intention of getting involved in any cult shenanigans, except maybe a quick fight of course. But yeah, no mysteries or fetch quests for this guy¡­ Or suicide pacts or matching clothing.


    Other than the fetch quest he''s already on. Damn it! This was totally a fetch quest!


    Oldbeard frowned minisculely, ¡°That won''t do,¡± He said chidingly, his mustache quivering, ¡°The prophecy tells of Torrance returning, the god of luck arriving by flight, just as you did! To devour the gift and lead us into prosperity.¡± The old man pointed a gnarled finger at the devil fruit, ¡°You are to fulfill the prophecy, that is why you''re here!¡±


    The last was almost shouted out, the old man quivering in excitement, like he''d revealed some grand secret and expected Kaito to be in awe.


    Kaito outright laughed in his face instead, ¡°Wahahaha, oh man! You have got to be kidding me? A prophecy?¡± His laughter echoed around the chamber as it slowly wore out, Kaito shaking his head as it broke into snickers instead, ¡°I can''t believe I''ve run into those kinds of people¡­ Man, I have the worst luck.¡±


    He let out a sigh, as he looked around the chamber again, the devil fruit held no interest to him, if he ever took one, it would definitely not be a mystery box one. So a definite hard pass. Besides, he hadn''t really been flying up the mountain - so obviously they had the wrong guy anyway. Really, a chosen one? This wasn''t a video game, and he wasn''t some gullible mute looking for swords in stones.


    He''d be more likely to lift the sword with the rock still attached and smash people with it, the rock sword had a certain ring to it. He was a problem solver like that. The kind that when someone tried a riddle on him on what door to open as some sort of puzzle, he''d just burn the fucking house down, problem solved. A genius problem solver, really, that''s what he was.


    Hmm. He hadn''t actually really burned a house down before. Something to add to the bucket list. Blowing up marine bases or sinking islands didn''t count. Although he felt a bit smug at that. Luffy certainly didn''t sink islands on his beginning arc. Hah. Loser.


    ¡°I would advise against such blasphemy,¡± The old man said stiffly, no longer looking or feeling very jovial for some reason. ¡°You were foretold, you will embrace Torrance¡¯s power, and wake up as our God returned.¡± The old man took a step forward, his sandaled foot creating a crack in the ground. ¡°This has been foretold!¡± He stressed, severely, before sliding his foot back, standing as if impenetrable, blocking the exit.


    Kaito flexed his muscles, getting into a stance, a sharp grin blooming onto his face, ¡°Yeah, well I''m a pirate, old timer.¡± He taunted, already anticipating the fight, ¡°I''m free, not bound by any chains, especially some old prophecy.¡±


    Fate could go suck it. If this was really meant for him, then he''d rather die than be bound that way.


    ¡°You will eat it.¡± The command was quiet, but had a presence behind it. This man, for all that he said there was no true leader of the monks, was obviously used to commanding. He''d went with the wise old genial man routine, sure. But Kaito could feel the steel beneath, the true man behind the facade.


    Also as a cult leader, Kaito was betting the man was secretly quite cuckoo.


    Kaito really couldn''t stand people like that. That faked their personality, their whole persona. They should own it. ¡°Make me!¡± He said with a wide grin on his face, holding his hand out, making the come at me bro gesture, even though it lost some translation when done to an apparently blind man.


    A blind man that could see perfectly somehow, just going by the way he gestured and looked at him.


    Yoruichi had the crew handled, surely. Kaito could take a minute to have an honest to god fight with an old wise man up on a mountain top. It shouldn''t be a problem, it was still East Blue.


    Although, being a wise man was debatable if he was waiting up here for some prophesied chosen one. Kaito, even if he somehow was the one they''d been waiting for, (Yeah right!) would never allow his fate to be decided for him like that - to have his path be pre-ordained, his choices taken from him¡­


    Freedom was everything, even if he failed, even if in the end he''d only gain freedom from life, it would be worth it to have no regrets. To live a life to the fullest, fighting, laughing, going on ever new adventures.


    It was worth everything.


    Luffy had always been right in that, at least. Being free trumped everything.


    No old man was going to come and tell him he was destined to do something else.


    It was time to kick an old man off his mountain.


    £ª£ª£ª


    With Nami and Carina.


    ¡°There''s cat women now too.¡± Nami said almost dully, staring down at the prone form of Yoruichi, the rain was soaking through her everything, and she was shivering madly. But she didn''t care anymore, because the world had stopped making sense.


    Like Buggy wasn''t enough. Now there was a cat lady. Like, she hadn''t really gotten over the freaky crap Buggy was pulling, and it was beyond creepy! And now people were transforming into cats all over the place too, and people without eyes could do martial arts, and acted like they could see just fine. What was today? What even was this city? Nami wanted to go home!


    Well¡­ Maybe not home. She''d be fine with not here!


    ¡°When did the world stop making sense?¡± She muttered to herself, shaking fingers grasping her staff harshly. For all the good it would do to have it out and ready. Today had shown her how hilariously outmatched she was. She''d known she was nothing compared to Arlong, but now she knew she was just¡­ Nothing. Nothing in general¡­


    There were people in this world who could swat her like a fly no matter what game or scam she''d pull. She''d never felt so small before¡­


    ¡°NAMI! A little help here, have a mental breakdown later!¡± Carina yelled in a panic, kneeling over the body of the woman who''d been fighting Buggy, her hands hesitating over the daggers that were protruding from the well muscled abdomen. ¡°Oh, shit,¡± She wailed, body tense, ¡°We''ll literally die if we let this woman die, Nami!¡± She cried out, sounding completely sure of that fact.


    Just what they needed, Nami had been feeling like she was going to die quite a lot lately¡­


    Which was saying something considering how she usually felt whenever she was near home.


    Nami bit her lip so hard she tasted blood, but in the end she shook her head clear and ran forward, sinking to her knees on the freezing cold cobblestones next to the prone body of the purple cat lady. ¡°Right, we need to remove those.¡± She said, and by means of years of practice, compartmentalizing her fears, her anger, her weak shivering body. It all didn''t matter. Only the job.


    Don''t fail now, Nami. Just a job. It''s just a job, I can do this. She thought, determination setting in.


    Carina looked nervous as her eyes kept flickering around across the street, ¡°Are you sure, Nami? I thought¡­¡±


    Nami brushed her off, ¡°Maybe on a normal human, but she was healing faster, wasn''t she?¡± Nami wasn''t sure, but she was willing to bet on it, and that''s enough, she''d trust her abilities on a bet more than almost anything. ¡°And it was weird how she went down from three small daggers, knowing what little I do from what I''ve seen from Buggy over the last few hours¡­ They''re probably laced with something.¡± She explained, as she grasped the handle of one of the daggers and pulled.


    The woman had looked like a beast, all muscle and claws, not something these little daggers should have knocked out. Hurt, sure, but falling unconscious from it? Nami had a feeling Buggy had been doing something sneaky - that she hadn''t managed to catch in her limited time with the mad man.


    Carina squeaked as Nami tossed the first dagger aside, and began ordering her around, ¡°Carina, rip off some cloth and put pressure on the wounds, I''ll take over once I''ve got them all out.¡± She was hyper focused on what she was doing, that way she didn''t have to think about anything else. She didn''t have time to be afraid.


    First get them out, let whatever healing ability she might have get to work, secondly stop the bleeding, or at least minimize it. Third¡­ She was working on that one. It was a work in progress.


    Hopefully by the time I get to the third step, I''ll have step four. She thought, exhaustion creeping up on her. It had been a rough few hours.


    Carina looked extremely pale, her eyes wide as she frantically ripped some of her own dress off, staunching the wounds even as Nami eased the daggers out. Nami couldn''t say for sure, but she thought it looked like a lot less blood than such a wound should result in. Which was good¡­ Probably.


    Her first aid training hadn''t been geared towards cat women, for some reason. But she was almost certain she had all the same inside bits.


    With all the daggers taken out, Nami was at a loss at what to do next, her hair stuck to her face as the rain continued to pour, the staccato of it hitting the cobblestones absolutely thundering, Nami had no idea on what she could do next. They couldn''t stay here, but she could definitely not see herself and Carina lifting this woman up, nor should they, she was injured. She needed to be moved carefully.


    She probably weighed more than Carina and Nami combined. There was no way she could be moved with just them.


    Nami just hoped that if she was right on the poison, Buggy hadn''t had time to make something truly nasty, and it was just a sedative or something similar. Nami had used plenty in her career so far, so she thought it might be, but it had acted faster than anything she''d ever used herself, so she wasn''t completely convinced.


    Buggy was really scary, so who knew what he''d used.


    ¡°I ¡­ I know where her crew is¡­¡± Carina said, her hands red as Nami took over her task, putting pressure on the wounds. She didn''t know anything about giant cat people, but she knew how to keep blood inside the body. She''d had lots of practice in that.


    ¡°They''re not far¡­ I.. I, Nami, I''m sorry, I bit off more then¡­¡±


    ¡°Go.¡± Nami said tersely, interrupting the apology, teeth chattering, the cold would become a problem soon. ¡°GO, Carina!¡± She yelled, needing to get the other girl moving. They didn''t have long, not with the massacre around them. Not with Buggy¡­


    Nami looked back towards the wall as Carina took off running, and felt faint. Her hands shaking madly over the reddening cloth she was holding down on the cat woman''s abdomen.


    Because Buggy was gone!


    £ª£ª£ª


    Duel was used to being angry, it was always there, bubbling under the surface, it had always been a problem.


    Always something she knew Wire worried about. That her gang, now her crew, worried about. That they feared she''d go too far, lose herself in it. That one day Duel wouldn''t be the same anymore, the anger having taken over, burning the rest of her out.


    Sometimes Duel woke up gasping, imagining the same thing.


    Kaito had convinced the crew that she wasn''t going to go psycho - and she appreciated it so much, even as she feared that it was all a lie. That she would one day just snap.


    Today, it wasn''t a problem. Today, she welcomed the rage, it fueled her, Apple for all her spunk and bravado. Was a gentler soul then Duel could ever be. And yet¡­ Apple had never shied away from Duel. Had accepted her, sat with her in silence when the dumbasses got to be too much. Just somehow knew what Duel needed half the time, long before Duel knew. Never judged her.


    Apple was her friend. And this dumb orange haired bitch, had dared to hurt her. Taken advantage of her. Duel had already almost lost herself from the previous island, when Apple had been taken¡­


    Duel would not allow Apple to go anywhere alone, ever again.


    But first, she had someone to kill¡­ And of course, crew members to save. Can''t forget that part, no matter how angry she was.


    They''d managed to row their way in, despite the storm, making landfall. The rain doing more to hide them from any potential spying eyes up on the wall - than anything they could have done. They were all soaking wet and shivering. But not a single one of them were anything but determined. It would take more than some weather to put them off their task.


    It had taken them a few hours in total, rowing in the storm, making landfall, making their way to the wall surreptitiously. But they were here, finally.


    And Duel. She was fueled with so much rage she could have taken the wall down with her bare hands. But that would be impractical, so she would settle for a very large amount of explosive force.


    Duel loved the big booms.


    ¡°Wall, there, and there!¡± She ordered her crew members tersely, pointing out the locations she wanted them in. She''d already explained her idea on the way, so there was not a word uttered from her crew.


    The storm would cover their approach, with the amount of rain pouring down, visibility would be practically nil, and no doubt the guards manning the cannons facing towards the landside - were not nearly as attentive as those facing the sea.


    Pirates so rarely attacked from anything other than the sea after all.


    They would be outnumbered once Duel made them an entrance through the wall, that''s why they would need to hit hard and explosively, and disperse as the guards dealt with the chaos. Going further into the city before more guards could arrive to surround the position.


    With their heavy hitters it might be different. But Archer was needed to protect the ship, and Kaito and Yoruichi were already somewhere in the city.


    That was the second reason for blowing the wall. What better way to alert them than a big explosion? Duel couldn''t think of one.


    They would find their stranded crewmembers. And Duel would find her own target and profess her displeasure. She gave a scowling nod to Needles as the man and his group left with one last pat on her shoulder. Not a word said from them about the danger of going up to a wall she was about to blow up. She knew her weapon, she knew explosions, she knew she''d position them in a way where they would be perfectly safe, but within reach of immediately breaching the wall. Yet, it warmed her insides still, to feel the crew''s belief in her. They trusted in her to get it right.


    As her friends slowly made their way through the storm, Duel began setting up, removing her bazooka from her back, deftly checking it over to make sure it was good to go. Luckily she was a better engineer than most,  so she didn''t leave her firing mechanism as a simple wick, something that would be annoying to deal with in the torrential downpour.


    With all the important parts being mechanical in nature, the weather hadn''t ruined anything, although she was more checking that she hadn''t accidentally bumped it against something and dented anything.


    She removed the metal batons she''d carried along, from her belt, clicking them together. The magnetism of the batons edges making it an easy and quick job to set up. Within a minute she had a stand for her bazooka, allowing her more precise control of her shot, keeping it perfectly level.


    Normally, she''d never be able to bring down a wall the size of Torrance''s walls. Not with this level of hardware. There was a limit to what she could carry through a forest however, so she''d focused instead on the perfect ammunition.


    Carefully she brought out the round ball that she''d kept in a pot of sand, not daring to jostle it by bringing it in a backpack or something similar - she''d tasked a crew member to carry it, carefully with them instead.


    If Kaito knew exactly what she experimented with on the ship, he''d probably ban her from touching her workshop again. So she didn''t share the information on what she had.


    She couldn''t bring heavier weaponry with her, but she''d been working on something that would solve such a problem. It was just a bit¡­ Volatile. Still. She kept it safe on the ship, buried in sand so it wouldn''t jostle, she wasn''t an idiot.


    She''d tinkered with a lot of different explosives in her life, and she was certain this mix had enough oomph to get through the walls. Just because it hadn''t been tested yet, didn''t mean she was wrong. Duel trusted her engineering skills.


    Slowly sliding the ammunition into the barrel of her bazooka, Duel laid down next to it, uncaring of the mud she''d be getting all over herself. Through a looking glass, she observed her friends arrive at their positions, none the wiser up on the wall.


    Slowly she adjusted the Bazooka to a perfect firing position, double and triple checking that she had it right.


    Finally she let out a slow breath as her finger squeezed the trigger. The shot was fired.


    KRA-KOOM!


    The wall ruptured, the noise of the explosion and of the wall sending tons of rock and cement skyward was deafening, the ground shook as if they were in the epicenter of a small earthquake. Smoke billowed out around the ruptured wall, completely obscuring it.


    Duel quickly slid the bazooka back on her back, picking up her batons, rushing towards the still burning and smoking hole in the wall. Her crew members were already on their way, not that she could see them through the smoke. She just knew they would be. She needed to join them.


    They only had minutes, the guards that hadn''t been turned into mincemeat on the wall - would come rushing as soon as they got over the shock.


    Duel knew that the odds that no civilians were hurt in the explosion were low, but she found that she didn''t care as much as she probably should.


    Her people were in there.


    Her eyes were hard as she ran past bodies amongst the rubble, entering the town of Torrance.


    For her friends, her family¡­ There wasn''t anything she wouldn''t do!


    £ª£ª£ª


    ¡°Here.¡± Carina said quietly, sliding onto the bench next to Nami, offering her a steaming cup of tea. The normally vivacious girl was almost flat, her demeanor subdued.


    Nami accepted it with a tremulous smile. Letting the heat of the cup warm her still frozen fingers. ¡°Thank you, Carina.¡± She mumbled, opening her mouth to say something else, but pensively closing it a moment later. What could she say about all this? They''d massively overestimated themselves.


    Carina clutched her own cup of tea, face equally pensive, as she scooted in closer, sharing body heat as she almost cuddled into Nami¡¯s side. Both girls were still cold, even in the warmth of the safehouse. Carina let out a sigh, as she rested her head against Nami''s shoulder.


    That beyond anything else, told Nami how fucked up things had become. Carina never liked to appear weak, especially with Nami. Their friendship/rivalry hadn''t allowed for either of them to truly open up with each other. Nami hadn''t blamed the other girl for it, because she herself had skeletons in her closet that she had no intention of airing. Life was too rough to ever get that close to anyone. She understood it, lived by it.


    Yet now¡­ They were huddled up, taking comfort from each other. Nami wasn''t used to such displays of weakness, it was making her supremely uncomfortable, especially as she couldn''t make herself move away. Something inside her just needed this right now. Needed to know she wasn''t alone. That all this craziness was shared with someone else. That someone cared.


    ¡°I think we messed up¡­¡± Nami said quietly after a few minutes of silence between them. As the two girls watched the Red Dawn crew members prepare themselves with frenetic pace.


    It had been a frantic rush for the last few hours, getting the cat woman to her crew, getting them all moved from where they were, before the guards, or worse - the freaky monks, could find them. Carina led them all to a safehouse as soon as they were all gathered together, but they''d just barely managed to escape before the noose tightened.


    Carina huffed, but notably did not speak up to disagree. Just sitting there with her tea, they''d been given a change of clothes when they''d brought the cat woman to where her crew had been holed up, so they weren''t freezing to death anymore, but still Carina shivered as she watched the men and women in front of them getting ready to fight their way through the city.


    Laughing and joking with each other, like their lives weren''t on the line.


    These weren''t some rookies that didn''t know how to spill blood. Nami saw uncomfortable parallels between them and Arlong''s crew in the ease with which they prepared for violence. Checked their weapons, sent scouts out. It made her very aware that she''d been the one messing with this crew.


    That she''d let Buggy loose on them.


    Nami was wondering, not for the first time today, whether she''d make it out of this city alive.


    For better or worse, her fate right now rested in the hands of pirates. Pirates she''d personally fucked over.


    Nami wasn''t feeling very optimistic about her chances. Her eyes took in everything around her, looking for possible escape routes. She couldn''t count on pirates of all people. Even if she hadn''t messed with them, they couldn''t be trusted. Along had taught her what pirates were like.


    Before Nami could resolve herself to move from her bench, she and Carina were both surprised by someone coming from behind them and sliding smoothly onto the bench next to Nami. I couldn''t even hear her move! Nami thought, staring wide eyed at the cat woman, now in normal human form, bandages around her abdomen.


    ¡°Yoruichi, so you''re alive.¡± Carina said flatly, smiling insincerely.


    Yoruichi smirked, tossing an arm around Nami''s shoulder, russling Carina¡¯s hair, drawing an indignant squawk out of her, ¡°I''m a Zoan, those little things couldn''t hurt me.¡± She boasted.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Nami side eyed the delusional black girl, not really comfortable squeezed in-between the two girls, ¡°What''s¡­ A Zoan?¡± She asked politely, not seeing any benefit in calling the girl out on her boasting.


    Unfortunately Carina held no such thoughts, loudly declaring right into Nami''s ear, the bitch! ¡°Couldn''t hurt you? So who was bleeding out on the street after passing out¡­ Like a bitch!¡±


    ¡°Carina!¡± Nami snapped, glaring at her, trying to impress the need to not piss off their only way out of here. It was good to see Carina¡¯s spunk back, the girl just gave her the heebie jeebies all flat and pensive, but the timing was horrible. She turned to Yoruichi, shooting off a fake dimpled smile, ¡°Sorry about her, she never thinks before she speaks.¡±


    Yoruichi just looked amused, her golden eyes assessing Nami before she spoke, ¡°To answer you, Nami was it?¡± Yoruichi continued without waiting for her answer, ¡°A Zoan is someone that has eaten a devil fruit and can turn into an animal.¡± She shook her head with a mysterious smile, ¡°That''s the easy explanation, enough for you for the moment I think.¡±


    Nami wanted to say devil fruits were a myth, she''d heard stories, but she''d never believed them. But¡­ After Buggy¡­


    Carina had gained a tickmark on her forehead as she glared across Nami towards Yoruichi, ¡°You didn''t answer me, what? Cat got your tongue?¡± She sniped snidely.


    Yoruichi rolled her eyes, arm still around Nami''s shoulder, not looking overly bothered, ¡°Normally I would have just ripped the daggers out and kept fighting, as a Zoan I can take a lot of damage before I''m worried.¡± Her eyebrows pulled together as she frowned, ¡°I hadn''t expected the paralytic poison¡­ Especially such a quick acting one.¡±


    Her golden eyes pierced Nami''s, ¡°Any idea when he had time to put that together? You two arrived together, right?¡± She said idly, like she was just making conversation, but her eyes were sharp and Nami was very aware suddenly of the muscular arm behind her neck.


    ¡°I¡­ I''m not sure.¡± Nami said slowly, honestly not aware that Buggy had done so, ¡°It wasn''t like I followed him out of choice, so he could have easily hid something from me.¡± The idea rankled her a bit. That she''d failed to be observant enough. That could have been her, facing those daggers, a scratch could have been enough¡­


    Yoruichi sighed, ¡°Well, worth a shot. I don''t know how that bastard got free¡­ But I''ll settle the score next time, we have to worry about getting out first.¡± Nami ducked her head, her throat closing up, not allowing her another word. She''d been the one, she almost wanted to say. She''d been the one that let Buggy out¡­


    ¡°Remember our deal!¡± Carina said harshly, and Nami elbowed her in the ribs, getting a death glare in return. Stop trying to pick a fight! Nami tried to mentally force into her friend''s thick skull by a glare alone.


    Yoruichi just chuckled, removing her arm, rising up from the bench, ¡°You''ll get your treasure I''m sure, but either way, you''re coming with us, our captain wants a chat with little miss orange here anyway.¡± Yoruichi winked at Nami, before moving off to chat with one of the hovering crew members that had been following her around ever since she regained consciousness.


    ¡°Why does he want to talk to me?¡± Nami asked, feeling a sliver of trepidation run up her spine. He couldn''t know, could he? She thought, starting to feel queasy.


    Carina hummed in thought, but didn''t verbally respond for a moment, her eyes following Yoruichi, ¡°I think we should find a way to slip away in the confusion when they make a run for it.¡±


    Nami normally would have argued about the treasure, but this time, she found herself in agreement. She didn''t want to know what the captain would do to her for releasing Buggy and harming one of his crew members.


    Before anything more could be said, a deafening sound exploded over the city, the walls of the building shaking, dust falling on them as it felt like the city moved for a second.


    Bells began ringing across the city as panicked screams could be heard in the distance, the rain of rubble and debris crashing through the city making Nami and Carina flinch at every loud crashing sound they heard, half expecting something to land on their heads.


    It had been that kind of day.


    Throughout it all, they stared with wide eyes as Yoruichi just laughed, hands on her hips, as she stood in the middle of her crew members.


    ¡°Sounds like Duel¡¯s come knocking, boys!¡± She shouted, getting an excited cheer back.


    ¡°Let''s move out!¡±


    Nami and Carina both whimpered at the same time, these people were all insane.


    £ª£ª£ª


    Loguetown, East Blue.


    Garp shook his head in disgust, watching his men drag the absolutely disgraceful excuse for a marine away. He had the gall to continue lying even to his face. Garp could not respect such weasels.


    They''d been too focused on the grand line and the new world if they''d allowed such scum into positions of authority in his sea. The commander of Loguetown had a vital position, a historic one. Yet he''d been all too willing to ignore the growing threat of pirates in East Blue.


    Had in fact done nothing to stem the tide. Leaving the marine bases of the sea floundering - operating on their own without a central command structure. Corruption was rampant, how many had slipped through the cracks?


    So many pirates went unreported to Marineford¡­ Was it incompetence? Or something deeper? Garp would find out. He couldn''t stay long, he was needed back home before the Red Dawn pirates could reach their projected path towards the Goa kingdom. They''d shown themselves too dangerous for him to ignore, especially so close to Luffy. He''d deal with the little upstarts.


    He''d call in some favors, get someone useful in charge. Temporary assignment if he had to, but this couldn''t go on as it was. He''d yell at Sengoku until he folded if he had to.


    This was his sea, dammit!


    Garp¡¯s fist clenched around a report that the commander had ignored, had not passed along the proper channels - had failed to inform Garp of the situation - despite him specifically requesting such information. The marine building in Loguetown almost cracked in half as he expressed his frustration, his power flickering loose for just a second.


    The report, featuring the new East Blue pirate, Portgas D Ace, fluttered to the ground amidst the Vice-Admirals tantrum.


    ¡°That BRAT!¡± He roared to the skies. Marines huddled terrified in the hallways - as Garp smashed through the ceiling.


    Somewhere in East Blue, Ace felt a shiver down his spine.


    £ª£ª£ª


    This was not how Kaito had expected this to go¡­


    The old man wasn''t even fighting him. Not really.


    Sure, everytime Kaito tried to leave, the old man found a way to get in the way and push Kaito back. But he did not go on the attack, ever.


    He just defended the exit, while lecturing Kaito, and unfortunately somehow had the skill to not make it easy for Kaito to blow past him.


    Fucking old men on mountain tops¡­ Goddamn stereotype is real! Kaito thought, gritting his teeth in annoyance as another tempest kick from him, was casually knocked aside by the blind old wise man, cutting another groove into the temple.


    ¡°You are a naturally selfish man, I can understand that now, do you not wish to better yourself? Do something for the good of us all?¡± The old man said sternly, before slapping away a strike against him, barely seeming to pay attention as Kaito¡¯s follow up strike came within inches of his face before it also, was deflected.


    ¡°Will. You. Shut. Up!¡± Kaito growled, leaping back, giving himself some room as he assessed the situation.


    He could blow through a wall or perhaps the ceiling, but he doubted the old man would let him, he''d managed to intersperse himself in front of any avenue of attack so far, stopping just that kind of attack several times. Showing a speed that baffled Kaito.


    The people of East Blue shouldn''t be this fast. Kaito hadn''t expected to meet anyone that could match him yet, even Archer hadn''t been able to. Although he had been close.


    A deep sigh, then, another lecture, ¡°Young man, freedom is a lie, one can never be fully free. You do harm to yourself and to the people close to you by persisting with this illusion.¡±


    ¡°You are so full of shit! How is forcing me to stay and watch over one city any more free?¡± Kaito spat out, debating using his limited haki abilities. If only he could catch the wily old man. A one time knock out punch would be useless if he missed.


    ¡°Boy¡­ It is better for you and all of us¡­¡± The head monk said, hands casually folded within his sleeves again, yet if Kaito attacked, he knew they''d somehow be deflecting him. ¡°How many people will you hurt by your selfish desires? Even your own people, how will you hurt them, by imposing your will on them?¡±


    Kaito flinched slightly, that had come uncomfortably close to how he''d recruited his crew, giving them no better option, pushing them under his aegis. And with Nami¡­ And Zoro¡­ Would be he making them worse off by poaching them from Luffy? Was he just being selfish?


    Not that Zoro was likely anymore. He needed to head for Conomi next if Nami was here. He couldn''t go near Goa and the surrounding islands anymore, not after likely getting Garp or one of his underlings sent straight there with his message to the Marines.


    The old man took a step forward one of the few times he''d moved normally, voice going softer, smoother, more imploring, ¡°Don''t you see? The harm you''ll do if you focus on only yourself? How much good you could do for Torrance if you accept your fate, follow the Prophecy!¡±


    Why the fuck am I listening to this! Kaito shook himself, throwing his hesitation aside, for now. He''d have to think about it later, he knew he was selfish, and he owned it. But perhaps there was a balance there as well, he''d never be completely selfish, he had a crew now to take into account.


    ¡°Funny really, this concern about selfishness, when your own selfish desires is the reason why you''re trying to keep me here.¡± Kaito said bitingly, blitzing forward, probing the monk''s defenses.


    Again, his every strike is deflected expertly, any attempt to go around or over the man is put down before he could even get going. But Kaito noticed it now.


    The man didn''t move.


    Oh, he moved plenty with his upper body, deflecting strikes, moving Kaito aside with ease, but he never left his spot. Kaito had not noticed it because when he''d tried to get out by different avenues like smashing the wall - the old man had appeared in those new spots faster than Kaito could catch to intercept him. But now that he''d realized it, even those times, by the time Kaito attacked, the man was planted in place. Defending. Never moving or attacking.


    ¡°My desires are not selfish, boy, they are intended for the happiness of us all, for basking again in the light of Torrance¡¯s majestic power.¡± The head monk said with a pitying expression, ¡°You can not win here, you can not move past me, I am blessed in his name, and you will fulfill the prophecy, one can not defeat fate.¡±


    ¡°Tch, you haven''t been paying attention then, old man.¡± Kaito said with a dark grin blossoming on his face. ¡°This entire world is all about upending fate!¡±


    Instead of another fruitless attack on the old man and his weird ability. Kaito jumped back to the pedestal, a casual swipe with his hand pulverizing it, the devil fruit caught by its stalk as he dangled it in front of him.


    ¡°If I destroy this, prophecy over, eh?¡± He taunted, teasingly juggling with the devil fruit, eyes intent on the suddenly tense head monk.


    If his ability was some sort of defensive trump. Then all he had to do¡­


    Kaito launched a finger gun at the fruit with his left hand, with intent to destroy, telegraphing the movement. Then all I have to do is make you attack!


    The head monk disappeared from his spot in a blur of speed, desperately attempting to reach the fruit, a desperate shout of, ¡°NO!¡± Preceding him.


    Got you!


    At the last moment Kaito switched targets, striking the head monk in both shoulders, piercing them, rendering his arms useless as the man tried to reach for the fruit.


    The head monk collapsed to the floor having thrown himself for the fruit, but his arms no longer working prevented him from reaching it, or cushioning his fall, Kaito calmly dropped the devil fruit on top of the seething monk, even without eyes, Kaito could tell he was glaring at him.


    ¡°You could have been our God!¡± He snapped out, dropping the wise old man persona finally, something darker, in his tone.


    ¡°I make my own luck.¡± Kaito said, slowly walking towards the exit. This whole thing had been a bust. He had no reason to stick around, they could keep the fruit. Kaito was no one''s chosen one.


    ¡°Blaming fate¡­Worshiping fate¡­ Only someone too scared to live their own life would do something so foolish.¡± Kaito said at the threshold, looking back at the wounded monk.


    ¡°Maybe I''m selfish, but that''s okay, because that''s my choice. I didn''t give it up to anyone else, your prophecy¡­ Is wrong.¡±


    He walked out of the room, glad to be rid of the frustrating old man and his weird beliefs.


    Kaito was definitely not some chosen one, he was just a guy that wanted a good time, that wanted to rise to the top to enjoy the power inherent in that.


    Nothing more complicated than that.


    £ª£ª£ª


    Duel pushed Needles away, the man stumbling into the wall, but thereby avoiding the dagger that had been poised to take him in the eye.


    She growled as she fired her pistol, not surprised to see it dodged completely. She didn''t stop firing however, switching weapons as soon as she ran out of ammo, grabbing one of the many weapons she had attached to her overalls. She couldn''t let up for even a minute, or they were dead. Only her constant fire had kept things contained so far.


    They''d managed to get through the wall without issue, the guards too busy scrambling for search and rescue to spot them in the smoke, they''d all managed to meet up to continue deeper in the city. Everything had been going perfectly.


    ¡°Die already!¡± Their enemy cackled, as he became a blur of daggers. Where did he even get so many daggers?


    It had gone perfectly, until they''d run into the clown, slinking through alleyways, blood running down his skull.


    He was another one Duel wanted to punish, he''d injured crew members, her family.


    Unfortunately¡­ His splitting ability was incredibly annoying at the same time as it was completely shutting down her weaponry. Everything she fired was dodged by his ability - and if she stopped firing, he could stop dodging and murder her crew members.


    ¡°Who knew I''d run into more of you rats!¡± Buggy crooned, his head floating higher up in the air, as his body fought, Duel aimed a bullet immediately, but Buggy simply split his head in half to avoid the bullet, which would have  arrived perfectly between his eyes otherwise. ¡°Must be my lucky day!¡± He cackled, his head spinning, turning upside down to glare down at Duel. ¡°After gutting that Zoan bitch, I was really hoping to run into your Captain, but you''ll do¡­¡±


    ¡°Liar!¡± Duel cursed, reaching for another pistol, biting her lip in frustration as she realized it was the last one and she didn''t have time to reload any of them, she fired another round towards Buggy¡¯s head, before continuing her suppressing fire to keep Buggy''s body busy. Her crew members pitching in, instead of running, like she ordered! Dumbasses!


    ¡°No lies, does this look like the face of a liar?¡± Buggy yelled out, mockingly, sticking his tongue out and rolling his eyes back, ¡°Most honest face on the ocean!¡± He cackled again, his voice growing darker, as the click of Duel¡¯s last pistol going empty rang out. ¡°Oh, that''s not good for you~¡± He sang.


    His body, no longer needing to split as much with only the scattered shots from the crew coming its way, immediately flew towards Duel, daggers outstretched in it''s hands as Buggy laughed maniacally.


    Duel faced death with a grim smile on her face, flipping the mad clown off. Before suddenly she was pushed back, Needles stepping in front of her to take the attack. ¡°NO!¡± She yelled hoarsely. Refusing this reality, no one should die for her, no one!


    Instead of seeing the death of one of her family members, Duel slumped down in relief, Yoruichi, already in Zoan form, stood in front of them both, having punched Buggy away, the clown not dividing in time in his surprise.


    ¡°You got a little something¡­ Right here.¡± Yoruichi said casually, pointing to her forehead, where on Buggy''s face, an open wound bled. Her casual tone didn''t match with her tense body, as every muscle seemed to be straining to move, to rip and tear. Yoruichi almost vibrating on the spot.


    ¡°YOouuuU!¡± Buggy roared, his whole body splitting apart, rushing towards her in a mad dash.


    ¡°Me.¡± Yoruichi said with grim satisfaction, her Zoan form changing, growing less muscular, more slim, her legs becoming longer, then she was gone faster than Duel could see. Duel hadn''t even been aware Yoruichi could change her form.


    Buggy in his insanity didn''t realize at first, sending every body part to smash the woman that had hurt him, to rend her into tiny bits, his mad ranting as his head floated as overwatch blinded him from realizing that Yoruichi was attacking his pieces faster then he could see.


    Only the sudden pain alerted him that something was wrong. He could feel claws tearing into his skin!


    ¡°Cheater! Cheating! Cheaaaating!¡± He screamed, pulling his body back together, his breathing harsh as he felt several new wounds on his body. Claw marks cut through his abdomen amongst other places. Buggy hadn''t even realized he was being damaged and had failed to split apart in time.


    Yoruichi came to a stop underneath him, skidding slightly, looking up, her more elongated face giving him a toothy grin, ¡°More like Cheetah, but Jaguar style.¡± She taunted, her tail waving behind her.


    ¡°IKILLYooOuU!¡± Buggy snarled, flying down hands outstretched to strangle his enemy, all sense and reason lost to him with the sudden pain added to everything else.


    Suddenly he had to split and dodge as he noticed the gun woman had apparently reloaded and was firing at him again. He snarled, turning her way, sending a dagger loaded hand to kill her, momentarily forgetting about his prey in his distracted state, bullets flying around him.


    Buggy suddenly twitched in the air, his parts collapsing.


    The claws through his eyes and into his brain were the cause. Yoruichi fell down from her jump, a satisfied look on her face as she transformed back. Uncaring about her bloody claws turning into bloodied fingers.


    The mad clown had lost all focus, and taken his eye off his number one threat. His splitting no longer automatic as the crazed clown focused his entire being on killing Duel, keeping the rest of himself together, a fatal mistake.


    The crew stared as Buggy the Clown fell onto the cobblestones, dead. There was grim satisfaction all around.


    A soft tap on the ground behind them had everyone flash weapons, only to exhale in relief as Kaito set down on the cobblestones from his moonwalk.


    ¡°Sorry Captain, I know you wanted him alive.¡± Yoruichi said, not sounding very sorry at all.


    Kaito looked around the area, taking it all in, before approaching Buggy''s body, poking at it with a toe, ¡°It''s probably better this way. I don''t know how he escaped, but the minute he did, he became too much of a liability.¡±


    ¡°Let''s get out of here.¡± Kaito ordered, walking away from the body, he''d attacked his crew, as far as Kaito was concerned, he got what he deserved. His only regret was not killing the bastard from the start. His decision had cost his crew.


    As the two contingents of the crew got together and readied for the likely fight to get out of the city, Kaito approached Carina, and Nami. Inwardly geeking out a little that she was truly here. He''d half suspected they''d run off, but seeing so many of his crew around them, they''d likely never had the chance.


    He opened his mouth to offer them a ride out of this place, and to apologize for the lost treasure, when his senses kicked in, moving as fast as he''s ever moved, his arm flickered forward as he thundered out, ¡°Iron body!¡±


    The palm of his hand just managed to get in front of Nami''s face as the bullet impacted it, crushing itself against his hardened palm. The bullet that would have impacted Nami between the eyes.


    Someone had just tried to kill Nami!


    Nami fell back, panicked, as Carina pulled her back even further, behind herself, screeching, ¡°What the hell are you doing!?¡±


    Kaito glared at Duel, who''s smoking pistol was still pointed at Nami, ¡°Duel! What the hell!?¡± He was lost for any more words, shocked that one of his own had done this.


    Duel''s glare turned from Nami to him, and Kaito flinched back, he''d never seen the woman so angry before. ¡°Explain yourself!¡± He ordered still, because Duel had just attempted to murder Nami.


    Duel scoffed, angrily returning her pistol to the harness over her overalls, ¡°Hurt. Crew.¡± She said succinctly, glaring at Nami, which didn''t explain much of anything to Kaito, who realized he was asking the wrong person if he wanted the full story.


    Duel was not the best at telling stories for obvious reasons.


    ¡°Anyone else?¡± He asked, making sure he stood in-between the crew and Nami and Carina, the orange haired girl standing again, shaking in Carina''s arm as Carina glared at everyone.


    The sound of a commotion not far away interrupted things, Yoruichi cursing, ¡°Guards.¡± She called out, eyes flickering between Duel and the girls. ¡°We''ll sort this out on the ship, whatever the girls have done¡­ They helped me when they could have left me for dead.¡± She said decisively, eyes going to Kaito seeking approval.


    Kaito nodded tiredly, just now noticing the bandages around Yoruichi¡¯s midriff. How much have I screwed up for this crew today? He wondered. He turned to the girls, ¡°I apologize for that, emotions can get heated sometimes¡­ Come with us to our ship, you''re not safe here on your own.¡±


    Carina snarled at him, ¡°We had a deal!¡±


    Kaito sighed, he didn''t have time for this, he could already hear his people clashing with the guards. ¡°We can talk about it on the ship.¡± He stated firmly.


    ¡°And if we don''t want to go?¡± Carina asked, still holding on to Nami who was giving him a stubborn look that didn''t do much to hide the fear underneath.


    What an absolute fucking shit fest this all is¡­ Kaito thought, running a hand through his hair, before he replied, as neutrally as he could manage, ¡°Until I find out why my crew attempted to murder you, you''ll both be coming with me. I promise that you''ll get heard fairly.¡±


    ¡°Promise that we''ll be let go alive.¡± Carina asked, looking defeated. ¡°That you won''t just let your crew murder her, us.¡±


    Nami flinched, looking towards Carina, muttering something that Kaito couldn''t hear, but obviously Carina could - as her eyes grew more desperate, ¡°Promise!¡± She insisted.


    Kaito eyed his crew, seeing Duel''s eyes still on the three of them. The absolute rage burning there in her gaze, the way her hand was not far from her weapons, the fact she was not helping the crew fight, but was instead watching them. ¡°I promise.¡± He said, wondering if he would come to regret it.


    £ª£ª£ª


    The fight to get out of the city was nothing special once Kaito and Yoruichi teamed up to be the vanguard of their crew, tearing through the guard forces and what few monks showed up. They only made one small stop, Nami letting them know where a chest of treasure was. One that Kaito recognized¡­ He didn''t mention it for now, although he now suspected some of why she was so reviled. She''d robbed them at the very least.


    Duel would have been helpful in the fighting as well, but she stayed close by to their guests, hands never far away from her weapons.


    The whole thing was an odd dichotomy. The people that had been with Yoruichi were thankful for the girls, for them saving Yoruichi or that much he heard in-between the fighting.


    The group that arrived with Duel however¡­ Sent Nami murderous looks, and refused to get into what exactly had happened until they returned. Which left the two halves of the crew in Torrance in an odd place. Both crews separated by their opinion on Nami, fighting together, but still obviously separated.


    Kaito might have been a bit more brutal than normal, tearing through the opposition without mercy, dealing with the frustration he was facing. His crew was at odds with each other, and one person was the fulcrum of it all.


    A person he''d been wanting to recruit.


    Everyone was exhausted by the time they made it outside the city, Kaito and Yoruichi slowly bringing up the rearguard at that point, preventing pursuit, as Duel and Needles went ahead towards where they''d stashed the boats and to use the firework flare they''d saved to signal their ship.


    All in all, it took them several hours to get everyone back onboard, constantly dealing with harrassing suicidal guardsmen and monks who just wouldn''t give up. Kaito regretted not killing the head monk, by the time he, Yoruichi and the two girls he''d wanted to recruit - finally made it onto the ship.


    Straight into the Inquisition.


    Wire and Duel at the head of the crew. Staring daggers at Nami.


    Nami¡­ What did you do?


    £ª£ª£ª


    ¡°Why is she on the ship?¡± Wire bit out the minute they boarded. Flanked by Duel, with Apple behind them, leaning against Blackjack. The rest of the crew all standing around, watching them.


    Kaito raised his hands, absolutely exhausted, ¡°Peace, Wire, I don''t know anything about what''s going on, so can we start with what''s actually happened?¡±


    Wire glared at him, chewing his lip angrily, before he spat on the deck, ¡°Fucking fine then¡­¡±He pointed at Nami, who shrank back slightly, but still held her head high, refusing to completely back down, ¡°That bitch there, seduced and drugged Apple so she could sneak aboard, stole all our shit, let Buggy fucking free, which injured a couple of our mates, and the ship, she''s a fucking enemy, plain and simple!¡±


    Kaito pinched the bridge of his nose, listening to the angry murmurs of his crew. He turned slightly, looking at Nami and Carina, ¡°Is this true?¡± He asked.


    ¡°You fucking calling me a liar?¡± Wire barked out, taking a confrontational step forward. ¡°Are you? Captain?¡±


    Yoruichi stepped forward, one hand raised. Archer was already by her side, hovering ever since he saw her get onboard with bandages around her midriff. ¡°Wire, no one''s calling you a liar, but the girl did save my life, so she''s at least owed the right to answer the accusation.¡±


    ¡°Fuck¡­ Really?¡± Wire asked, looking in askance at Yoruichi. ¡°Fucking hell, fine.¡± He muttered darkly, waving a hand for Nami to go on. Duel didn''t seem impressed, but the murmurs of the crew were now not as confrontational, saving a crew member''s life was no small thing.


    Kaito had at least gotten that story out of Yoruichi on the way. Although her wounds wouldn''t have killed her. Nami and Carina could have left her there, to be killed by Buggy or anyone else. So he agreed that they had indeed helped save her life.


    Probably not out of the goodness of their hearts, but intent didn''t matter in this situation. Only the action itself.


    Nami stepped forward, pushing Carina away as her friend tried to follow, she held her head high as she came to stand in front of Kaito, facing the crew. ¡°I¡­ Don''t have an excuse. Not for what I did. I hate pirates. I have my reasons for that. But¡­ I shouldn''t have used Apple, I shouldn''t have released Buggy to cover my escape. I shouldn''t have done a lot of things. I''m not asking for forgiveness, I''m just asking if that''s worth killing me for?¡±


    Nami took a slow breath, shaking slightly as she continued, ¡°You''ve done horrible things, I''m sure, I¡­ Don''t owe you anything. But I''m sorry¡­¡±


    It took guts to stand in front of everyone and straight up say it like that. Kaito thought.


    Nami looked towards Apple, biting her lip. ¡°Is it really something I should die for?¡± She asked again.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Duel said coldly, fingering one of her pistols.


    Wire looked more conflicted, as he looked over the crew, rubbing his mohawk, ¡°Damn it all, why the fuck you gotta go make things complicated by saving one of us.¡± He spat out.


    Kaito doubted that was all of it. For all his bluster, Wire was a smart man. No doubt hearing Nami talk, he realized the situation wasn''t quite up to murder everything standards.


    Duel turned to glare at him, ¡°Wire.¡± She said, but the one word held a lot of recrimination. Duel obviously did not agree with his lessening stance.


    ¡°Fuck you Duel, no one died, and she saved one of us! I''ll still hate the bitch, but I can''t kill someone for saving one of us.¡± Wire said, rubbing his face, ¡°We''ve done some shit things as well, were would we be if our enemies all killed us for every thing we stole or everyone we fucked up?¡± He explained tersely, getting a lot of agreeing murmurs.


    Carina stepped forward confidently, Kaito recognized it as fake immediately with how shaky her voice was for a second before she could control it, ¡°W-we made a deal with your Captain, that should count for something also.¡±


    Kaito scratched his chin sheepishly, ¡°About that, the treasure the monks held was actually just Torrance''s devil fruit. So I didn''t bring you any treasure.¡± Not that Carina so much helped us escape the city either¡­  That whole deal was pointless¡­


    ¡°We helped you, so you''ll get us out of here. It''s only fair.¡± Carina insisted, even as she glared at Kaito for missing out on any treasure.


    He didn''t know why she blamed him, she''s the one that had the completely wrong information on what the temple held.


    Archer interjected calmly, his deep voice easily heard above the mutters, ¡°They saved Yoruichi. We''re helping them.¡± He said with finality, voicing his support.


    Yoruichi gave Kaito a thumbs up, even though her grin was weak, the information they''d received about Nami''s actions not exactly buying goodwill, ¡°I don''t like what she did, but they saved me, they''re owed at least transport out of this hellhole.¡± She said, showing some reluctance.


    Two officers had now come out in support. Kaito sighed, waving the girls back as he stepped forward, taking the attention off the two a bit. ¡°You likely know my position, so now the question becomes, is there any way we can do this? I don''t want to hurt anyone here, but I also don''t want to leave these two to face all the consequences of all our actions in this city after they saved one of us.¡±


    Carina and Nami might normally be able to handle escaping on their own, but the city was a chaotic mess right now, and Kaito had no idea what the nutjob head monk would do if he found two people who''d had involvement in everything that happened.


    Duel scoffed, looking about ready to lose it, when a hand on her elbow stopped her. Apple, supported by Blackjack, came forward. Still unsteady from her drugging, even as far removed from it as they were. Damn, Nami, what the fuck did you use on her? Kaito thought, feeling uncomfortable with the whole situation involving Apple and Nami.


    ¡°Duel¡­ Settle down. I''m okay.¡± Apple said softly. ¡°Thank you for fighting for me, but honestly, I''m okay.¡±


    Duel crossed her arms and scoffed again, but she didn''t speak up or soften her stance. Kaito had a feeling that angry Duel didn''t listen to too many people.


    Apple looked towards Nami, a neutral expression on her face, ¡°Do you regret it?¡± She asked.


    Nami didn''t even hesitate, bowing her head, ¡°Yes, even as I did it I regretted it, I shouldn''t have hurt you like that, even as a pirate you didn''t deserve it.¡± She appeared honestly contrite.


    That likely helped her with some of those assembled, Kaito thought.


    Apple nodded her head calmly, patting a serious looking Blackjack on the cheek, ¡°Take me back to bed Jackie, I don''t need to be here any longer, she''ll need to grovel at my feet, but I don''t have an issue with providing transport.¡±


    The way she stressed the word¡­ Kaito had a sinking feeling that even if he convinced Nami to join, somehow, after this absolute clusterfuck. Convincing his crew might be an impossibility. He might have to give up on his navigator¡­


    ¡°Great, we''re all fucking hugging each other and everything.¡± Wire spat, giving everyone dirty looks, but it lacked the heat he''d held before. ¡°Fine, whatever, the girls can come along until the next island.¡± Wire grumbled, before pointing at Kaito, ¡°Captain! This is on your head, they fuck up, I''m holding you responsible.¡±


    ¡°They won''t, she even brought back the money she stole. I understand everyone''s anger, but we''re pirates, criminals, some of us have no doubt done much of the same, she''s repented, helped save Yoruichi, brought back the loot, let''s give her a chance at least.¡± Kaito implored, not seeing too many faces that agreed with him. But at least he didn''t have an angy mob ready to lynch Nami on his hands anymore.


    Duel stepped right up to Nami, nose to nose, as Carina squeaked in anger as Duel pushed her aside. ¡°Never. Forgive.¡± She snarled, before she stomped off. Everyone gave her room, no one foolish enough to get in her way.


    ¡°Well that went well.¡± Kaito said, trying to inject some cheer, as the crew began to disperse to their duties.


    Both Nami and Carina looked at him like he was crazy.


    Next stop¡­ Conomi island. Kaito thought, pensively.


    If anything could change his crew''s mind, it was Nami''s story.


    And if it didn''t¡­ Well, he would be out a navigator, but at least Nami wouldn''t be suffering anymore.


    Unknown to anyone onboard, one of the fruits in the hold had changed.


    Innocently sitting amongst the rest.


    £ª£ª£ª

 Cocoyashi Massacre.

    £ª£ª£ª


    A week''s sailing away from Torrance, East Blue.


    ¡°Put some effort into it! If you''re not puking, you''re not working hard enough, that means you''re being pussies!¡± Kaito shouted in ¡®encouragement¡¯ as he walked up and down the line of crew members performing a leg strengthening routine.


    All of them covered in sweat, shirts clinging to their backs, pushed harder and harder for each day of this, growing that much stronger.


    They had some time before they would hit the next island, time that meant they could continue to upgrade the physique of their crew, growing ever closer to the first two skills they were chasing.


    Moonwalk and shave.


    Not everyone was well suited to the intensive leg strengthening needed to pull off those two in particular of the six powers - but Kaito had insisted, Yoruichi and Wire backing him up after a quick explanation - and that had been that.


    No matter what they''d run into on the Grandline - being able to run away fast, or run away into the air, would keep their crew alive longer. The more offensive powers could come later.


    With him wanting more devil fruits for the crew, the ability to skip through the air instead of falling into the sea was imperative as well.


    Just being able to run away from an enemy powerhouse to allow the big hitters to step in - would be a great boon in survivability for the crew, if their lower level guys ran into something too hot to handle.


    Which would undoubtedly happen. And the Red Dawn didn''t have Straw Hat plot armor to survive constantly running into Admirals and the like.


    ¡°If you''re still breathing you can do one more rep you lazy fuckers! Show me how the Red Dawn spits fate in the eye and just gets shit done!¡± Kaito roared out, pleased to see another wind in some of his crew at that, as their efforts intensified despite their exhaustion.


    His gaze focused on two trainees in particular, soaked in sweat completely, their breathing coming out in fast paced breaths as they lay collapsed on the deck of the ship, he came to a stop next to them, poking one of them with his foot, a weak hand trying to push him away for a moment, before giving up.


    ¡°You''re way behind the others, where''s the passion? The will to be better than yesterday?¡± He said, poking Carina with a toe again, ¡°You both seemed so fiery,¡± He teased, a crooked smile on his lips as he peered down at them, ¡°Where did all that go?¡±


    Despite their utter exhaustion, both Nami and Carina flew up, their faces practically shark-like, veins pulsing on their foreheads as they shouted at him in unison, ¡°WE¡¯RE NOT PART OF THE CREW, DUMBASS!¡±


    Kaito put on an exaggerated shocked face, looking around, ¡°You aren''t? Then why are you training with us?¡± He said glibly, knowing it would just set them off.


    Nami looked like she was going to combust, he could practically see steam come out of her ears, Carina was not much better, but she at least managed to formulate a response without choking on her anger, ¡°YOU made us do it!¡± She snapped at him, sinking down against Nami, her legs wobbly, ¡°Oh, Kami, I''ll never feel my legs again,¡± She sobbed dramatically, Nami also sinking down onto the deck again, still sending Kaito a death glare, which told him he''d better sleep with one eye open tonight.


    How fun. He could hear the snickers of the others in the background, which pleased him. Making Nami and Carina interact with the crew and take part of the suffering, was somewhat limiting some of the hard feelings, not completely of course - it wasn''t that simple.


    But it was a start, a small inroad to soothe the acrimony between them.


    It helped that with exercise and a blazing hot sun, the two very attractive girls were not wearing much - and a sheen of sweat just added to the allure more than it detracted. It was much harder to stay mad at two hot girls, score one for the shallowness of the human condition.


    Of course that only mattered for those who hadn''t been more personally affected - like Apple, like the men injured when Buggy escaped. Like Wire and Duel who took any damage to the crew extremely seriously.


    Well¡­ Duel took any harm to any of her friends extremely seriously, Nami could have given Apple a paper cut and Duel would have still lost it - if Apple was upset about it.


    He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he stood over the collapsed pair, who were really a lot less fit than he''d thought, ¡°I don''t remember ordering you to take part in any training.¡± He mused out loud, a shit eating grin on his face, ¡°Didn¡¯t you volunteer?¡± He leaned over them, the sun bright and hot in the sky, adding an extra hardship to the training, ¡°~Didn¡¯t you?¡±


    He was enjoying this a bit too much, maybe.


    Nami looked up at him, looking so grumpy it turned right around to cute, ¡°We volunteered,¡± She gritted out, a tick mark on her forehead, ¡°Because someone ordered that only those that took part in training could eat on your ship!¡±


    Kaito had needed to do something, as the two had been too terrified to get out and about amongst the crew, that had slowly changed over the week as they were all worked to the bone - now they commiserated with some of the crew members.


    Kaito smirked, yes¡­ He''d totally said that, ¡°So what you''re saying is you volunteered.¡± He said with a sage nod, ¡°I''m proud of your effort, even if you didn''t have to do this at all¡± He lied, tasting their incredulous anger in the salty air, it tasted like victory. ¡°Now, do ten laps around the ship and you can go have breakfast.¡±


    The way these two girls dug into Archer''s fare, they might be convinced to stay just on the quality of the meals¡­ Fuck you Sanji, my chef''s better, Kaito thought, not for the first or last time.


    ¡°That means you too¡­¡± He called out behind him, to the lazy men and women who''d stopped their repetitions to listen in. ¡°Especially you Cloud, yes, I can tell you didn''t do your last ten reps¡­¡± He called out over his back, sensing others nearby had gotten easier lately, making him wonder if observation haki step one had been completed without him noticing it.


    Loud groans of complaints were his answers, but everyone began to get into motion, they all knew and understood the benefits of this - complaining was more a favored pass time than any serious complaint.


    When the first one of them would manage a shave or moonwalk - he expected complaints to disappear fully, who didn''t want to be able to be a superhuman?


    Serious complaints anyway. Everyone liked to complain about everyday things after all, even he¡­ Why, everyday he complained that Yoruichi and Duel didn''t give nudism a chance. And after that he''d have to complain about mysterious headaches and bumps on his head too, it was all in fun.


    ¡°There''s no way we can run right now,¡± ¡°Sit on the mast and spin!¡± Came the two responses from his pretty guests, who hadn''t learned to stop whining yet and to embrace the suck.


    Kaito laughed heartily, much preferring this fire to the silence and dirty looks the first day or two had consisted of - before he forced everyone to spend time together. ¡°That''s alright if you can''t.¡± He said kindly. Taking a moment to savor the glimmer of relief and hope in the two stubborn and passionate women''s eyes.


    ¡°Hey, Yoruichi?¡± He called out over his shoulder, even as the rest of the trainees started on their trek around the ship.


    ¡°Yeah, Captain?¡± She replied lazily, from where she was laying on one of the booms, like a lazy cat lapping up sunlight. Her propensity for wearing bikinis on sunny days cheering up the crew like nothing else.


    ¡°Do you think Duel would come out if I let her lead these two around for some extra motivation?¡± Kaito asked, feeling slightly bad at the tinge of fear that appeared in Nami and Carina''s expressions, especially Nami''s. But he needed them all to get over this, somehow, and everyone avoiding each other wouldn''t do it.


    Duel was another matter he needed to figure out, she hadn''t come out of her workshop for days now. He wouldn''t actually let her control the training of his two guests, he wasn''t crazy.


    His mom never had him tested, but he really wasn''t crazy.


    Either way, something needed to give, or he''d have to give up on Nami at least, perhaps Carina as well just for her association.


    Yoruichi just chuckled, glancing down at the girls, her cat-like lazy grin turned slightly sharper, even as she didn''t speak at all - the two exhausted girls still scrambled to their feet to take their run, just from that look, finding an extra spurt of energy from somewhere.


    Always test your limits, then go one step further to be better than yesterday. Kaito thought, pleased with their effort.


    ¡°It''s not going to work, you know.¡± Yoruichi said quietly, a few moments later, when the girls were out of hearing range.


    ¡°It will work.¡± Kaito fired back, he was like¡­ Almost fifty percent sure¡­ Which was way better than his prediction a week ago, which had been much more depressing.


    Yoruichi sighed loudly, managing to turn on her side on the boom without falling over, her extraordinary balance on display, her eyes met his, the golden gaze serious, ¡°Wire and Duel don''t seem to be the forgiving type, Wire might have let it all pass enough to allow them aboard, but he won''t forgive them just because the crew has a hard time staying mad at two hot girls wearing practically nothing, exercising with them, sharing the suffering.¡±


    Kaito sighed, ducking his head, ¡°Yeah¡­ Any ideas?¡± He asked hopefully.


    Yoruichi pursed her lips thoughtfully, letting her arm hang off the boom, her fingers playing with the wind, ¡°Go through Apple.¡± She suggested. ¡°She can usually talk down Wire, and she and Duel are close, she didn''t immediately call for the girls heads either, so maybe you got a chance there.¡±


    Kaito grimaced, what Nami had done to Apple still rubbed him the wrong way, and was almost enough on his own to cancel his recruitment attempts. But Yoruichi was right, the girl herself had refused to kick them off, perhaps she''d help?


    £ª£ª£ª


    ¡°Hah. No.¡± Apple told him, not even looking at him as she slowly painted one of the inner hallways of the ship, her tongue stuck out of her mouth slightly as she concentrated. Her overalls were covered in paint, some smudges having made it onto her cheeks and the tip of her nose as well.


    Kaito admired the well done art, a coral reef filled with life, and a few things that definitely, hopefully, didn''t actually live in the sea - or he would start having nightmares. Apple had a vivid imagination it seemed, or a scary one at least. He failed to remember giving her permission to paint the inside of his ship, but he wasn''t going to quibble about it right now, it was well done - and the ship would be replaced eventually.


    ¡°You defended them before.¡± He said in lieu of asking her anything more probing. He really didn''t want to make her feel pressured or like he was choosing their wellbeing over hers.


    Because in the end, if he couldn''t make this all smooth over between them all - he''d let Nami and Carina go.


    Apple put her paintbrush down with a heavy sigh, turning to face him, ¡°Yeah, so?¡± She asked irritably, ¡°Just because I didn''t want to toss them into a certain death doesn''t make them my buddies.¡±


    ¡°... I won''t recruit them in the end if you, Duel and Wire remain against it. What Nami did was not okay.¡± Kaito said slowly, before grimacing slightly, not sure he should even try and push this, ¡°But just like you guys have done things you''re not proud of, so has she, driven by necessity, not by any want to hurt people, you just have to see how she looks at you to see how ashamed and guilty she feels¡­¡±


    Apple chewed on her lip, before turning away from him, scoffing lightly, ¡°I know that, I''ve been part of a criminal group since I was a child, I know what it''s like to do things I regret, we all do, you don''t just become a criminal and hurt people without facing some hard choices first.¡±


    ¡°So you understand where she''s coming from¡­¡± Kaito said quietly, ¡°She''s in a bad situation where there''s not many other choices than to hurt people, she''s not a killer, she''s not a bad person.¡±


    Apple shook her head, eyes downcast, ¡°You don''t get it, Captain¡­¡± She murmured, the hallway silent except for the sounds of the creaking ship as it sailed the sea for a moment, ¡°We know¡­ I know, she''s probably in a bad situation, but we don''t care, because she went against us. Against me. We''re not saints, we don''t go around helping people just cuz they have it rough, we look out for us, and she¡­¡± Apple looked turned and looked him straight in the eyes, dead serious, ¡°Isn''t one of us.¡±


    Kaito felt that, as much as anything, was practically a death knell for his recruitment efforts, and his shoulders slumped.


    ¡°...Sorry Captain¡­¡± Apple offered with a pained grimace, looking slightly guilty for not agreeing with him.


    ¡°It''s alright, Apple, you are my crew, they aren''t, so in the end, I''ll go with what makes sense for my people, and I''ll always look after you - and if you say no, Apple. It''s a no.¡± Kaito said, laying a hand on the short woman''s shoulder, squeezing it gently.


    Apple nodded, ¡°It''s a no from me.¡± She mumbled softly.


    Kaito closed his eyes, nodding gently, Sorry past me, I tried, it didn''t work out. ¡°Then that is it. We''ll help her get home and settle things and then go to the Grandline.¡± He said with heavy finality.


    He turned to leave after giving one last encouraging pat on Apple''s shoulder, just to freeze as he spotted Duel at the other end of the hallway. The illusive woman giving him a short nod before disappearing back into her workshop, for the first time in a week, not sneering at him at sight.


    Guess I made the right choice for my crew, for the moment.


    Only time will tell if that works out once we hit the Grandline without Nami''s skills to back us up¡­ Kaito thought.


    £ª£ª£ª


    His discussion with Apple heralded a change in the crew, the underlying tension slowly dissipating as the crew was willing to accept Nami and Carina as temporary guests much easier - interactions becoming less stilted and awkward between them.


    Wire and Duel still kept their distance from the two, but were back to normal with the rest of the crew, both visibly pleased with the decision Kaito had made.


    Only some of the crew were against the decision, mostly Blackjack who had an extremely obvious crush on Nami, one the navigator enjoyed taking advantage of to have him fetch her snacks and drinks and the like.


    Yoruichi would have normally put a stop to that kind of thing, but she thought it a good lesson for Blackjack to learn - never trust a pretty face. Still it had its benefits as well. Nami was still utterly passionate about navigation despite the awkward situation onboard, so she''d agreed easily to teaching the Red Dawn some of it.


    So Blackjack incidentally was learning some navigation because he wouldn''t stop chasing Nami''s tail, the little pervert.


    Kaito had attended a lesson or two himself, to ensure he wasn''t completely useless, and it was¡­ Informative, and extremely awkward. Since Apple was their main navigator. He had to give both women props though, even as awkward as it was, and how uncomfortable they both must have been - they handled it with aplomb, concentrating on the lesson.


    Nami and Apple even got into excited discourses on weather patterns and ocean currents at times, before they suddenly grew silent, realizing exactly who they were having such an enjoyable discussion with.


    There were a lot of weird looks between the two of them at times..


    It was a great shame, Kaito thought, watching them from a distance as they once again fell into an awkward silence, Nami looking increasingly guilty the longer she was around Apple. They''d have made a cute couple if this whole incident between them hadn''t happened.


    Archer approached him, drawing his attention, ¡°Hey, Archer, what''s up?¡± He asked, looking at him curiously, he hadn''t seen the man around much lately, he seemed to either always be cooking, training kitchen staff, or training himself, even Yoruichi was complaining about it.


    Kaito thought Arlong park would be good for the man, he had a feeling the way he''d been forced out of the proper action lately was bothering the battle junkie.


    ¡°We found something in the pantry¡­¡± Archer said quietly, ensuring no one around could hear him, ¡°It matches what you said a devil fruit would look like¡­¡±


    Kaito froze against the railing he was leaning against, ¡°... That''s¡­ What are the odds?¡± He said lowly, to himself. Before shaking his head, looking at Archer, feeling some elation at something going right, ¡°Call a meeting, bring it, it''s most likely Buggy''s, the bastard managed to lie about his fruit anyway then, I doubt we had anything on the ship from the Grandline. Which makes me wonder how far his fruit had to have traveled for him to get it where he did from the pirate king''s crew.¡±


    ¡°A pirate lying, how obscene.¡± Archer said dryly, letting out a chuckle, ¡°It''s fitting that with all the trouble he caused, he still left a gift behind.¡±


    ¡°It''s lucky is what it is, and I don''t trust luck anymore, everytime we get lucky, we get fucked on the next island.¡± Kaito muttered darkly, chewing on his thumb. ¡°Arlong shouldn''t be an issue¡­ But with our luck¡­¡±


    ¡°Don''t fall into that, Captain, we make our own luck.¡± Archer said, slapping his muscled chest enthusiastically, ¡°A fight isn''t anything to worry about, if it''s harder, we''ll just have to go even harder back at em¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Heh. I need to up my Captain game, now I''m getting pep talks from the cook of all people.¡± Kaito joked, feeling some tension releasing, Archer was right, what was the point of worrying, what would come would be as it would be - they''d just have to deal with it.


    Archer sniffed, playing at being offended, ¡°The cook is the only sensible person on the ship, everyone knows that.¡± He grinned challengingly, ¡°At least everyone who wants to eat real food, and not the nutritional slop I could make that will fill all your nutritional needs, but will taste like the bottom of your shoes - after a 50 mile hike through a swamp.¡± Archer''s grin turned wide and feral as he described the horrible concoction he had cooked up.


    ¡°Go set up that meeting and stop scaring me, you''ll get your fight at Conomi, Archer. No one needs to be forced to face your slop¡­¡± Kaito let out a shudder, he couldn''t even imagine the taste with that description, and he didn''t want to find out.


    ¡°Conomi! You''re going to Conomi island!?¡± Nami shrieked, having somehow shuffled close enough to hear without Kaito noticing it.


    Kaito scratched the back of his head sheepishly as Archer wisely retreated, using the excuse that he had a meeting to set up and a special fruit to deliver. ¡°Ah¡­ Did I not mention our destination to you?¡±


    Nami''s eyes were wide and brimming with emotions, one hand clutching the arm where he knew she had the tattoo, or more like the brand of the Arlong pirates. ¡°You can''t go to Conomi, just drop me and Carina off anywhere else!¡± She demanded shrilly, drawing eyes from Apple and the navigation group that had been around for the training.


    Kaito sighed, crossing his arms as he looked up at the sky, what was the point with sensing people around him if he was going to miss people sneaking up on him to eavesdrop, now he had to deal with this, what a bother - he''d have preferred to wait until they were closer, when Nami would be able to tell naturally by their direction and maps. ¡°We are going to the Conomi islands, that won''t change.¡± He said, a thread of steel in his voice.


    ¡°You can''t!¡± Nami insisted, taking a step forward, nails now digging into her arm, ¡°My¡­ You can''t!¡± She stressed, Carina coming up the stairs, drawn by the commotion, her expression pinched as she watched Nami on the verge of panicking.


    ¡°We can handle Arlong, he''s a small fish, we won''t even break a sweat.¡± Kaito promised Nami, trying to impress his intent on her, trying to show his sincerity.


    Nami broke out in sweat, shaking her head weakly, ¡°No, no you can''t, do you have any idea what he''ll do? He''ll think I brought you!¡± She rushed forward, grasping Kaito by his captain''s coat, Kaito waving away the crew members that had begun approaching at her movements, ¡°I''ll lose everything, everyone, YOU CAN''T DO THIS!¡± The overarching emotion in her usually warm brown eyes was fear and anger now, and Kaito wasn''t sure how to reassure her.


    ¡°My bounty is higher than his.¡± He said gently, grasping the hands that were clutching his coat desperately. ¡°Archer alone could take him, let alone any of his officers, even Yoruichi would have a chance if she took the fight seriously, so with me handling Arlong, his officers won''t stand a chance, let alone his crew. This is happening, Nami.¡± He said, trying to break it to her gently, his eyes finding Carina''s, begging for assistance.


    ¡°Nami¡­ Come on, let''s go get something to drink.¡± Carina murmured, coming over to grab her friend by the shoulders, giving Kaito a complicated look.


    ¡°You don''t understand¡­ He can''t be beaten that easily, people have tried,¡± Nami said almost brokenly, her eyes glazed as she stared at nothing, ¡°How do you even know all this..?¡± She whispered, her hands letting go of his coat as Carina coaxed her away.


    Kaito watched her go with mixed feelings. She wasn''t yet as hardened as she''d be once the Straw Hats reached her, and he worried what would happen with her after he left Conomi behind¡­ But at least, no matter her fate, he''d save Conomi for her.


    Perhaps Luffy would still find her, perhaps not. But she would be free.


    If that was all he could do¡­


    It was still something..


    The difference between him and Luffy¡­


    Kaito would definitely kill them all.


    £ª£ª£ª


    By the time Kaito made it to his quarters, the officers were already all there, the devil fruit placed on his desk, drawing all eyes to it.


    ¡°Alright, so we definitely got lucky with this thing reincarnating here, so question is, Wire? Are you still willing to eat it?¡± Kaito asked promptly, not one for beating around the bush.


    Wire gave it a look of distaste, ¡°I said I would, so fuck it I will, but are you sure it''s the same one, could just have picked up some random fruit couldn''t we?¡±


    Archer shook his head firmly, ¡°I inventory everything that comes aboard, there was no devil fruit, so unless someone else died on the island that was a fruit user, it''s Buggy''s.¡±


    Duel held up a small piece of metal, twirling it between her fingers, drawing everyone''s attention, it was the size of her thumb, and when she flicked it just so - a piece of razor sharp, just barely visible wire shot out. ¡°Wire.¡± She said with a smirk, tossing it to him, ¡°Don''t suck.¡± She advised him, obviously on the - eat the fruit side - of the situation, as she''d already prepared the attachments to make Wire a whirlwind of razor wire.


    ¡°Oh, fuck you!¡± He groused, catching the small piece, peering at it curiously, playing with the Wire, uncaring of the thin line of blood it immediately drew from his calloused and scarred fingers, ¡°This is good fucking wire.¡± He said begrudgingly, Duel preening slightly at the praise.


    ¡°That''s so cute.¡± Yoruichi stage-whispered to Archer, getting a crude gesture from Duel in return.


    ¡°Were there any other fruit users on the island?¡± Archer asked, moving things along, ¡°It would help any lingering doubts you might have, Wire.¡± He clarified at seeing the man''s furrowed brows.


    Yoruichi shook her head at the same time as Duel did, neither had encountered any, Kaito made a wavy motion with one hand, drawing everyone''s attention, ¡°Kind of, but not.¡± He said, making a face, thinking of the old man and his stupid prophecy.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ We kind of need more information on that. And next time¡­ Maybe not a week later?¡± Yoruichi suggested dryly, but with the look on her face, Kaito knew he''d receive a private dressing down later for not sharing with his first mate.


    ¡°He wasn''t a fruit user, the old head monk, but he did have a fruit there, he wanted me to eat it.¡± Kaito explained, ¡°It did not look like that,¡± He made sure to add, pointing at the devil fruit on the desk, the orange-red swirl covered fruit nothing like the fruit in Torrance.


    Wire raises an incredulous eyebrow. ¡®And you didn''t steal it, why? Considering you want to collect the damn things for the crew that''s fucking stupid.¡± He stated bluntly.


    Duel shook her head, ¡°Odd.¡± She agreed.


    Archer and Yoruichi shared a look, before looking to Kaito for an explanation.


    Kaito puffed out a breath of air, feeling ganged up on, ¡°Alright, I know normally that''s what I should have done, but this old geezer was basically telling me I was fated to eat it due to some prophecy, fated to be their savior or some shit.¡± He explained, distaste dripping off every word. He slashed his hands in front of him in an x motion, ¡°There was no way I was eating it, or bringing it with us, I fucking refuse to play to some stupid fate, I charter the course of my destiny, not some old monk, and not his damn fruit either!¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ I probably would have told him to fuck off too¡­¡± Wire muttered, ¡°We could have still sold it or something.¡± He added, probably just to be contrary.


    ¡°Alright, it makes as much sense as anything else on that island. So what next? Are you eating it, Wire?¡± Yoruichi asked, pivoting back to the reason for the meeting.


    Archer and Duel both gave him thumbs up at the same time. Duel adding a muttered, ¡°Idiot.¡± To it.


    Wire grimaced, playing with the small metal wire dispenser that could attach to his outfit. ¡°Fine, might as well, fucking could use something to waste the next fucker who messes with us.¡± He grumbled, pushing his chair back, walking the two steps to the desk, ¡°Do I have to eat the whole damn thing?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes~¡± Yoruichi sing-songed with a big cat-like grin on her face, leaning forward in anticipation. Archer chuckled next to her as he leaned back, crossing his arms. Obviously well aware of what was coming - he''d probably been there when Yoruichi ate hers.


    Wire picked the fruit up, his nose wrinkling as he looked at the weird looking thing, ¡°If this doesn''t work, I''m fucking coming for all of ya!¡± He wanted, before he slowly lifted it up, and took a big bite of it.


    We all leaned forward in anticipation, Wire simply standing shock still - with no reaction for a moment.


    ¡°Fuuuuuuck!¡± Wire groaned out, grimacing as he forced the chunk down his throat, his face turning green, immediately attacking the rest of the fruit with the most disgusted look I''ve ever seen on his face, obviously choosing to get it over with as soon as possible.


    We all couldn''t help but let out our amusement as Wire cursed between bites, his face breaking out in sweat, tears running out of his eyes as he forced down the obviously disgusting fruit. Finally after several minutes, devouring it all and collapsing back in his chair, holding his throat, making gagging noises.


    ¡°Amusing.¡± Duel told him, with one of the largest grins Kaito had ever seen on her.


    ¡°Fuck you all, that was rank!¡± Wire cursed, still looking green, ¡°Fucking power isn''t worth that!¡±


    Archer laughed lightly, ¡°Yoruichi was the same, except she refused to eat any fruit for months after.¡±


    Yoruichi slapped his arm, not drawing as much as a glance from the muscled chef, ¡°Don''t tell them that!¡± She complained.


    ¡°Who wants to test if it worked?¡± Kaito asked with a wide grin, leering at the suddenly cautious looking Wife. He was right to be cautious, as before Kaito could even completely finish the sentence, Duel had already thrown a dagger at the sitting Wire, making the man curse up a storm.


    ¡°It would have only been a leg wound, don''t be a baby.¡± Yoruichi chided, snickering with Duel, who looked mighty pleased with herself.


    Wire had in fact not been injured, the power working somewhat automatically apparently, or it activated because Wire immediately thought of it at the chance of being attacked, either way, his leg had split, instead of being wounded by the dagger.


    ¡°Congratulations, Wire, you''re now a splitting man.¡± Kaito said, practically jumping in his chair from excitement.


    Wire simply looked down at his leg with a frown. ¡°I need a fucking drink.¡± He groaned.


    Kaito hummed in thought, tilting his head, ¡°Since it''s going to be in your body, I wonder if you can split the alcohol contents, could probably make yourself drunker sooner, by splitting the pure alcohol from the rest of the mix.¡±


    Wire looked at Kaito, pointing at him suddenly with a smirk on his face, ¡°Now that''s what I''m fucking talking about!¡±


    Oh, he had so many ideas, Wire¡¯s head would spin before Kaito would even be done explaining his theories on how much could possibly be gamed under the theory of splitting.


    If he could split his consciousness between different pieces instead of having to control them all with a singular mind - he''d be a whirlwind of death on any battlefield, able to attack from everywhere around any enemy no matter the situation¡­


    ¡°No. Experiment - While. Drunk!¡± Duel enunciated slowly, giving Wire a dangerous look.


    ¡°You''re one to talk¡­¡± He muttered mulishly. But put his hands up in surrender when she began fingering her guns. ¡°Fine, whatever. No fun. Fucking got it.¡±


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    We''ll do it when she''s in her workshop. Kaito mouthed to him, Wire gaining a pleased look that immediately had Duel looking suspicious, Archer and Yoruichi both failing to hide sniggers.


    It wasn''t Kaito''s problem if Wire forgot things like hangovers and how obviously Duel would find out in the morning anyway since gossip traveled around the ship faster than Kizaru.


    He was just helping a crew mate out.


    He was the good guy here.


    £ª£ª£ª


    It needed saying again, the ocean was vast, it would take them weeks to reach Conomi island, and it also changed other things.


    Unlike the show, there weren''t many occasions of birds dropping from the sky out at open sea with newspaper subscriptions for you - that happened more the closer you were to actual lanes of travel between islands, shipping routes and the like - or close to the island themselves.


    So Kaito was surprised to find one arriving next morning, surprised and elated, because they carried what he''d been eagerly awaiting.


    The navy had listened to his bragging it seemed. Without any hesitation, he started stomping and hollering and getting the whole ship awake - sleep wasn''t necessary when he had such cool news to share.


    As Duel stomped up to him wearing just tiny boy shorts and a minimally covering tank top, he almost forgot what he had called them up for, lost in the sight, before the woman shook a fist under his nose, demanding to know what his problem was.


    Seeing as most everyone were around, he held the bounty posters up straight into the sky, crowing, ¡°Our bounties are here, bitches!¡±


    The attitude changed for most of them at that, only Nami and Carina watching on in confusion as everyone began talking excitedly, making bets on who got one and for how much. Blackjack was going to be quite poor, betting so much on himself, Kaito thought, grinning widely.


    ¡°Ahem!¡± He cleared his throat, taking the first poster out of the small bundle, silencing the crowd, ¡°First up, the amazingly sexy, wise, capable, utterly charmi-¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up and tell us already!¡± Wire shouted, looking irritated.


    Dice next to him sweat dropping slightly, ¡°Wire, mate, how can he talk if he shuts up?¡±


    ¡°He knows what I mean dammit.¡± Wire grumbled, ¡°Tears, support me here.¡±


    ¡°... 500 beris that Wire will be the lowest bounty.¡± Tears said, a teasing grin on his face as he jostled Wire''s shoulder.


    ¡°700 says he doesn''t get one.¡± Blackjack jumped in, Dice and Tears both pushing him away by putting their hands in his face, ¡°You brat, stop betting money you don''t have!¡± They roared in unison.


    ¡°Did anyone still want to know the bounty?¡± Kaito asked, pouting slightly, his thunder having been slightly stolen by the three stooges.


    Seeing everyone''s attentive gazes switching back to him, he preened as he showcased the bounty poster. ¡°Kaito of the Red Dawn, 40 million beri!¡±


    Kaito found Nami''s eyes as the crew cheered, raising his eyebrow at her, see, I got this, he tried to say, her own gaze shocked and contemplative, before she turned away to speak with Carina who was tugging on her arm.


    ¡°Now, I wasn''t the only one of course, we have further bounties to address.¡± Kaito said grandly, sliding out the next poster, showing a shot of Yoruichi, the shot of the first mate being her lazing on the deck in an orange minimal bikini, a set of sunglasses perched on her nose. ¡°Yoruichi the Sin Eater¡­ Wow, that''s kind of a kinky name.¡± Kaito muttered out loud. At least they''d used the picture he''d sent. ¡°Worth 21 million beri.¡±


    There were a lot of wolf whistles in the crowd, because of the picture and the name, it was obvious the marines had decided to capitalize on her traitorous ways and paint her as some sort of deviant or man eater. At least no one would expect a Zoan from that picture and that name¡­


    ¡°...Captain¡­ Why is there a shot from this ship, on that poster?¡± Yoruichi asked, supernaturally calm, while cracking her knuckles. Strangely enough she didn''t seem phased by the moniker..


    Kaito realized he might have miscalculated slightly on the picture, sweat beginning to accumulate on his brow. ¡°Eh, hmm, how to explain this.¡± He tried to delay the inevitable, but Yoruichi and Archer both stepped up, and of the two, the second one looked much more displeased.


    ¡°I might¡­ Have sent some pictures and brief descriptions of our awesome deeds to Navy HQ so we could get awesome bounties¡­¡± Kaito admitted, not really regretting it, but realizing the next few training sessions were likely to be brutal, worth it. He thought.


    ¡°Moving on!¡± He said loudly, pushing the consequences down the road, sliding another poster out, ¡°Wave fist Archer, 17 million beri.¡± The poster depicted Archer, in the arena, his muscles and tattoos on display, a wild battle junkie''s grin on his face as he was in the middle of a punch. ¡°~Scary!¡± Kaito called out, fanning himself with the poster, money exchanging hands between crew members.


    Kaito was beyond happy he''d managed to get a photo from a crew mate who regularly scouted out the arena for threats for the then gang - he didn''t want to send a photo of Archer cooking as his bounty poster, this was way more badass.


    ¡°Sexism is what it is.¡± Yoruichi muttered, ¡°Why didn''t I get a poster of me punching something in Zoan form¡­¡± She eyed Kaito with a glint in her eyes, ¡°We will be talking about this.¡± She warned, her grin sharp.


    Archer on the other hand had apparently forgotten his previous issue, and was rubbing his chin thoughtfully, ¡°Wave fist huh, not bad, not bad at all.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, despite my arguments, it appears only one more member of the crew received a bounty,¡± Kaito announced, holding the last poster high as he grandstanded in front of his crew.


    Betting quickly escalated as the crew vascilitated between Duel and Wire. Except for Blackjack who was delusionally claiming it would be him.


    Kaito gulped slightly, as his fingers shook on the edge of the bounty paper, he really didn''t think this through¡­ He showed everyone the bounty, already preparing himself for a world of hurt, ¡°Coming in at 7 million Beri - The Pain Engineer, Duel!¡± The shot was of Duel, working on her big ass bazooka, clad in her overalls, but as usual, zipped down to showcase her toned stomach, her breasts almost spilling out of her sports bra, a lollipop hanging from her mouth as she had an intensely focused expression on her face, her scar prominently visible.


    Yoruichi practically screeched, ¡°Sexism! What the fuck Kaito! What kind of pictures are you taking without us noticing!¡±


    Kaito winced, expecting Duel to blow him away, when no pain was incoming, he opened his eyes to look for Duel, finding her leaning on Wire, a smirk on her face, obviously taunting the man about having a bounty when he didn''t, ¡°I''m still alive¡­¡± Kaito said in wonder.


    Duel heard him, turning his way, scoffing as she waved towards the poster, ¡°No problem. Hot!¡± She declared, going back to harassing Wire.


    ¡°Duel! Show some female solidarity¡­¡± Yoruichi complained, pouting, ¡°I''m going to shove that poster up Marinefords ass until they give me something better!¡± She promised, fire in her eyes.


    ¡°You guys are insane, it''s not good to have Marineford sending people after you!¡± Carina called out, giving them all a dirty look, Nami looking to be in agreement, but not willing to call it out to such a large gathering of the crew.


    Kaito chuckled, ¡°We''re pirates, Carina, notoriety is how we keep score.¡± He smirked as he held up his amazing first time bounty, ¡°Besides, we''ll be long gone by the time Garp gets here anyway.¡±


    It was like the world froze, not a sound except the sea could be heard, it was like no one was even breathing, until as one, the entire crew - and its two guests screamed in unison, ¡°WHAT!?¡±


    Kaito scratched his chin, chuckling self deprecatingly.¡°Well, it''s not well known, but Garp''s grandson lives in the Goa kingdom in East Blue, which is the way we were heading, if anyone at Marineford read a map and had some ability in reading the signs¡­ So when I sent in these reports for our bounties - he probably rushed into East Blue.¡±


    Yoruichi looked apoplectic, ¡°You brought Garp the Hero, the Vice-Admiral that took down Roger, here! ON PURPOSE!¡± She yelled, Archer grabbing her into a hug, holding her against his chest before she could transform and rip a chunk out of Kaito.


    Wire looked completely done, ¡°I knew we were following an idiot, but this is fucking wild.¡±


    Blackjack looked thrilled on the other hand, ¡°I''ll be the one to take out Garp! I''ll be famous!¡± He crowed, earning himself a smack over the head from Dice.


    Kaito hurried to interrupt anymore grumbling, ¡°Hey, we''re all good, he''s heading to Goa, we''re heading away from there. And with a big shot like him running through East Blue, our way to Loguetown will be perfectly clear - this makes it easier for us, not harder.¡± Probably. He hedged, mentally. I have no idea who''s going to be put in charge of Loguetown under Garp''s influence¡­


    Some of the crew settled in relief after that explanation, but Nami strode forward, eyes twitching, ¡°You need to let me the hell off this ship before Gsrp turns it into kindling!¡± She demanded.


    Kaito frowned, ¡°But I just explained he won''t.¡± He said, Yoruichi arriving, apparently released from Archer''s embrace and not filled with rage anymore, the first mate putting an arm around Nami''s shoulder, squeezing her gently.


    ¡°Hey, I don''t know about you, but I''m declaring this a girls night, let''s get completely wasted and the boys can do all the work.¡± She said bluntly, giving Kaito a dirty look. Pointing two fingers at her own eyes and then pointing them at his. The meaning was clear - I''m watching you!


    ¡°But¡­ It''s morning?¡± Blackjack opinionated again, sounding confused, receiving another smack, from Tears this time, ¡°Ow, stop fucking smacking me!¡±


    From the looks around the crew, no one was on the kids'' side in this one, Kaito thought.


    Nami sagged into Yoruichi, looking absolutely done with everything, but she still managed a weak thankful smile at the first mate, ¡°That sounds great, actually.¡±


    Then she froze, seeing Apple and Duel walking up, ¡°Actually, alcohol might not be a good idea.¡± She muttered, as Carina came up on her side, warily watching the two approaching women.


    ¡°Shut up, Drink.¡± Duel said, without rancor, as she walked past, Apple followed in her wake, giving Nami an inscrutable look, but keeping her mouth shut.


    ¡°None of these people make any sense!¡± Carina lamented quietly.


    Nami nodded her head morosely. They were crazy, absolutely insane¡­


    ¡­ They needed to stop giving her hope before she''d break¡­


    Getting drunk, Nami decided. Sounded like the best idea ever, she hadn''t been this stressed since Arlong appeared.


    Carina would watch over her, so she was safe as could be!


    £ª£ª£ª


    Hours later¡­


    ¡°Oh, dis can''t end well¡­¡± Yoruichi slurred, hugging a bottle of rum to her chest, rocking it like a baby, her blurry vision on the corner of the girls bunking area.


    Duel shrugged, having drank more than all of them, but seemingly mostly unaffected, just a slight redness to her face denoting any inebriation, ¡°Both Adults.¡± She said, but her eyes never left them, her gaze piercing as she looked for any sign of Apple being taken advantage of. ¡°Stupid. But, adults.¡±


    Carina hid her face in her hands, ¡°This can''t be happening.¡± She moaned, blitzed, but not drunk enough to unsee it.


    The sight of Apple and Nami sucking face - whatever between them apparently not complicated enough to protest a heavy, drunk, make out session. ¡°Shouldn''t you stop this!? You hate her!¡± Carina moaned piteously in Duel''s general direction.


    Duel pursed her lips, ¡°Stop¡­ If fucking.¡± She declared, nodding decisively, gesturing to the two women as if to say - not enough to stop yet. She eyed Carina, taking a sip out of her beer bottle, ¡°Hate¡­ Maybe¡­ Apple forgive? Maybe¡­¡± She sneered, throwing an accusing finger right into Carina''s face, ¡°Hurt her, dead!¡± She growled, the raspiness of her voice making the threat stand out clearly.


    Carina growled right back, getting up in Duel''s face, the engineer rearing back slightly in shock, ¡°I am sick and tired of this bullshit! So she seduced the girl!¡± She gestured wildly to the corner, ¡°Yeah she looks real fucking heartbroken right there! You don''t know anything about her, or me! Don''t judge us, like you''re so fucking innocent!¡± Carina was breathing heavily as she came down from her rant, getting an - oh shit - look on her face when she realized who she''d mouthed off to.


    Duel frowned, taking another sip of beer as Carina meekly sank back onto her stool. Yoruichi watched them, but with the way her head swayed back and forth, she was probably seeing four of each of them.


    ¡°... Don''t like.¡± Duel said abruptly, looking away from the girls to focus on Carina for a second, ¡°Don''t like!¡± She hammered home, before snorting slightly, relaxing in her seat, ¡°Maybe chance.¡± She allowed, eyes going back to Apple and Nami, ¡°If Apple okay.¡± She murmured, wincing slightly, a hand gently touching her throat.


    Carina knew Duel had been using her voice more than normal lately, and much more loudly than normal, that scar looked vicious, it must hurt. She hesitated, before looking over at where Nami was getting pushed down as an enthusiastic and very drunk Apple sucked on her neck, ¡°I know a home remedy for sore throats, it''s supposed to work in minutes, I can whip it up if you''re okay with it?¡± She asked, offering an olive branch.


    Duel gave her an indecipherable look, holding it for a moment as Carina forgot to breathe, feeling like she was caught in the state of a predator right before it stuck - before Duel finally gave a slow nod, something easing in her expression.


    ¡°Okay then, I''ll.. Go do that. You, umm.. Stop that!?¡± Carina said, blushing, and covering her eyes with her hands, only slightly peeking through, as Nami''s shirt was ripped off.


    Duel was immediately on her feet, heading to pull the two apart, Yoruichi just giggling and drooling onto the table.


    Well¡­ That''s one way to get on their good side again, Nami. Carina thought dryly, By making the same mistake that got you into the mess in the first place. She shook her head as she stumbled towards the kitchens, one hand on the wall to guide her as the ship kept moving too much for her taste.


    At least this time they couldn''t hate them too much. After all, Nami had been very polite and respectful, until Apple grabbed her by the hair and put one right on her lips after her 7th drink. Nami of course never backed down from a challenge¡­


    One of her more annoying qualities.


    Diplomacy by alcohol, Carina thought whimsically, I wonder if Nami was even aware she''s bisexual? She''s never said anything¡­


    She froze suddenly in the hallway, feeling self conscious all of a sudden, ¡°That bitch! She never hit on me!? What? Am I too ugly!?¡± She muttered, fists clenching.


    Oh, Nami, wait until you''re sober! You got some explaining to do!


    £ª£ª£ª


    3 weeks later,


    Kaito had no idea what had happened. But it had been pretty smooth sailing for the last few weeks. Oh, Apple and Nami ran away from each other if they noticed the other one nearby for some reason - instead of the ignoring her thing Apple had going on before that, but Duel had started to come back out again, and wasn''t nearly as murderous, just giving Carina and Nami looks now and then when they were being too whiny about their training.


    Or when Nami tried her - four a day arguing sessions - on why they absolutely could not go to the Conomi islands. He had to give that much to her - she had fire in her, and she definitely wasn''t one to give up.


    The rest of the crew had stopped hassling the girls as the injured healed up completely, apparently not willing to hold on to a grudge, whether it was the general attractiveness of the girls, or Nami''s and Carina''s obvious social manipulations - as they moved to and fro throwing smiles around and gambling or playing games with the crew.


    Despite the fact Nami and Carina kept winning, no one seemed to take it too badly. And was social manipulation really that bad when it was so obviously to everyone''s benefit? Kaito wasn''t sure¡­


    Kaito was beginning to wonder if the two were magic, honestly.


    He''d seen no recourse before but to completely drop the chance of recruiting them, just to have his whole crew start turning around and treat them just fine all of a sudden.


    Yoruichi would just get a wicked grin on her face and mutter nonsense about the animal kingdom when he asked her what she knew, and none of the guys seemed to have a clue.


    Apple and Wire seemed to be the only two not onboard with the two women so far.


    Kaito hoped that seeing what Arlong''s done would help soften them to Nami''s plight - and her decisions, for good or for ill, that she was forced to make.


    He had to admit he was biased though, which is why it wouldn''t be his decision. In the end, Wire and Apple would get the final word. Both of them had looked incredibly annoyed with him when he''d laid that out again, explaining circumstances seemed to have changed amongst the crew, but it made perfect sense. Duel still obviously disliked them, but also just as obviously had washed her hands of any of it. She''d simply returned to normal life, no more murderous plots hatching in her evil lair.


    No more than usual anyway.


    He''d still face the problem of both of them even wanting to stay on anyway - which in no way was guaranteed, he wasn''t Luffy, he didn''t have the same kind of pull.


    Did he think Nami and Carina were enjoying themselves more than they thought they could once the anger settled down? Yes. But some easy camaraderie was far from - let''s travel the world together as pirates.


    He put it out of his mind, it was out of his control still. Instead he returned on drilling his crew, they were all getting markedly better, the different groups of his crew improving both in general, and in their specialties.


    By the time they hit Loguetown, he wouldn''t be surprised if he had half a dozen people that could at least pull off one of the six powers.


    He had a pretty solid crew, they needed a doctor, sure, but other than that - he had hit the jackpot.


    A shame about Zoro, but with how complicated finding Nami was - it''s probably for the best¡­


    £ª£ª£ª


    A week later,


    Nami felt her heart rate pick up as they neared Cocoyashi village, she''d pleaded and begged and even lowered herself to offer anything to the Captain if he would just turn around and sail away¡­ But he was steadfast in facing Arlong.


    It was suicide, plain and simple, his bounty had given her pause for a moment, but it hadn''t been enough to settle the feeling that everything was going to go wrong. Arlong had proven again and again how superior the fishmen were to humans. What did a larger bounty mean against that?


    She didn''t want to come back here like this¡­ Arlong wouldn''t forgive this, he''d punish her, not kill her of course, he''d still use her, use her skills for his own benefit, but¡­ Nojiko¡­ Her village¡­ They''d suffer again because she failed again. Why wouldn''t these stupid pirates understand!?


    She hated how she''d almost started to become comfortable with them, how she''d begun enjoying spending time with them. They were pirates, they were no different then Arlong, scum of the sea.


    But really, they aren''t very different from you are they? Her thoughts betrayed her immediately, whispering the same thing she''d thought since she got onboard. For the first time in her life, she''d felt like she was amongst her people.


    She squirmed on the deck, eyes stuck on the small stick figures in the distance that she could barely make out, moving around rapidly, probably panicking at the sight of the incoming ship, knowing it meant Arlong would come. Maybe they''ll be able too¡­ She squashed the thought, no, no hoping, can''t afford that, it won''t go like that.


    It never goes like that¡­


    Her eyes, on their own, found Apple, before she whipped her head away, furiously staring straight ahead. Why did I have to make it worse by¡­ She''s so great, shares my interests, her art is amazing, why, why? Why can''t I just leave her alone? Haven''t I done enough? Didn''t I hurt her enough?


    ¡­.And why won''t she leave me alone? Why doesn''t she hate me? She couldn''t help but think, not able to go anywhere on the ship in the last week without somehow running into the girl, Carina refusing to walk with her now because she said she was done drowning in awkwardness every day.


    Chills went down her spine as she heard splashes of water in the distance, of course, Arlong always has a watch out for ships¡­ She''d warned Kaito, but he''d refused to deviate from his route. Nami watched on, heart thundering so loud in her chest she couldn''t hear anything else, just watching the water, waiting for the sounds of the ship breaking apart.


    Maybe this is better. She thought fatalistically, if we all end here, Cocoyashi won''t pay for me bringing pirates to challenge Arlong, it will just be another crew slaughtered at the shore¡­


    She could see them now, two of them, the water and foam kicked up in their wake, they weren''t trying to hide, they could swim deeper and remain completely hidden, she knew, but they were purposefully taunting them, swimming close to the surface so the pirates could see what was coming for them.


    Nami wanted to shout out, her hands white as she gripped the railing, but her throat constricted on its own, she couldn''t say the words. It''s better if we sink, she reminded herself. Nojiko, Genzo¡­ They''ll be safer¡­


    Kaito was suddenly on the railing next to her, crouched on top of it, grinning irreverently. He winked at her as she tried to ignore his presence, playing with two coins.


    ¡°I warned you.¡± Nami said, feeling dead inside, seeing the two fishmen scouts accelerate towards their ship.


    Kaito laughed freely, spinning the coins in his hand, ¡°Ah, and I warned you, Nami, this isn''t anything to worry about.¡± Both his hands blurred faster than Nami could see, and she gasped as the water churning towards them suddenly slowed down, a tint of red suffusing it, before it came to a full stop, returning to the normal waves of the sea, two bodies briefly seen.


    Nami was speechless, just staring at the spot where two fishmen, two beings of superior strength and stamina to humans - had been killed by a man throwing coins at them. ¡°H-how?¡± She whimpered.


    Kaito smiled radiantly at her, squeezing her shoulder, ¡°Because we''re stronger, Nami, and I won''t allow them to hurt you or yours anymore.¡±


    For the first time in a long time. A tiny flame of hope sparked in Nami. She ruthlessly tried to squash it. This is nothing, those two are like nothing compared to Arlong, she reminded herself.


    Yet¡­ Her gaze turned back to the water. The fishmens own domain, the place where they were the strongest. Two Beri coins had been enough¡­


    She gritted her teeth, shaking her head, hiding her face, so he wouldn''t see her shiny eyes, Don''t give me hope you bastard! Don''t! She cried inwardly.


    Arlong is too strong!


    £ª£ª£ª


    Kaito could see that Nami wanted to believe. She wanted to believe so badly after he killed the two scouts - using shave empowered throws of tiny bits of metal, straight through the eyes.


    The crew wasn''t the only ones training, Kaito was getting stronger too, although there wasn''t much difference between using the finger gun or throwing something, so maybe it wasn''t necessarily shave empowered as much as a finger gun range attack.


    The fishmen might be tougher than a regular human, but shave or finger gun empowered anything through the eyes - not something you can walk away from. Or swim, he supposed in this case. He''d also felt like a total badass doing that, so he was glad he hadn''t missed or something embarrassing like that.


    Now here they were, on the soil of the Conomi islands, in Cocoyashi village, some locals warily eying them from their homes.


    ¡°Wire¡­ Take Duel, Apple and a couple people with you and go secure Nami''s sister.¡± He ordered, ¡°Then meet us at Arlong park¡­¡± They''d already managed to get the location out of a reluctant Nami, who was standing next to Kaito, Carina right by her, looking unnaturally serious for once.


    With any hope, Nami''s story out of Nojiko¡¯s mouth would soften the ones still most against her, and if not, at least he tried the best he could. He also wanted to make sure Arlong didn''t take Nojiko hostage in case he''d spied Nami onboard.


    As that little group split off, a scarred man with a windmill hat approached Kaito and Nami, and Kaito stopped him before he could even begin with whatever nonsense play acting they were still keeping up with Nami to protect her. ¡°We''re here to kill Arlong, No, we won''t be dissuaded, we''re doing this for Nami, or at least I am, You don''t have a choice, shut up and be saved.¡±


    The absolutely taken aback lock on the man as he stopped midstep was kind of funny.


    Perhaps he''d been a bit blunt, but he really thought Nami was in a fragile state right now - and she didn''t need to suffer through the whole everyone hates her spiel too.


    ¡°...Nami?¡± Genzo asked softly, stopping just a few feet away.


    Nami ducked her head, either refusing, or unable to answer the man, her body shaking slightly. Carina sighing as she put her arms around her.


    Kaito knew they''d been more rivals then friends later, but the last month had obviously pushed them further towards the friend angle.


    ¡°They never hated you, Nami, they knew what you were sacrificing for them.¡± Kaito stated, more gently this time.


    Genzo gave him a hard stare, even as more people came closer, having obviously listened in, ¡°How do you know this, pirate?¡± He asked in disbelief. ¡°You''ve never been here before, we would remember it.¡±


    Yoruichi sauntered up, Archer at her back, ¡°It''s an annoying habit he has, knowing more than he should, you get used to it.¡±


    Genzo gave Kaito an inscrutable look, before obviously deciding to ignore him for something more important, ¡°Nami¡­¡± He murmured softly, taking a step closer, ¡°We''re so glad to have you back.¡± He almost choked out, sounding close to tears.


    That was more than Nami could take. The poor girl, younger and less hardened than her Canon self, burst into tears, falling into Genzo¡¯s arms, apologizing over and over again.


    More and more villagers streamed out of their homes, surrounding Nami, all shouting encouraging and welcoming words, refusing her apologies, the girl looking overwhelmed, tears streaming down her face.


    ¡°What do we have here, chu? An illegal gathering¡­ Pirates? And dear Nami in the middle of it all, this is going to cost you, chu¡­¡± A Fishman with giant lips stood at the edge of the village, flanked by four others, his arrogant eyes sweeping across the gathering, his smile sinister. Several villagers shied back, but even more, stood straighter, ready to fight back, done with being cowed, now that Nami was back.


    Nami paled, looking like she wanted to rush forward and apologize, but she was held firmly in an embrace by Genzo, who refused to let go, the old man snarling back, ¡°We''re not listening any longer, for Nami, we''ll stand up against anyone you got, you pirate scum!¡±


    Kaito wanted to protest, because really, Arlong was more of a bandit leader than a pirate, he didn''t even sail the seas, how was he a pirate? But he refrained, the discussion would throw off the mood.


    ¡°Is that what happened to the guards, chu? Did you low life''s ambush them, chu?¡± Chew asked dangerously, ¡°Arlong won''t let you live if you don''t back down, now, and accept sacrifices for your rebellion, chu!¡±


    ¡°As interesting as this is, we are here to kill Arlong, not listen to the bottom feeder''s grandstand or annoy us with their speech impediment.¡± Kaito called out, stepping out in front of the crowd of villagers, Archer and Yoruichi with him.


    ¡°What is this, chu? Assassin''s? Nami¡­ You''ll pay for this when Arlong hears about this, chu!¡± Chew seemed enraged, the four fishmen behind him all looking ready to begin a slaughter, their faces lit up in sadistic glee at the prospect of putting down a rebellion.


    ¡°This guy''s the weakest of Arlong''s officers, you can probably take them all yourself, Yoruichi, but I guess Archer would be sad without a fight, so both of you,¡± Kaito waved towards the fishermen negligently, ¡°Waste those weaklings.¡±


    ¡°You dare, chu!¡± Chew reared back in shock and literally shook in rage, before he made a motion forward, the fishmen behind him rushing in to wreak havoc, Chew preparing to fire from the back as fire support with his water shots.


    Archer laughed gleefully as he raced ahead of Yoruichi, small motes of water glittering in the air as he skated forward, practically bowling into the four fishmen, knocking them over, as he tanked through them, grabbing one by the neck, as he came to a stop over his fallen comrades, ¡°At least give me a challenge, hmm?¡± He scoffed, breaking the neck of the Mantaray looking Fishman he was holding up, the mighty crack of the neck being crushed enraging the other fishmen, especially Chew.


    ¡°DIE!¡± He screamed, puffing out his cheeks to begin firing at Archer, before he was forced to rapid fire right in front of him, while dodging frantically, as Yoruichi in her long legged speed Zoan form - had rushed past the other four to attack Chew, her long sharp claws blinding him at times with the reflection of the sun as she flashed it into his eyes, making his shots wildly inaccurate.


    Archer on the other hand was taking it slow, a wild grin on his face at finally having a battle on his hands, the three remaining fishmen growing frustrated as their attempts to utilize fishman karate was met by Archer swinging their comrades corpse like a club against them.


    ¡°Fight us seriously!¡± One of them snapped at him, the three of them circling him warily, unused to facing a human that could last against them, let alone challenge them.


    Archer chuckled, dropping the corpse with a thud, ¡°If you wish.¡± He mocked, getting into a stance, arms raised up as he lowered his center of gravity looking almost hunched over, ¡°Come at me then, show me what you got!¡±


    All three at the same time, rushed Archer, who slowly moved his foot in the dirt, a shimmer of water barely visible to Kaito and only because he knew what to look for. Archer''s grin never abated as the fishmen came within inches of striking, before his whole body corkscrewed into the air suddenly, one booted foot smashing right through the jaw of one of the fishmen immediately, as he surged over the other two''s fists, one hand grabbing one by the wrist, the other smacking the last fishman so hard his head twisted 180 degrees.


    As he completed his turn, the last remaining fishman cried out in agony as his arm was practically ripped off with the power of Archer¡¯s momentum, the little motes of water enhancing his movements somehow that Kaito couldn''t understand. Before he could do more than cry, Archer put him out of his misery, twisting his neck to match his comrade.


    ¡°A decent warm up for the main event, I suppose.¡± Archer said warmly, his eyes glittering as he clapped his hands.


    He joined Kaito in watching Yoruichi play with her food, Chew frantically backpedaling across the village as Yoruichi hunted him, tearing one strip off at a time, his long ranged and short ranged water shots easily dodged by the Zoan. There was more red on his body now then blue, and he looked frantically desperate. Seeing his friends dead, he made the mistake of attempting to beg for mercy, stopping momentarily, ¡°WAIT! I cou-gurk!¡±


    With him not running anymore, nothing stopped Yoruichi''s claws from spearing him through the throat, the Zoan smiling widely as life bled out of his shocked eyes, ¡°Gotcha~¡± She sing-songed pleasantly.


    Behind him, Kaito could hear Genzo mutter to Nami, ¡°...What kind of monsters are these?¡±


    Nami not replying at all, seemingly in shock at the easy dispatching of the crew from her nightmares.


    Kaito raised a fist in the air, ¡°To Arlong Park!¡± He shouted.


    Both his crew and the villagers who just witnessed their oppressors being violently torn apart - gave of a raucous cheer as people began moving.


    Kaito stopped by Nami, Carina and Genzo. ¡°I made a promise, Nami, I am going to keep it, whether you choose us, to stay, or to go elsewhere, you will, and I swear it to anyone that will listen or Davy Jones himself, you will be free!¡±


    For the first time, when Kaito looked into her warm brown eyes, he saw hope. And he smiled.


    £ª£ª£ª


    There wasn''t anything complicated about it, no grand speeches, they just matched forward, met on the way by Wire¡¯s group with Nojiko, the woman immediately finding Nami and embracing her, Nami bursting into tears again at the easy acceptance of her sister.


    Kaito glanced at his crew, none of them seemed to be in a good mood after the story they''d no doubt heard, perhaps it will be enough. He thought, before putting it out of his mind, seeing the gate to Arlong Park coming up.


    He could feel his own blood pumping, and without any other thought than - Arlong! - he rushed ahead, utilising shave to speed towards the gate, at the last second jumping into the air, using iron body as he made his own body into a battering ram, smashing through the gate in a thunderous crash, wood shrapnel showering the fishmen inside as they shouted in alarm.


    Kaito walked out of the smoke and dust, grinning sharply, seeing the rest of Arlong''s crew in front of him, even as he could feel his own crew rushing up behind him. ¡°Where''s that piece of shit Arlong? The weakest bitch in the sea? I want a word with him¡­¡±


    From a throne up ahead, he could see Arlong rising, an enraged snarl on his lips, ¡°You have a lot of guts, human, they''ll look nice hanging from the rafters..¡±


    The rest of the fishmen were beginning to surround him, when his crew arrived, Archer gleefully punching his way though, until he was halted by Kuroobi, one of Arlong''s officers, the two immediately getting into a stare off, fighters from both crews going around them.


    Duel had taken a position on top of the wall, firing into the confused and disoriented fishman crew as Kaito''s officers wreaked havoc, Yoruichi a whirlwind of claw and muscle as she struck at any point where it looked the fishmen were managing to gather up. Wire going straight for Hatchan, the octopi fishman brandishing his swords threateningly. ¡°You guys are hurting my crew mates, I''ll stop you!¡± Hatchan cried out, striking at Wire with all six of his swords.


    Wire grinned sadistically even as he was cut apart, the pieces of him seemingly cut apart and flying off his body - to each side of the fishman, who looked around confused, ¡°Normally there''s blood¡­¡± Hatchan muttered, scratching his head.


    ¡°Oh¡­ There will be blood!¡± Wire called out, only half his face visible in front of Hatchan, the other half floating away from him, ¡°Wire Maelstrom!¡± He roared, his body parts that had circled Hatchan all shooting out razor sharp wire from their attached compartment, magnetic ends finding each other, building a net, surrounding Hatchan, and then, each body part pulled back to Wire.


    ¡°Dork. Naming attack.¡± Duel called from up the wall, sitting pretty, just firing at any fishman that wasn''t occupied.


    Wet chunks hit the ground loudly, with a loud splat, as Arlong roared in anger, ¡°HATCHAN!¡±


    Kaito interspersed himself between the two as Arlong rushed forward, Wire grinning as he saluted him, his other hand floating in the air, giving Duel the finger, he quickly took off to slice and dice some more fishmen. Leaving Arlong to Kaito.


    ¡°What? Got a problem with sushi?¡± Kaito taunted, a fishman falling to Arlong''s side, stretching out a hand towards his captain helplessly, his body clawed to pieces, his face barely recognizable.


    ¡°You will die in agony for hours!¡± Arlong growled, stepping up to Kaito, cracking his knuckles.


    Kaito chuckled, even as he sensed something behind him, and sidestepped, Arlong roaring further in fury as the broken and bleeding body of Kuroobi, his head completely crushed, impacted him, having been kicked over by Archer. Another explosion after denoting the death of another member due to Duel''s overwatch.


    ¡°I don''t think you have hours.¡± Kaito taunted, his face harsh as he took a step forward, ¡°This all,¡± He gestured to the dying crew, all falling quickly, ¡°This all is because of what you did to Nami, her mother, her village. Your entire dream, your purpose, lost, because you''re squatting here, torturing these people because your too much of a coward to be out there - on the Grandline!¡±


    ¡°NAMI!¡± Arlong roared, ¡°I''ll kill that little whore for this! You humans are all the same!¡± Arlong growled, moving forward to strike.


    ¡°I don''t need to hear a speech from a coward that didn''t hack it with the big boys.¡± Kaito said with contempt, facing Arlong head long, a dark grin on his face, waiting until the last moment to shave out of reach, Arlong''s fist burying itself in the cement of Arlong Park, cratering it.


    ¡°Missed me!¡± Kaito taunted, waiting until the last moment, when he could feel the wind of the fist to shave out of the way again, sticking his tongue out, ¡°What''s this? Losing your step? Or were you always this weak?¡±


    He could spot Nami, at the entrance, crying as she beheld the defeated Arlong Park, all of its residents dying or dead - except the head coward.


    He could smash the building, just as Luffy did, but he wasn''t sure he should. He could give Nami the closure to decide what to do with the maps - made under duress - but still her work, her passion, her dreams - she might want to keep them.


    Kaito focused in on Arlong again who was roaring mindlessly as he rushed in again and again, even trying to jump in the water and launch himself at high speeds, it all ended the same, Kaito dodged.


    ¡°Getting tired yet?¡± Kaito said quietly, standing a few feet away from the only fishman left on the island, a few minutes later. The screams from the villagers as his backdrop, all of them yelling for justice. Many of them crying, remembering those lost to this cowardly creature.


    ¡°I won''t lose, not to a filthy human¡­¡± Arlong said resentfully, glaring up at him.


    Kaito smiled mirthlessly, ¡°You were already lost, losing is all you''ve ever known, isn''t that why you''re here?¡±


    He stopped dragging it out, disappearing in a blur, Arlong roaring one last time in defiance striking out, missing. Blood splaying out behind him as Kaito slashed through him with a storm leg strike from a foot away, the Fishman sliding apart in two separate pieces, absolute silence descending on Arlong Park for a moment.


    ¡°Nami.¡± Kaito said quietly, turning back to her, giving her a thumbs up, ¡°You''re free!¡± He grinned cheerfully at her, the crowd erupting.


    All he cared about was the blinding smile on Nami''s face as all her worries, fears, and stress - slid off her shoulders.


    He did good today.


    No matter what happens.


    This was good.


    £ª£ª£ª

 Loguetown

    <hr>


    East Blue, two days travel from Loguetown.


    The sun was high in the sky, casting a warm, golden glow over the deck of the ship, as the Red Dawn Pirates enjoyed a rare moment of peace and relaxation.


    The ship gently rocked on the calm sea, its sails billowing softly in the breeze. Crew members were scattered around the deck, each finding their own way to relax. Some lounged in hammocks strung between the masts, swaying gently with the motion of the ship. Others sat on barrels or crates, chatting and laughing among themselves or playing dice and card games. The air was filled with the pleasant hum of conversation and the occasional burst of laughter.


    And the sound of fighting, because they were who they were and some found different means of relaxation.


    They''d been training non stop during the journey, so the reprieve of these last few days was welcome to every crew member, as they took the chance to relax and enjoy the weather.


    On the sunniest part of the deck, Nami and Carina had set up a cozy sunbathing area - which had quickly been occupied by the other ladies of the crew. They reclined on towels, basking in the warmth of the sun. Nami wore a bright orange bikini that matched her hair, while Carina opted for a sleek, dark blue one that complemented her fair skin and light purple hair. Both women wore sunglasses and occasionally sipped from chilled drinks that Kaito had fetched for them.


    He might be the Captain, but he didn''t see himself as above fetching drinks, especially when he could ogle all the ladies, their skin covered in a sheen of sweat as they enjoyed the sun.


    Apple lounged in a deck chair nearby, her tattoos of fruit vines winding sinuously up her arms, each detail vivid in the sunlight. She sipped from a coconut cup, her lips curved into a satisfied smile as she savored the refreshing drink, pointedly not staring at Nami. Much.


    Yoruichi was there as well, leaned against the railing near Apple, her mocha skin radiant in the golden light, her long, purple hair cascading down her back like a waterfall, wearing a black one piece that seemed almost conservative.


    Kaito suspected Archer had given up something to force her into something more low key.


    Talk about a losing fight. Even in a conservative suit she still looked like sex on legs.


    Kaito handed her a drink, a fruity little thing, as he gave her another once over, Yoruichi simply smirking as she rolled her eyes at him, not bothered by the obvious appreciative glances - from both far and near, as the crew relaxed around them.


    Duel emerged from below deck, her bombshell figure accentuated by a sleek one-piece swimsuit that hugged her curves in all the right places. The fabric, a deep navy blue, contrasted with her sun-kissed skin, drawing attention to her statuesque frame. With each confident stride, Duel made her way to the group, her long legs carrying her with a graceful swagger. Her blue hair cascaded in loose waves down her back, catching the fading sunlight and adding to her allure.


    If Kaito wasn''t already half in love with her, he''d have fallen right there. The only blemish was the jagged scar across her throat, and even then, it simply made her viciously beautiful.


    Nami, leaned back on her elbows, a faint sheen of sweat glistening on her skin. Her expression was thoughtful, her eyes narrowed slightly in contemplation. Carina reclined beside her, she wore a smug smile, her lips curved in satisfaction as she basked in the fading light. "What''s on your mind, Nami?" She asked, her tone tinged with curiosity. Nami sighed, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Just thinking about our recent training sessions," She replied, her voice tinged with frustration. "I know we''ve made progress, but somehow it still feels like nothing."


    Kaito chuckled, "You feel that way because everyone else onboard has already been training, you have catching up to do, that''s all." He tossed back his own drink, letting an appreciative hum out before pointing at Nami with empty glass in hand, "Don''t compare yourself to them, compare yourself to the you of a month ago!"


    "So inspirational Captain, I might swoon." Carina snarked in place of Nami, before adding her own reassurance to the orange haired girl, her face sly, "Just look at your legs and you can see you''re stronger, you could probably twist a man''s head off with them¡­" She added suggestively.


    Nami swatted at her shoulder, "Enough out of you." She told Carina, stopping her friend before she could really get any wind under her sail, "You really think I''m that much stronger?" She asked Kaito, some doubt leaking through.


    Yoruichi answered instead, snorting, "Compared to a civilian you''re alright, definitely better than most enlisted Marines as well, so don''t sell yourself too short." She flashed a grin at the fretting orange haired girl, "Where''s that confident bitch I''ve come to expect eh?"


    Nami flashed her a glare, "I almost thought you were going to say something nice, then you ruined it."


    Duel scoffed, that''s all she did, scoffed, but Carina and Nami both switched onto her with laser like focus, eyes narrowing.


    Kaito let their bickering wash over him, leaning back against the railing, watching the placid sunny sky with pleasure. Strong personalities would lead to these things, it wasn''t anything serious.


    There were still some cracks in the foundation of his crew, but they were slowly healing. Nami and Carina were both too socially competent to have it end any other way.


    He''d been running the crew ragged during their trip from Cocoyashi, intent on ensuring they''d be able to handle the first steps of the Grand Line. It also had the benefit of helping acclimatize the girls to the crew. Mutual suffering made for fast friends.


    It would be needed once they set sail into the Grand Line.


    Who knew what they could run into? Not much they could do if they were as unlucky as Don Krieg in canon - and run into Dracule Mihawk. But he intended to have them competent enough to handle any ''normal'' level of threat for that ocean.


    So far only Yoruichi and Archer had any success in the six powers, despite how hard he''d pushed everyone else. Yoruichi with the power shave, and Archer with the power of iron body.


    Duel was close, he thought, to achieving the ability to use shave, but the rest were going to take a while.


    Nami and Carina, were funnily enough, for all their whining and attempts to get out of training - probably closer than most of the crew.


    They''d always been good at running away apparently.


    He''d have to see about helping them along with a weapon, neither were hand to hand type of personalities. Nami using a staff could work, especially if he could potentially succeed in getting up to a sky island to explore her canon type of abilities.


    Even if he couldn''t, it would do her well, she needed the reach, close quarters would never be the slim girls first choice.


    Carina, as sneaky and underhanded as she was, he figured she''d either need to focus on some rogue type, kind of fighting - or long distance with pistols or crossbows, or a mix of both.


    He''d discussed such things slowly over the course of their travel towards Loguetown, but neither girl was very excited about the prospect of weapons training to go on top of the intense physical training they were going through.


    On well, the benefits of being the Captain, he''d just make them do it anyway.


    They were too new to lead a mutiny so it would all work out.


    He noted that the women''s sniping had turned into commiseration on the stupidity of the male gender, and decided to make himself scarce, jumping down further down on the deck.


    Chuckling as he did, as Wire cursed loudly at him, as he used his head as a step board to go further down the deck. "Awareness training, Wire!" he told the man, who was being railed on by a combination of Tears, Dice, Cloud and Blackjack, as he skipped past them.


    Wire was completely unable to just relax like most of the rest of them, continuing his training with the chop chop fruit, getting a better handle on dealing with handling all his separate parts.


    He found his own quiet spot, and sank into a seiza, trying to practice observation haki, trying to get a feel of everyone and everything going on.


    Loguetown awaited, and any advantage he could grasp, would be useful in case they ran into trouble.


    <hr>


    The next day, one day away from Loguetown.


    Officer''s meeting in Kaito''s quarters,


    Kaito took a sip of rum as he leaned back in his chair, the atmosphere relaxed as his officers trouped in and took their seats.


    Of course he didn''t actually have enough seats for all of them,


    "Duel you can sit in my lap if you want?" He asked glibly, the woman giving him an unimpressed look, before taking a seat on his bed.


    Wire sat down next to her, allowing Nami, Yoruichi and Archer the chairs. "Not offering me your lap, fucker, what am I, chopped liver?" He asked, obviously just to be a pain.


    Because Wire would sit in his lap the day the world ended in apocalyptic fire, and not a minute before that.


    Kaito raised an eyebrow, "You don''t even need a chair, just float in the air and give the rest of us the space." He told the man who now held the chop-chop fruit. "But if you''re that hot for me, I guess I can give you my lap." He allowed, patting it invitingly.


    "Why am I here?" Nami asked, interrupting the usual start of the meeting fight, eying them all like she couldn''t understand what was going on.


    Kaito grinned, "Ah, that''s easy, you''re one of the officers."


    Nami stared at him with a deadpan expression, "Are you high?"


    Yoruichi burst out laughing, and even Duel smirked as Kaito pouted at her reaction.


    "If he was, he''d probably make more fucking sense," Wire muttered.


    "There''s no way the crew accepts this." Nami said confidently, crossing her arms, an unimpressed look on her face, "Why isn''t Apple here, or Tears or Dice, or anyone not me?"


    Archer shook his head, a small smile on his face, "Ah, you''re underestimating both our Captain''s stubbornness and how the crew thinks."


    Nami sent him an incredulous look, "A month ago you all hated me."


    Yoruichi leaned over and put an arm around her shoulder, "That was a month ago, now it''s different." Her eyes glinted with mischievousness, "Besides Apple wants nothing to do with being an officer, and just think, now you can order her around, order her to your quarters¡­" Her grin turned positively cheshire, "Apple likes strong bossy women¡­"


    Nami spluttered, her face red, "What the hell are you saying!?" Pushing her arm away, leaning away from the first mate.


    Wire glared at Yoruichi, "Yeah woman, what the fuck do you think you''re doin''?"


    Kaito cleared his throat, "I did actually have a purpose for this meeting, before we all spend too much time teasing Nami." She glared at him, which he returned with a happy grin, "You''re our navigator Nami, of course you''re one of our Officers."


    "You''re all insane." She muttered, trying to hide the small pleased smile behind loud complaints.


    Kaito clapped his hands together, "Alright, now with that little matter cleared up, we''re hitting Loguetown tomorrow, which means we''ll be in the Grand Line shortly. So I''m opening this meeting up, what do we need? What do we want? And how far are we willing to go for it? Loguetown is our last chance to grab whatever we may need for the near future, the Grand Line is unpredictable and we might not get a good chance for a real resupply for months."


    "Loguetown has a fairly large marine presence," Yoruichi warned, "So don''t be too eager to smash and grab." She added with a coy smile, looking at Wire.


    Wire sneered at her, "Who the fuck you looking at? I ran a criminal group for years, I''m no damn smash and grab grunt."


    "Him." Duel said plainly, pointing at Kaito.


    Everyone looked at their Captain, even Nami.


    Kaito gave them an affronted look, "Oiy!"


    "No, it fits."


    "Like a glove."


    "If anything goes wrong it''s definitely going to be him behind it."


    "Dumbass."


    Kaito cracked his knuckles, "Are we having a meeting, or extra special training?" He growled lowly.


    Nami squeaked and hid behind her chair. But the rest just smirked challengingly at him.


    He grinned evilly, a menacing aura appearing behind him.


    "Training it is!"


    "Noooooooo!" Nami wailed.


    And a fun time was had by all.


    Or at least Kaito, and as the Captain, his fun was what mattered.


    <hr>


    The next day, Loguetown, East Blue


    Loguetown, the town of beginnings and endings, loomed on the horizon, its silhouette gradually taking shape against the midday sun. The bustling port was a hive of activity, with ships of all sizes anchored along the docks and vendors peddling their wares along the busy streets. The Red Dawn Pirates watched from their ship as they approached, their anticipation palpable.


    They didn''t head straight for the port, even though they could see some pirate flags proudly displayed amongst the ships. Kaito wasn''t sure if Smoker was around yet, or if Garp had done anything when passing by, so they would be anchoring a bit out of the city, just in case.


    Kaito stood at the bow, his eyes scanning the horizon, a mix of excitement and apprehension swirling within him. The crew had spent the last few days resting, but now they were gearing up for their arrival at the legendary town. He turned to his crew, who were gathered on deck, ready to disembark.


    "Alright, crew! This is it, Loguetown! The place where the Pirate King took his last breath." He called out with excitement, pumping a fist in the air, "The place where countless dreams have been born and shattered, we''re standing on the threshold of history, about to step into the Grand Line. This is our chance to prove ourselves, to show the world what the Red Dawn Pirates are made of." He allowed his speech to trail off for a moment, meeting their eyes.


    A crew of proud battle hardened people stared back at him, his own expression mirrored.


    He grinned sharply, his excitement spiking, this is it, the first step into the Grand line, he thought, before shouting out the last parts of his speech, "We''ve trained hard, we''ve fought even harder, and now it''s time to take the next step. Remember, we''re here for supplies and information. Keep a low profile and stay out of trouble, but never forget, we''re a crew, a family now. We look out for each other, no matter what, so let''s do this!"


    Yoruichi smirked, flipping her long purple hair over her shoulder. "You say that every time, Captain, and every time we end up in trouble, every single island..."


    Kaito chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, maybe this time will be different. Let''s try to make it through without drawing too much attention." He said, getting numerous skeptical looks from most everyone.


    He eyed Apple, pointing at her dramatically, "And everyone keep an eye on Apple, don''t let her off the ship, no kidnapping this time!"


    There were some chuckles all around, but notably Pie, Tears and Dice all surrounded her, Apple giving Kaito the stink eye for being called out.


    "Like I''m the trouble magnet around here, you should be the one held on a leash, Captain." She said sweetly, while glaring at him, wielding her paintbrush like she was going to use it as a weapon.


    "Hmpfh, Leash." Duel said, pointing a thumb at herself, coming to stand next to Kaito, her usual stained overalls on, armed to the teeth, but leaving the artillery gun back this time.


    It was a little too conspicuous to lug around town.


    Kaito gave her an exasperated look, "I asked you to come with me, like a date." He complained, lips twitching, "Not as my leash."


    Although, leashes and Duel¡­ Could work. "Kinky¡­" He muttered with a dopey grin.


    She crossed her arms under her ample bust, raising an unimpressed eyebrow, as the crew broke out in laughter at his expense.


    Lots of whip sounds came out, as Kaito pouted, he wasn''t whipped. He just had a hard time saying no to giant¡­ Personalities.


    "Making fun of the Captain aside," Yoruichi said, stepping up next to him with a serious mien. She was dressed in a striking outfit of black and red. Her top was a black, form-fitting crop top with red accents, highlighting her athletic build. Over it, she wore a black, sleeveless jacket with red trim, left open to allow ease of movement. Her pants were black as well, tailored and sleek, tucked into knee-high black boots that were laced up the front with red laces. A wide red sash was tied around her waist to finish off the look. She''d really bought into the whole Red Dawn look, Kaito was so proud. "Don''t forget your groups, your purpose, and to always watch your back, there''s both marines and potential rivals here, don''t let your guard down."


    Her glare had a very - or else - attribute to it that the crew responded well to.


    "Keep in mind what we''ve asked you to look for. Any information on log poses, maps, or recent news from the Grand line or on the marines." Kaito reminded them, stepping in again, before grinning widely, "And have FUN!" He shouted, stretching his arms wide - right in time for the ship to sail into the small bay further down from Loguetown.


    Nami really could do anything with a ship, and knew her way around East Blue incredibly well. She was the one who had known about the hidden bay many pirates used.


    He''d shared some of what he knew about Loguetown and what they''d need with them all, so they''d know what to be on the lookout for - log poses in particular.


    Never hurts to have more than one, and he''d prefer to not have to jump straight into using an eternal pose, like what he had from Buggy.


    As the Red Dawn Pirates stepped off their ship, they split off in groups, no one allowed to go anywhere on their own. Most of them splitting into the groups of four they were trained in.


    Kaito and Duel would be going together, hunting for anything curious or interesting, while they also looked for any mechanic shop or similar for Duel.


    Wire and Apple would be staying onboard, with the rearguard, making sure their ship remained unmolested.


    Carina and Nami, not unsurprisingly, had decided to go shopping, having roped in a few crewmen to come along as backup, or more likely as pack mules.


    Yoruichi and Archer would be searching for information on the Marines, and if possible, steal some of their maps or log poses. They''d also keep a look out for if the marines had any better battleships laying around.


    They might upgrade before they leave after all.


    Kaito walked with purpose towards Loguetown, Duel in tow, the other groups spreading out to not arrive all at the same time.


    This is it, the last step. Grand Line here we come!


    <hr>


    Loguetown was a bustling city, its streets teeming with activity. The air was filled with the sounds of haggling vendors, clattering carts, and the distant hum of conversations. Colorful banners and signs adorned the buildings, advertising everything from fresh fish to exotic spices - signifying the gateway to the Grand Line, the first port of call for any trade. The aroma of street food wafted through the air, mingling with the salty tang of the sea breeze.


    Kaito craned his neck as he couldn''t stop wanting to see everything, the town was just so lively, and not yet strangled by the marines as it had seemed two years into the future. He could see pirates here and there, haggling or making a fuss, Loguetown not yet the pirate free town Smoker would have made it in the future.


    The main thoroughfare was lined with shops and stalls, each vying for the attention of every passerby. Merchants shouted out their prices, trying to attract customers with promises of the best deals in town. People from all walks of life filled the streets, from pirates and traders to mercenaries and townsfolk, creating a vibrant tapestry of humanity.


    He''d even seen a few fish men amongst the crowd, he even thought he''d spotted a Mink, in a blink and you missed it moment.


    Kaito and Duel moved through the crowd with purpose, their eyes scanning their surroundings. Duel, true to her nature, remained mostly silent, her gaze sharp and focused. Her dangerous presence alone was enough to deter any would-be troublemakers from approaching her, despite her beauty.


    She really had that - I''ll rip your balls off attitude down pat.


    Kaito, due to his strong seven plus feet frame and dangerous grin, did his own work in keeping them unmolested, crowds naturally parting around them as they explored the cramped and filled streets.


    They passed by a blacksmith''s forge, the rhythmic clang of hammer on anvil ringing out as the smith worked on a new piece. The heat from the forge was intense, and the smell of burning coal mixed with the metallic tang of molten metal.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Duel lingered for a moment, watching, before sniffing and continuing on, obviously declaring the work inferior. Kaito followed along, amused at the absolutely shocked look on the blacksmith''s face as he noticed the disregard.


    A street over, a tailor''s shop displayed an array of finely crafted garments, from impractical yet beautiful work clothes to elegant dresses. The tailor, a meticulous-looking man with a monocle, fussed over a dress on a mannequin, adjusting the fabric with precise movements.


    Somehow Kaito knew Carina and Nami would find their way inside, and drive the poor man into a conniption fit, he silently apologized in advance.


    That said, they were pirates, so he didn''t really feel bad, he just hoped the girls wouldn''t rob him too much. There''s only so much room on the ship, and dresses didn''t really need to take up the space.


    Kaito paused at a stall selling maps and navigational tools, his eyes lighting up with interest. The vendor, an old man with a weathered face and a missing tooth, smiled at him. "Looking for something specific, lad?"


    "Log poses," Kaito replied, his tone casual as he strolled over, "And any maps you have of the Grand Line."


    The old man''s eyes twinkled with amusement and some greed. "Ah, ambitious, aren''t we? I''ve got just the thing for you." He rummaged through his wares and produced a couple of log poses and a well-worn map. "These should help you on your journey."


    Kaito examined the items carefully, while Duel stood by his side, her eyes constantly scanning their surroundings, ever watchful. "These are¡­ Fakes." He said in disappointment, after examining them.


    Not even good fakes either!


    The old man lost his amusement, face twisting into a derisive sneer, "You don''t know what you''re talking about!" He spat out, but kept his hands where they could see them, eying Duel warily who had her hands on two of her pistols, glaring at him pointedly.


    Kaito chuckled, not at all intimidated by the old scammer, "If you''re going to make fakes, old man, put better effort into it," He juggled a ''log pose'' "This is working like a normal compass, and you can even see where you glued it in." He pointed out, tossing it to the old man, who scrambled to catch it, cursing loudly.


    Kaito kicked his stall over, because such shitty knock offs was an affront, "If you''re going to fake a map, old timer, at least try and put the fucking red line on there." He called out, walking away, his mood lessened by the half assed work of the con artist.


    Duel eyed him with a questioning expression, her full lips pursed in silent judgment.


    Kaito rolled his shoulders, "I can''t stand shitty standards. If you''re going to be a criminal, fine - but if you can''t even be arsed to be a good one, why bother?"


    "Old, weak." Duel said quietly, making a hand gesture that he interpreted as - doesn''t have anything else.


    Kaito scowled, "Could still do a better job." He muttered. "Some shitty rookie is going to get killed with that crap."


    Duel smirked at that, her expression saying it all. Since when do you care about that?


    Kaito frowned, glancing at her, "Don''t get sassy with me, I''m a pirate, I can kick over stalls if I want to."


    Duel rolled her eyes, casually kicking out with a foot, almost fast enough that he''d think she''d managed one of the six powers, the leg of a stall nearby cracking, the entire stall and its produce falling over as the owner wailed in distress.


    "At least my guy deserved it." Kaito muttered as they continued on, now his turn to send a judgmental look at his companion.


    She gestured to her chest, "Stared. Deserved." She insisted.


    Kaito glanced down at her very obvious cleavage in her half buttoned up overalls, "You kind of can''t blame the guy."


    Duel flicked him on the forehead, "Ring." She said, gesturing to her finger.


    Ah, the guy was married. So she punished him for perving¡­ No, Kaito still had to agree with his first thought, she was showing off way too much to punish someone for a look.


    "You''re just doing this to mess with me because I messed with one guys stall, aren''t you?" He said suspiciously.


    Duel just smiled enigmatically at him, and continued on her way, exploring the next street.


    As they made their way further into the town, they came across a mechanic''s workshop. The sound of clanging metal and the hum of machinery filled the air. Duel''s eyes lit up with interest, and she nudged Kaito, pointing towards the workshop.


    Kaito nodded. "Let''s check it out." He said, hoping it held something of interest.


    So far the vendors and shops seemed mostly geared towards scamming newbies trying to get into the Grand Line.


    A fairly safe scam when you consider that most who enter, likely never come back to demand a refund.


    They entered the workshop, the air thick with the smell of oil and metal shavings. The walls were lined with shelves filled with tools and spare parts, and a large workbench dominated the center of the room. The mechanic, a burly man with grease-stained hands and a friendly smile, looked up from his work.


    "Can I help you folks with something?" he asked, wiping his hands on a rag.


    Duel stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with interest. "Tools, ship, metal," She said, her voice raspy and intent.


    The mechanic looked at Kaito, silently asking for a translation.


    "I think she wants better tools for working on our ship, and for working with metal." Kaito said, getting a annoyed short nod from Duel, who was peering around the shop with more interest than she''d had all day so far.


    The mechanic nodded. "You''ve come to the right place. I''ve got everything you might need." He said, cleaning his hands up.


    Just then, someone entered the shop from the back, "Oy, old man, the directions you gave me to the sword shop were all wrong."


    Kaito could only stare in shock as Roronoa Zoro entered, glaring at the mechanic. Younger looking, not quite as hard faced, but still unmistakably him, three swords at his waist.


    Said mechanic looked to the sky as if asking for patience, slowly speaking to the swordsman, "Son, the directions were for down the street, and why did it take you three days to come back if you couldn''t find it?"


    Zoro frowned, "The streets here are confusing."


    "It''s one street. The same street." The mechanic pressed, looking pained.


    Then Zoro seemed to finally notice them, disregarding Duel immediately in a way that had the woman''s eyes narrow dangerously. His swords slinking out of their sheaths, "You¡­ The most dangerous man in East Blue¡­" He said, a dark grin slipping onto his face.


    "Fight me!"


    Well¡­ That''s¡­ A pretty big coincidence.


    <hr>


    The sun hung high in the sky over Loguetown, casting long shadows across the bustling streets.


    They stood in an alley behind the mechanic shop, the mechanic store owner and Duel had remained inside to haggle over wares, one not interested at all in a fight, the other fully believed Kaito would win and as such held no interest in missing out on picking up her supplies.


    Roronoa Zoro stood with his swords drawn, his eyes locked on Kaito. The man destined to be a legendary swordsman had sought Kaito out, eager to test his mettle against the man rumored to be the strongest in East Blue.


    His horrible sense of direction aside, once in Loguetown, he''d correctly assumed Kaito would eventually arrive and had spent the last month training, waiting for the moment where he could measure his strength.


    Kaito stood tall and confident, meeting Zoro''s gaze with a calm intensity. His stance was relaxed, almost casual, but there was an unmistakable aura of power and restrained violence about him.


    He''d thought he''d missed his chance, and he was excited to see how far ahead he truly was from one of Canon''s powerhouses.


    "Roronoa Zoro," Kaito said, his voice carrying a mix of curiosity and condescension - in a move to rile him up. "I''ve heard of your skills. What brings you here, challenging me?" Why do you think you can, scrub? Was the hidden meaning behind his words.


    One of the best ways to recruit someone like Zoro, was to show him what kind of strength he could achieve with him, so he wasn''t planning on playing particularly nice. Zoro needed to see how much stronger Kaito was, if he was going to convince him without the natural charisma Luffy possessed.


    Zoro smirked, his grip tightening on his swords. "I''ve heard you''re the strongest in East Blue. I want to see for myself if the rumors are true."


    Kaito chuckled darkly, a gleam of amusement in his eyes. "Very well. Let''s see what you''re made of." He said making a taunting come at me gesture.


    Without another word, Zoro lunged forward, his swords slicing through the air with deadly precision. Kaito sidestepped the attack effortlessly, his movements fluid and controlled. He countered with a swift fist of his own, but Zoro parried it, just in time, flying back several feet after taking his strike on the flats of his blades.


    His eyes narrowed as he watched Kaito just smirk at him, standing there with his hands held loosely at his sides.


    The two warriors moved with blinding speed, swords versus fists dancing in a deadly ballet. Zoro attacked relentlessly, his three-sword style a whirlwind of power and precision. But Kaito was always one step ahead, his strikes precise and devastating.


    On paper, a hand to hand combatant versus one with three swords was already decided. But Kaito was too fast, too strong, and casually used iron body when needed, making Zoro''s efforts go nowhere, and endlessly frustrating the bounty hunter as his attacks were slapped away by bare hands.


    The casual disregard was all part of the plan, he wanted Zoro to realize just how far behind he was, so he could pitch him on training to reach the same level.


    As such, he stepped it up a notch, now not even bothering to slap his swords away, simply dodging them, even closing his eyes at one point, dancing past the blades as Zoro growled. His observation Haki might be only appearing at a miniscule level, but it was enough for an East Blue swordsman, even if it was Zoro.


    He wasn''t even as strong as canon yet, so Kaito had no problems avoiding his swings. The man had power behind them, but he lacked the deadly finesse he''d gain later.


    Deciding he''d shown off enough for now, he stopped dodging, leaving himself open, Zoro immediately moving in, even if the man doubtlessly knew it was a trap, his pride didn''t allow him to back down now.


    With a powerful swing, Kaito disarmed Zoro, sending his swords flying. He followed up with a swift kick to Zoro''s midsection, knocking the wind out of him and sending him crashing to the ground.


    Zoro struggled to his feet, his eyes blazing with determination. "You''re strong," he admitted, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. "But I''m not done yet."


    Kaito shook his head, a look of respect in his eyes at his guts. He loved guts after all.  "You''ve got spirit, Zoro. But you''re held back from your true potential. If you want to reach the heights of a true swordsman, you need to embrace your willpower."


    Zoro charged again, picking up his swords on the way, his attacks even fiercer than before. But Kaito countered each strike with ease, his movements almost effortless. With a final, decisive blow, Kaito sent Zoro sprawling to the ground once more.


    Breathing heavily, Zoro looked up at Kaito, frustration and determination warring in his gaze. "What are you talking about?"


    Kaito extended a hand, offering to help Zoro to his feet, but he ignored it. "Willpower, Zoro. It''s the greatest power in the world. It''s what drives us to keep fighting, to push beyond our limits. With a strong will, you can achieve anything."


    Zoro frowned, considering Kaito''s words. "It can''t be just that easy, I have plenty of willpower?"


    Kaito nodded genially. "I can see it in you. You have the potential to be one of the greatest swordsmen in the world. But you need to harness that willpower, to do more than just believe in yourself and your dreams."


    Zoro sheathed his swords, his expression thoughtful. "And let me guess, you know exactly how to do that?" He drawled out.


    Kaito smiled, a look of genuine excitement in his eyes. "I do, you''ve seen my strength, together, we could conquer the Grand Line. We could achieve greatness, and you could become the swordsman you were always meant to be."


    Zoro''s eyes narrowed, his resolve hardening. "I''ll think about it. But for now, I don''t plan to be a pirate, and I''m not so stupid that I''ll follow anyone just because they''re stronger than me."


    Kaito nodded slowly, not surprised it wouldn''t be that easy. "I''ll be waiting, Zoro. And when you''re ready, you''ll always have a place with the Red Dawn Pirates." He offered, leaving it at that for now.


    But he''d make sure to seek the swordsman out before leaving Loguetown, he''d planned not to waste any time searching for him after all the trouble with Nami, but now that he was right here.


    He didn''t intend to leave it at that.


    As Zoro turned to leave, Kaito watched him go, a sense of anticipation building within him. He knew that Zoro was already half convinced, he just needed a final push.


    If Kaito had to attack another marine base to do it, he would.


    Yoruichi would understand.


    Then Duel stepped out of the machine shop, and punched Zoro in the face out of nowhere.


    Duel, why!?


    <hr>


    With Nami and Carina,


    Nami and Carina wandered into a small boutique nestled in a quieter corner of Loguetown, their pack mules waiting outside. The shop was filled with an array of colorful clothes, from practical sailor attire to more extravagant garments. The two women browsed through the racks, occasionally pulling out items to examine more closely.


    Carina held up a vibrant blue dress, pressing it against herself and spinning around. "What do you think, Nami? Too much for a pirate, or just enough to keep things interesting?"


    Nami laughed, shaking her head. "You always did have a flair for the dramatic. I think it suits you." She said teasingly.


    Carina grinned, hanging the dress back on the rack. "So, speaking of suiting people, how are things with you and Apple? You two have been exchanging some pretty cute looks lately." Her expression was sly, as she leaned in towards the orange haired girl.


    Nami rolled her eyes, though a blush crept onto her cheeks. "Oh, come on, Carina. It''s not like that." She protested.


    Especially after everything¡­ It wasn''t like that.


    "Oh really?" Carina picked up a lacy top and held it up to Nami, scrutinizing her. "Because from where I''m standing, it looks like someone has a little crush."


    Nami swatted the top away playfully. "You''re seeing things. Apple''s just... It''s complicated."


    Carina raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "Complicated, huh?" She tossed another garment at Nami, something she wouldn''t be caught dead wearing at sea, but which could be cute to try on. "Sure didn''t stop you guys before¡­"


    Nami huffed, crossing her arms. "We were drunk, it doesn''t count." She fired back, eyes narrowing. "And if you don''t drop it, I''ll tell Kaito you''re disappointed with the level of training you''re doing and want more¡­"


    Carina laughed, unbothered by the threat. "Fine, fine, I''ll leave you alone about it." She said with an expression that said, for now, loud and clear, "You know I never thought I''d really join a pirate crew, but I''m surprised at how¡­ Comfortable it has been." She grimaced slightly, "Despite the¡­ Training."


    Nami sighed, holding up a particularly nice dress, Carina giving her a thumbs up, which immediately made her discard it. "I know what you mean, it''s weird considering how things started out, but now it''s almost like they''re¡­" She didn''t want to say family, she thought, chewing on her lip, but she didn''t know what other word fit.


    Carina''s eyes were thoughtful as she made an agreeing noise. "They''re idiots, but now they''re our idiots¡­ And besides. The Captain knows where the invisibility fruit is, so how can I not follow him?"


    Nami shook her head in exasperation. "That thing again, Carina, you''re too obsessed with the idea. You''re good enough of a thief already." She chided.


    "Uh-huh, sure." Carina pulled out a red scarf and draped it around Nami''s neck, stepping back to admire her handiwork. "And with the invisibility fruit I''ll be the best thief in the world. I don''t think you can say anything about that, miss draw a map of the entire world¡­"


    Nami glanced at herself in the mirror, adjusting the scarf. "You''ve got a point." She acknowledged. She could hardly say her own dream was any less unrealistic than Carina''s. "Won''t your dream be hampered by being on the crew though?" She asked thoughtfully.


    Being a thief that was locked to one ship would limit her opportunities in some ways. That was just reality, she could build a reputation as a pirate easily enough - but the world''s best thief was a title earned by hitting very hard targets across the world.


    Carina shrugged, leaning against the display. "Life''s too short to worry about that, I''m sure I''ll get my chances on the crew, the Captain seems like the type to go for the top - and the invisibility fruit alone would be worth it."


    Nami looked thoughtful, her fingers playing with the fabric of the scarf. "I guess... I just hadn''t really seen this all working out, I almost thought we''d both have snuck off by now." She said with some self recrimination slipping into her tone.


    She''d chosen to join, but she''d honestly thought she''d be forced to slip off at some point, that the crew would hate her. That hadn''t come to pass, instead she''d started to feel¡­ At home.


    And apparently Carina hadn''t had the same problems, which made her feel irritated that she''d assumed as much.


    Carina smiled softly, placing a hand on Nami''s shoulder. "You worry too much Nami, I would have never seen myself in this position either, but it''s worked out, and I have no complaints¡­" She trailed off, making a face, "Except for the insane training¡­"


    Nami returned the smile, feeling a warmth spread through her. "Thanks, Carina. I needed to hear that."


    Carina winked, giving Nami a playful nudge. "Anytime. Now, let''s find something killer for you to wear. Maybe something that will catch Apple''s eye, eh?"


    They spent the next hour trying on various outfits, laughing and teasing each other. Carina''s playful banter kept Nami''s spirits high, and by the time they left the shop, Nami felt more confident about their friendship and the crew.


    They''d also robbed the shop owner blind while he''d been too focused on Nami trying on clothes, which added to their cheer.


    A map shop drew her attention shortly after that and Nami was immediately ensconced for hours.


    To Carina''s despair.


    <hr>


    The sun was high in the sky as Yoruichi and Archer approached the Loguetown marine base. Unlike typical infiltration missions carried out under the cover of darkness, they were taking a bold approach, using the audacity and confidence that had served them well in the past.


    Marines tended to have a pretty simple worldview, so sometimes audacity worked much better than sneakiness.


    Yoruichi had once been a Marine Captain, so she wore her stolen marine attire with confidence. Her uniform was crisp and immaculate, complete with the insignia of her former rank - that she''d taken off her own old uniform. Archer, his imposing figure slightly awkward in the marine garb, followed closely behind her. They had stolen the uniforms earlier in the day, taking advantage of the chaos of a morning drill.


    It had taken forever to find a uniform that fit Archer, apparently the marines here were not of the larger variety. Even now the Ensign uniform fit badly, clinging too tightly to his body.


    Yoruichi led the way with the authority and ease of someone who belonged there. As they approached the gate, she barked out orders to Archer, adding authenticity to their presence.


    "Keep up, Ensign," she said sharply, her voice carrying the weight of command. The marine guards at the entrance barely gave them a second glance, assuming they were just another pair of officers on official business.


    Like she''d expected. Marines, especially the lower ranks, usually don''t attempt to stop higher ranking officers - that way lay all the shit duties.


    Inside the base, the atmosphere was a mix of disciplined order and bustling activity. Marines marched in formation, officers barked commands, and the occasional pirate was dragged off in chains. Yoruichi navigated the familiar environment with confidence, no one stopping them.


    She noted that the base seemed to be in a position of transition, the activity a little more frantic than normal for everyday activities. Which likely meant a new commander, because she rarely saw ensigns cleaning so enthusiastically if they didn''t have a new commander overlooking them.


    They reached the administration building, where high-ranking officers stored important documents soon after. Yoruichi walked straight in, nodding curtly to the marine at the reception desk. "Captain Yoruichi reporting for a security inspection," she said, flashing her old credentials.


    The receptionist, a young marine, snapped to attention and saluted. "Yes, ma''am! Proceed as you wish." Never once looking at the credentials, because obviously someone this far into the building was on the up and up.


    Administrative desk ensigns were also not likely to know recent bounties on sight, not ever intended to be in a battle.


    It was not following procedure to just let her by of course, but she knew how young marines worked. And how shitty many higher ups were. It didn''t matter what marine base, the younger staff would not stop a higher ranking officer, because it didn''t end well for them in most cases.


    Yoruichi nodded at the young man, and led Archer up the stairs to the second floor, where the navigation and mapping office was located. Once inside, they quickly shut the door behind them.


    "Start searching," Yoruichi instructed, her voice low but urgent. Archer nodded, rifling through drawers and cabinets with methodical precision. Yoruichi joined him, her experienced eyes scanning for anything of value.


    It didn''t take long before Yoruichi found a stash of maps and a few log poses. She grinned, quickly stuffing them into a satchel. "Got it," she whispered.


    Just then, the door opened, and a marine officer stepped in. "Captain¡­ What are you doing here?" He quickly took note of her rank and straightened up imperceptibly.


    Thinking quickly, Yoruichi straightened up herself, her expression stern. "Lieutenant, I am conducting a surprise inspection. We''ve received reports of lax security, and your intrusion just proved it."


    The officer paled, stammering an apology. "I-I apologize, ma''am. I didn''t mean to interrupt."


    "See that it doesn''t happen again," Yoruichi snapped, waving him off. The officer saluted and backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.


    They wouldn''t have much time now, he might have been waved off by the usual deference to authority, but if he had any brains, he''d go find a commander and ask for clarification, to double check things.


    Archer raised an eyebrow. "That was close." He said, sounding amused.


    Yoruichi chuckled softly. "Nothing we can''t handle. Let''s move."


    She knew he wouldn''t mind a fight breaking out, but that wasn''t why they were here.


    They exited the room, walking briskly but not too quickly, maintaining the appearance of marines on official business. As they descended the stairs, Yoruichi nodded to the receptionist again. "Carry on, Ensign."


    Outside, they maintained their pace, moving through the base with purpose. They headed towards a less-guarded section of the outer wall. Yoruichi had scouted the area earlier, noting the shift change times and the gaps in patrols.


    It was best not to use the main gate this time, in case any suspicion had fallen on them.


    Just as Yoruichi and Archer slipped out of the storage shed, dressed in their civilian clothes and ready to make a quick getaway, they were met with an imposing figure blocking their path. Captain Smoker, the White Hunter, stood there with his jitte in hand, a cloud of smoke swirling around him.


    Yoruichi cursed under her breath, of all the people to run into¡­ Smoker must have been assigned as the new marine in charge. It would explain the hustle inside the base, Smoker had a reputation as a hard ass.


    She hadn''t met him too many times, but she could see how he got the reputation.


    "Leaving so soon?" Smoker''s voice was a low, menacing growl. "I thought I recognized that face. Captain Yoruichi, isn''t it? You''re a long way from home." His eyes narrowed, "Although you go by a new moniker now, don''t you, traitor?"


    Yoruichi''s own eyes narrowed tightly. "Captain Smoker," she acknowledged, her tone tense. She stepped forward slightly, positioning herself between Smoker and Archer. "This doesn''t have to get ugly, you don''t want this fight."


    Smoker''s eyes flicked to the satchel in Archer''s hand. "You think you can just walk in here, steal from the Marines, and leave unscathed? You''ve got guts, I''ll give you that." He grumbled, fist tightening around his weapon of choice, "You shouldn''t have come here, Yoruichi¡­"


    "More than guts," Yoruichi retorted, her muscles tensing in anticipation. "But if it''s a fight you want, we''ll give you one."


    She really didn''t want to have one, but she recognized it was inevitable, even if they wouldn''t be fighting to win, just to escape.


    Smoker''s devil fruit was an annoying one to deal with, and neither her nor Archer knew Haki.


    Without another word, Smoker lunged at them, his jitte swinging with deadly precision. Yoruichi dodged to the side, her movements a blur as she avoided the strike. Archer moved in tandem with her, his fists clenched and ready.


    Kaito had warned them Smoker might be stationed here, so every member of the crew knew what to expect. If not for that, Archer would have likely rushed ahead and gotten himself in trouble.


    The battle maniac.


    Smoker''s jitte struck the ground where Yoruichi had been standing, leaving a small crater. "You can''t outrun justice," he snarled, his voice muffled by the thick cloud of smoke that now surrounded them.


    Yoruichi didn''t waste time on banter - Smoker wouldn''t be convinced of anything that way anyway. She darted forward, her speed almost too fast to track, aiming a powerful kick at Smoker''s midsection. Smoker blocked it with his jitte, the force of the impact sending a shockwave through the air.


    Archer seized the opportunity, coming in from the side with a powerful punch aimed at Smoker''s head. Smoker twisted, deflecting the blow with a burst of smoke that solidified around his arm, but Archer''s sheer strength forced Smoker to take a step back.


    "You''ve improved your speed, Yoruichi," Smoker admitted, his voice grudging. "But it won''t be enough."


    Smoker transformed his lower body into smoke, becoming partially intangible. He surged forward, his jitte swinging in wide arcs. Yoruichi and Archer moved in perfect sync, their training evident as they countered and dodged his attacks.


    They were playing it confidently, so Smoker wouldn''t just cover them in smoke immediately. Yoruichi had sparred with the man before, she knew the man didn''t go all out at the start if he could play with his food a little. Hence why they were attacking him despite knowing they wouldn''t achieve much.


    To lull him into false confidence.


    Yoruichi feinted left and then struck right, her fist connecting with Smoker''s jaw. He simply turned to smoke, his head quickly recovered, his eyes burning with determination. "You''re not getting away," he vowed, almost catching Yoruichi as his arms billowed out in smoke.


    Archer lunged at Smoker, his fists a blur. Smoker blocked most of the blows, but a few slipped through, each one achieving nothing. Archer''s strength was formidable, but Smoker''s experience and devil fruit powers made him impossible to beat by simple strength.


    Yoruichi circled around, her movements fluid and calculated. She saw an opening and took it, launching a powerful kick that sent crates flying, forcing Smoker to disperse into smoke or dodge. "Now!" she shouted to Archer.


    They turned to run, but Smoker wasn''t done yet. He reformed quickly, his smoke tendrils reaching out to grab them. Yoruichi and Archer dodged, but the smoke was relentless, pulling them back towards Smoker.


    Smoker''s jitte came down in a powerful arc, but Yoruichi managed to twist away at the last second. "You''re persistent, I''ll give you that," she said through gritted teeth.


    This was not a good situation to be in. They''d all been advised to run at the sight of Smoker. But it was easier said than done.


    Kaito was the only one that could take him down as they were.


    Archer, with a roar of defiance smashed into the ground, shaking it, breaking free from the smoke tendrils and charged Smoker. He tackled the marine captain, the force of the impact sending him crashing into a nearby wall as Smoker simply turned to smoke to avoid him. Dust and debris filled the air.


    Yoruichi saw her chance again. She darted in, her movements a blur, and grabbed Archer by the arm, pulling him free from the wall. "We need to go, now!" she urged.


    Archer nodded, moving to their backup plan, taking a deep breath, before smashing a fist into the ground so hard the nearby buildings began to tilt, and together they sprinted towards the edge of the marine base. Smoker, recovering quickly, shouted after them, "This isn''t over, Yoruichi! I''ll hunt you down!" His smoke billowed out, hardening, as he held the buildings steady.


    Yoruichi glanced back, her eyes meeting Smoker''s. "We''ll see about that," she said, a determined glint in her eye. Next time I''ll be able to hit you! She promised herself.


    They slipped into the shadows of Loguetown, the sounds of their footsteps fading into the distance. Back at their rendezvous point, they took a moment to catch their breath.


    "That was too close," Archer said, his voice low and tense. He didn''t like a fight where he couldn''t hit their target, that much was obvious. His fists clenching and unclenching as he visibly forced himself to cool off.


    Yoruichi nodded, her expression serious. "Smoker won''t give up easily. We need to get back to the ship and get ready to leave as soon as possible."


    With the stolen maps and log pose secured, they made their way back to the Red Dawn Pirates'' ship, the adrenaline still coursing through their veins.


    Looking for another possible better ship was left to the wayside.


    With Smoker here, and now looking for them, they wouldn''t have the time to steal a ship and move everything over.


    Kaito might be able to handle him, Yoruichi thought,


    But the rest of them would lose.


    <hr>


    Kaito couldn''t quite understand how Duel punching Zoro out ended with them here.


    But at this point he was just running with it.


    The bustling tavern by the docks in Loguetown was a hub of activity, filled with sailors, pirates, and townsfolk seeking respite from their daily lives. Wooden beams crisscrossed the low ceiling, and the flickering light of lanterns cast a warm glow over the room. The air was thick with the scent of ale, roasted meat, and the faint tang of sea salt carried in by the patrons.


    In essence, it was like every well taken care of dockside tavern ever.


    In a corner of the tavern, at a sturdy wooden table scarred with the marks of countless fights, they sat together, Kaito, Zoro and Duel, with Tankards of frothy ale scattered across the table, and the three of them deep into their cups, not that they were lightweights anyway.


    But buying Zoro large amounts of booze had markedly warmed the man up to them.


    Zoro, his swords resting against the wall beside him, lifted his tankard in a toast. "To good fights and better drinks!" he declared, his cheeks only slightly flushed from the alcohol.


    Kaito raised his own tankard with a grin. "I''ll drink to that!" he said, clinking his tankard against Zoro''s. As far as he was concerned, this was simply a prelude to doing the same on the ship once he got the man to join.


    Duel, her blue hair tumbling over her shoulders, joined in the toast with a smirk. "Dumbasses," she added, her eyes sparkling with wry amusement.


    Kaito wasn''t sure if that was a dig at them, or just dumbasses in general, still he drank for it.


    They all drank deeply, the ale a welcome burn down their throats. The tavern''s lively atmosphere was a stark contrast to the intensity of their earlier battles. If one could call Duel laying Zoro out with one surprise punch a battle.


    Zoro leaned back in his chair, a lazy sigh escaping his lips. "You know, I didn''t expect to end the day like this," he admitted, grumbling slightly, glancing between Kaito and Duel. "But I can''t say I''m complaining."


    The many many empty tankards of ale on his side of the table gave plenty of reason not to complain after all.


    Kaito chuckled, setting his tankard down with a thud. "Life''s full of surprises," he said. "And sometimes, those surprises come in the form of good company and strong drink."


    Duel shook her head, her smile somewhat vicious. "Strong, hah. Babies." She gave them a challenging look, mocking them.


    The tavern''s musical accompaniment struck up a lively tune, the music weaving through the conversations and laughter. Kaito and Zoro exchanged a look, were they going to leave it like that?


    Duel smirked at them smugly.


    "More drink/More drink!" They both called out, refusing to lose.


    "So, Zoro," Kaito began while they were waiting for the drinks, his tone light and curious, "What''s your story? Why do you do what you do?"


    He knew of course, but teasing the story out of him would make it simpler to push at his buttons afterwards, when they fought again.


    Because they would fight again, Zoro''s pride would demand it.


    Zoro took a long swig of his ale before answering. "I have a promise to keep," He said, his voice steady despite the alcohol. "To become the world''s greatest swordsman. It''s a vow I made to someone important to me, and I''ll see it through no matter what."


    "Not an easy dream to achieve, but I can understand it, reaching for your dreams is the only way to live. I''d rather die the freest man on the planet, young. Then live to old age full of regrets." Kaito said, meeting Zoro''s eyes with determination.


    The ale arrived after that, and they competed against Duel, who he only now remembered had worked at a tavern.


    At the very least, as they got progressively drunker,


    He thought he''d earned a sliver of respect from Zoro for his beliefs.


    It was a start.


    <hr>


    A few days travel from Loguetown,


    Portgas D. Ace stood on the deck of Vice Admiral Garp''s ship, his hands bound with seastone cuffs. The vast expanse of the East Blue stretched out around them, the sea shimmering under the evening sun. Ace''s eyes were filled with a fiery determination as he faced Garp, who stood with his arms crossed, his expression stern although tinged with a hint of concern.


    Ace hadn''t started out the journey in cuffs, but a few fires had ensured Garp couldn''t leave him be as he was.


    Ace''s Spade Pirates were nowhere to be seen, having been left behind after the swift and unexpected capture by Garp - a favor to Ace, in return for his somewhat compliance. The deck was bustling with marines, their disciplined movements a stark contrast to the rebellious spirit that radiated from Ace.


    He knew his friends would follow him, so now it was up to him. To find a way to escape Garp, and return to his journey.


    "You know this won''t work, old man," Ace said, his voice steady and defiant. "I''m not cut out to be a marine. I''m going to find a way to escape, no matter what you do." He wasn''t even looking at the old marine, staring out at the sea instead.


    Garp sighed, his gaze hardening. "Ace, you''re too stubborn for your own good. You''ve got potential, more than you realize. Being a pirate is a waste of your talents. Join the marines, and you can make a real difference." It wasn''t said with any particular passion, the words repeated too many times over the past month.


    He''d forced the crew to row, he''d even gotten behind the ship and pushed at times, turning a trip that would have taken twice as long, into a months journey, all so they could make it out of East Blue with Ace, to get him to Marineford before he found a way to escape.


    Garp was well aware how crafty the boy was.


    Ace shook his head, his expression resolute. "The marines? I can''t believe you''d even suggest that. I have my own path to follow, and it''s not with the marines."


    Well¡­ At least that was more level-headed then the snarls and screaming he''d been getting.


    Garp''s eyes softened slightly, a flicker of pain crossing his features. "You''re Roger''s son, Ace. I don''t want to see you end up like him. The marines can give you a purpose, a way to use your strength for good." For once he spoke quietly, so that no one but them could hear the words.


    Ace''s jaw clenched at the mention of his father, his eyes blazing with defiance. "I''m not him. I''m my own man, and I''ll decide my own fate. No one else."


    Garp stepped closer, his voice dropping to a more serious tone. "You''re family, Ace. I don''t want to see you destroyed by this world. The marines can protect you, give you a chance to live a life where you don''t have to constantly look over your shoulder."


    He hated that it was a half truth, because he''d always have to look over his shoulder. But in Marineford, he could protect him. Even Akainu didn''t go against him easily. And he was a dab hand at convincing Sengoku of things.


    Ace met Garp''s gaze head-on, unyielding. "You don''t understand, do you? I have a dream, and I won''t let anyone stand in my way. Not even you!" Some of the fire was returning to his words, and Garp knew if he kept this attempt going too much longer, it would evolve beyond words again.


    Garp''s expression tightened, a mix of frustration and worry evident in his eyes, he wasn''t getting through to his foolish grandson, "I''m trying to save you, Ace. Whether you like it or not, I''m not letting you go down the same path as Roger. You''ll join the marines, and that''s final."


    Ace smirked, his rebellious spirit shining through. "We''ll see about that. I''m not giving up that easily."


    Garp walked away with a huff, not feeling like a fight again, Ace would learn.


    Only Loguetown to go, and then they were beyond his little crew, he''d have to give up hope then.


    He''d see the marines was the only path forward.


    <hr>

 Bigger Fish

    <hr>


    Loguetown, Marine Base.


    The large conference room in the Loguetown marine base was abuzz with activity, the tension palpable among the gathered officers - especially with the recent upheaval of Vice-Admiral Garp''s clean-out a fresh memory.


    Tashigi felt¡­ She felt like she was the odd one out. Only an Ensign, and yet here she was, thanks to Captain Smoker and his belief in her.


    A long table dominated the center of the room, cluttered with maps, documents, and wanted posters. The most prominent were those of the Red Dawn Pirates, their faces staring back with varying degrees of menace - the females wanted posters giving a different kind of vibe off that disgusted Tashigi, those sluts...


    Captain Smoker stood at the head of the table, his expression a storm cloud of barely controlled fury, smoke curling from the cigars clenched between his teeth.


    Tashigi had only been his subordinate for a short time, after he''d handpicked her out from the masses, recognizing her potential, so she kept her back perfectly straight, not wanting to let him down, nor redirect that fury onto herself.


    "Listen up!" Smoker''s voice cut through the others chatter like a blade, silencing the room immediately. Even with his recent appointment, they''d all learned quickly he didn''t tolerate slacking off. He slammed a fist on the table for emphasis, causing several papers to scatter off the table. "The Red Dawn Pirates are in Loguetown, and we''re not letting them leave without a fight. These bastards think they can stroll into our town, cause chaos, and walk away unscathed? Not on my watch." He growled out, smoke billowing around him.


    He grabbed one of the wanted posters and held it up for all to see. It was former Marine Captain Yoruichi''s. Her image was fierce and sensual, her eyes filled with a defiant gleam to the Marines who saw it. "Yoruichi, former Marine Captain, now a traitor and a pirate. She''s slippery, fast, and dangerous. You see her, you don''t engage. You call me immediately. Understood?"


    Smoker hated people like her the most, Tashigi had been there when he''d found out she''d turned traitor. Had found out quickly, that Marines that turned their back on Justice, went pirate. Smoker loathed them far beyond any other pirate. Scuttlebutt was that he and Yoruichi had known each other too. Various bets were placed on exactly how intimately.


    Tashigi stayed far away from that. Smoker had given her hope that her dream could be made reality, that she could truly ensure that evil would no longer hold the finest blades in the world. That she could get strong enough to ensure it. No one had ever believed in her like that, not her family, not other Marines, no one. Until Smoker ran into her practicing until she bled, and complimented her willpower, her grit, saying that she was a credit to the Marines.


    She was transferred to his command the next day, and as short as it had been so far, she''d cherished every moment of his gruff instruction.


    A murmur of agreement rippled through the room as Smoker glared at them for not responding to his query, Tashigi wincing as she nodded her head rapidly, showing she''d been paying attention as Smokers eyes turned her way. Smoker tossed the poster back onto the table with a grunt at their lukewarm reply, and picked up another one, this time of Kaito, the captain of the Red Dawn Pirates. "Kaito, their leader. Confident enough to send his own poster picture into HQ. He''s not to be underestimated. We''ve got reports of him going toe-to-toe with some of the toughest in East Blue and coming out on top. Approach with extreme caution."


    Unlike other Marines she''d heard some tales of, Smoker meant what he said, he wouldn''t waste their lives against someone like that. Tashigi''s cheeks pinked as she imagined Smoker coming to her rescue, the both of them fighting Kaito together, defeating him.


    She inwardly slapped herself, control yourself! So you''ve got a crush, there''s probably plenty of men with his physique¡­ Incredibly gruff and masculine voice¡­ Caring attitude beneath¡­ Patient teacher¡­ Tashighi blinked, not sure where she was going with her thoughts anymore, focusing back on her Captain, forcibly shutting her blush down.


    One of the marines, a young lieutenant named Hana, raised her hand. "Captain, what''s our plan of action? How do you want us to search the town?"


    They had protocols already, but with Smoker being the new man in charge, no one wanted to assume.


    Smoker took a deep drag from his cigars, exhaling a thick plume of smoke. "You''ll start by canvassing the entire harbor. Check every ship, every warehouse, every inch of dock. They''re pirates, they''ll need to dock somewhere, and they can''t hide a ship that easily." His face grew severe, "If you find it, scuttle it. If you find nothing¡­ Start searching the inlets around the island."


    It was a mark against them that pirates regularly had anchored in the harbor before Smoker, the previous commander not nearly attentive enough to his primary task ¨C preventing pirates from reaching the Grand Line.


    Tashigi leaned forward, her brow furrowed. "Should we f-focus on any specific areas within the town, s-sir? Places they might be likely to visit?" She adjusted her glasses as everyone gave her their attention, her ears burning, especially as the Captain''s intense gaze fell on her with his full attention.


    Like Smoker, she''d been a new transfer in, coming with him, although unlike Smoker, the Marine contingent were much more approving of her presence, to her disgust.


    Smoker nodded at her, his expression gruff, she didn''t squeal, no matter what anyone thought, she didn''t! "Yes. Start with the taverns and inns. Pirates love their drink, and they''ll have been at sea for awhile, they''ll be looking to revel. We need to question every bartender, every innkeeper. If they''ve seen anyone matching these descriptions, I want to know about it."


    The marines scribbled notes, the intensity of their captain''s orders sinking in, they hunted pirates before of course, but rarely this systematic and all encompassingly. Smoker continued, his voice a low growl. "We also need to keep an eye on the markets. They''ll need supplies, food, and possibly new equipment. Assign teams to monitor all major marketplaces and shops. Look for any unusual purchases or large groups of strangers."


    He slammed his hand down again for emphasis moments later, glaring at them all, "And don''t be fools, call me for any significant gatherings of pirates, or for their officers, you''ll surround and box them in, I''ll take them down¡­"


    So manly¡­ Tashigi thought, putting her hands to her burning cheeks. Her analytical mind immediately knew what he was using them all for. They were simply there to gather information, then tighten the noose around the pirates based on what they found, allowing Smoker to go from noose to noose to take them down, without having to chase around Loguetown for the pirates.


    A hand shot up at the back of the room. "Captain Smoker, should we consider calling HQ for backup? If these pirates are as dangerous as you say, we might need more manpower."


    Tashigi winced, it was first of all a stupid question, because by the time anyone from another base could arrive - the pirates would be gone. Secondly, it would also severely piss Captain Smoker off to doubt him like that¡­


    Smoker''s eyes flashed with anger, and he slammed his fist on the table again, Tashigi wincing as a visible crack ran through the table, as it wobbled precariously. "This is our job! We don''t need HQ to hold our hands. We''ll call them when we have something concrete to report. Until then, we handle this ourselves. Understood?"


    A chorus of "Yes, sir!" echoed through the room. Smoker''s fierce dedication to handling matters personally was well known, and his men respected his resolve, even if it meant shouldering the burden alone. Tashigi bit her lip, looking away, she really needed to get over her infatuation, before the Captain noticed.


    "Good," Smoker said, his tone slightly calmer. "I want checkpoints set up at all major roads leading out of Loguetown. No one leaves without being thoroughly checked. We''re casting a net, and these pirates aren''t slipping through."


    With how many men he was sending out, they''d be using their entire contingent, but it would be worth it if they stopped this menace before they could slip into the Grandline Tashighi thought, knowing Captain Smoker wouldn''t stand for letting a traitor escape.


    Tashigi raised her hand again hesitantly, a question on her lips, Captain Smoker had told her to always speak up around him, "W-what about the civilians, s-sir? How do we ensure they don''t get c-caught in the crossfire in an operation this size?"


    Smoker''s expression softened just a fraction as he gave her an approving nod. "We protect them, ensign. Make it clear to the city that we''re looking for dangerous criminals and that their cooperation is essential for their own safety. If any civilians have information, they should be encouraged to come forward, otherwise we make sure they know to stay inside and stay out of this operation, their best protection is adherence to protocols."


    Loguetown had a pretty robust warning system and shelter in place drills, they hadn''t been used in a while, but they were there.


    Tashigi, always eager and meticulous to begin with, and practically floating from his approval, added, "C-captain, should we be looking out for any s-specific behaviors or signs that might indicate the presence of the Red Dawn Pirates?"


    Someone in the back coughed, "Daddy''s girl." And was quickly silenced by the large population of Tashigi fans descending on him, Tashigi blushing furiously, trying to pretend they didn''t exist. Her hand was absolutely not reaching for her sword¡­


    Smoker nodded at her, ignoring the byplay. "Hmpfh, look for groups that seem overly cautious or trying to stay out of sight. Pirates don''t blend in well with regular townsfolk, especially a crew as notorious as the Red Dawn. Any signs of unusual activity, large purchases, or anyone trying to avoid the marines - report it immediately, I''d rather arrest one group of civilians too many, then let the pirates go free."


    They could just release the civilians with apologies after, no harm done. Tashigi noted it down mentally, already preparing the apologies she''d have to hand out afterwards.


    "Remember," Smoker said, his voice hard as steel, "Yoruichi is not just any pirate. She knows our methods, our protocols. She''ll exploit any weakness. Do not underestimate her. If you see her or any of the officers, do not engage alone. Call for backup, for me. We move as a unit, and we take them down together." He obviously felt it needed to be reiterated, Tashigi knew he didn''t need anyone playing at being a hero and letting Yoruichi escape¡­


    And her captain and crew as well, she supposed, but she privately thought Captain Smoker really wanted to take her down, specifically.


    "What of the civilians who don''t cooperate? A lot of civilians here are friendly towards pirates¡­ Or money." One of the marines asked quietly, drawing the attention of Smoker. "With the corruption clean-out so recent¡­ What if any Marines¡­?" He trailed off at the glares from the others in the room, shrinking back slightly.


    Tashigi''s hand twitched to her sword a the thought, a frown on her face, the fact that is even a possibility is horrendous.


    Smoker''s gaze turned icy. "If any marine takes a bribe and lets these pirates escape, they''ll answer to me personally. Make it clear that there will be zero tolerance for corruption. We''re marines, and we uphold the law." He looked around the room, jaw clenched, "Any civilians who assist the pirates of their own free will, knowing who they are, will be treated like they''re pirates themselves."


    The room fell silent, the weight of Smoker''s words sinking in. None of them wanted to get on his bad side. It had been bad enough to have Garp rip through the base like a whirlwind arresting almost a quarter of the base for corruption. Smoker wouldn''t be nearly as kind, Tashigi knew, and suspected the men and women in this room were coming to the same realization.


    Smoker took one last drag from his cigars before stubbing them out, immediately reaching for more. "All right, you have your orders. Get out there and find these pirates. I want hourly reports, and remember, stay vigilant. These aren''t your run-of-the-mill criminals. They''re dangerous, and they''ll do anything to escape. Let''s show them that Loguetown is no safe haven for pirates."


    With that, the marines sprang into action, their faces set with determination. Tashigi stayed with her Captain, as he watched them go, she saw the grim satisfaction settling over him. She knew the task ahead wouldn''t be easy, but he trusted them all, so they would succeed. They would find the Red Dawn Pirates, and when they did, justice would be swift and merciless.


    You won''t get away, Yoruichi! Justice will come for all traitors¡­ She thought, personally offended that she''d spurned her Captain''s friendship to become a pirate.


    She''d assist the Captain in seeing her to Impel Down for her crimes. That was a promise.


    <hr>


    With Kaito, Duel and Zoro, later that night,


    Loguetown''s bustling streets seemed to sway and ripple under the trio''s slightly tipsy gait. Kaito, Zoro, and Duel meandered through the throngs of people, their chatter blending with the lively din of the marketplace. The city, alive with activity, was a colorful tapestry of merchants hawking their wares, townsfolk going about their business, and the occasional pirate skulking in the shadows. Maybe more of the latter now that it had grown dark.


    Most civilians seemed perfectly accepting of this fact too, showing the marines didn''t quite have the iron grip on the town that they proclaimed.


    Kaito led the way, his tall frame easily navigating the crowd. He grinned as he glanced back at Zoro, who was walking with a purposeful stride, despite the alcohol coursing through his veins. Duel trailed just behind, her blue hair making her stand out, if her beauty wasn''t making sure of that already. Her expression remained impassive, though her eyes darted around, ever watchful.


    "Where''s this sword shop?" Zoro grumbled out, his voice carrying over the hubbub. He''d reluctantly accepted their help in locating it - what with his¡­ Challenges.


    Kaito''s eyes were slightly glazed, but his focus was still unwavering. "I remember seeing it down this way," He replied, pointing toward a narrow alley that would lead them back onto the correct street. "We missed it because we''re drunk." He said sagely.


    Duel snorted, "Pussy."


    Anything she''d had, she''d already gotten over, her time as a bartender shining through, or perhaps she just had an insane tolerance naturally.


    Zoro as well took offense to that statement, "Oi, I''m nowhere near drunk yet!"


    They turned into the alley, which led to a less crowded street lined with specialty shops. The atmosphere here was quieter, more subdued, with the occasional clink of metal and the soft murmur of conversation. It wasn''t long before they spotted a modest shop with a wooden sign bearing the emblem of crossed swords.


    "This is it," Zoro announced, his tone suddenly serious as they approached the entrance. The shop was small but well-kept, with a wide display window showcasing an array of swords. Inside, the walls were lined with racks of blades, ranging from ornate katanas to simpler, more functional weapons.


    An elderly shopkeeper looked up as they entered, his keen eyes immediately taking stock of the trio. "Ah, customers! Welcome," He greeted them warmly, his voice carrying the practiced charm of a seasoned merchant. "What can I help you with today?"


    Zoro nodded politely. Speaking brusquely. "I''m looking for a new sword," He stated, his eyes already roving over the selection on display. Kaito and Duel watched as he moved from rack to rack, examining each blade with a discerning eye.


    The shopkeeper''s expression brightened at the prospect of a sale. "You''ve come to the right place," He said, stepping around the counter. "We have a fine selection of swords. Perhaps you''re interested in something unique?"


    Zoro''s gaze landed on a particular sword on display at the back of the shop, its blade gleaming even in the dim light of the shop. He picked it up, testing its weight and balance. The shopkeeper''s eyes flickered with worry as he noticed Zoro''s choice.


    "That''s Sandai Kitetsu," The shopkeeper said, his tone taking on a note of caution. "A fine blade, but... It carries a curse. All its previous owners have met unfortunate ends." He scratched his cheek worriedly, "I keep taking it out of the displays and it keeps coming back¡­" he muttered.


    Kaito raised an eyebrow, surprised it was here this early. "A cursed sword, huh?" He remarked, glancing at Zoro. "Sounds dangerous. Sure you want to risk it?" He prodded, a smirk on his face. He was fairly sure what the response would be.


    Zoro might not have fought Mihawk here, and he was definitely weaker than canon at this point, but his willpower was never in doubt.


    Zoro''s lips curled into a confident smirk. "I''ve never believed in superstition like that," He said, lifting the sword and examining the edge. "But let''s see if fate has anything to say about this curse." He tossed the sword into the air, letting it spin as he held out his arm, the blade descending rapidly.


    Kaito and Duel watched in silence, their eyes fixed on the scene, Duel''s head cocked like she''d found something interesting. The room seemed to hold its breath as the sword hurtled toward Zoro''s arm. But at the last moment, the blade perfectly spun around his arm, practically kissing it as it passed, embedding itself harmlessly in the floor.


    The shopkeeper''s eyes widened in surprise. "Well, it seems fate has chosen you," He murmured, his tone a mix of awe and disbelief.


    Zoro grinned, retrieving the sword. "I''ll take it," he declared, as if there had been any doubt. The shopkeeper nodded, quickly wrapping the sword for him. "There is the matter of¡­ Payment." He said, wincing, looking almost apologetic to ask for money for a cursed sword.


    Kaito hummed in thought, that''s not quite how it had gone before, but he supposed things would change, or was he misremembering? "I''ll pay for it." He said, stepping up, surprising Zoro. Who looked ready to argue.


    Kaito raised an eyebrow, pulling out enough money for the fairly cheap prize the shop owner quoted him, "Do you even have enough money?" He teased the bounty hunter.


    Zoro closed his mouth, eyebrow twitching, before he looked away with a silent scoff.


    The shop owner took the money, bowing, before seemingly making a decision, asking them to wait. Minutes later he came rushing down, offering Zoro his family sword, Yubashiri, declaring him the first true swordsman he''d ever seen.


    As they left the shop minutes later, Kaito chuckled. "You''re really something, Zoro. Not many people would gamble with their own arm like that." He rubbed his hands together, "And what luck to get a second sword as well."


    Zoro shrugged, strapping the sword to his waist alongside his other two. "If I''m going to become the greatest swordsman in the world, I can''t be afraid of a little curse," He replied, his voice carrying a note of conviction.


    Duel, who had been silent during the exchange, finally spoke. "Risky," She said, her tone flat. "Fitting." She turned her nose up, "Idiot." She declared, with finality.


    Zoro grumbled quietly, but didn''t say anything against it, and they moved on.


    They continued walking. As they neared the outskirts of the town, Zoro stopped suddenly, turning to Kaito with a serious expression.


    "Let''s settle this," He said, his voice steady. "One more fight, no holding back. I want to see just how strong you really are." His hands went to his swords, twitching in eagerness.


    Kaito grinned, his eyes glinting with excitement. "Alright, Zoro. Let''s see what you''ve got," he replied, cracking his knuckles. Duel stepped back, giving them space, her eyes watchful. She wouldn''t interfere, Kaito knew, even though she''d probably get him yelled at once she told Wire and Yoruichi.


    The street they found themselves on was quiet, with only a few passersby who quickly scattered upon seeing the two men squaring off. The air was thick with tension as they faced each other, the quiet broken only by the distant sounds of the town.


    Zoro drew his swords, the new Sandai Kitetsu glinting in the fading light. He settled into his fighting stance, his eyes locked onto Kaito. Kaito, for his part, stood relaxed, his fists at the ready, a confident smile playing on his lips.


    He''d win Zoro over, he was sure. This fight really wasn''t a threat to him, not at his current level.


    Zoro lunged forward, his swords a blur as he attacked with a combination of powerful slashes. Kaito met him head-on, his movements fluid as he dodged and parried, using his speed and iron body to dodge and/or deflect the blows. The sound of them clashing echoed through the street as the two warriors exchanged a flurry of strikes, Zoro coming off worse, jumping back with a quiet, "Tch."


    Kaito''s eyes were sharp and attentive, watching Zoro''s every move, evaluating. He admired the swordsman''s skill and determination, noting the precision in each of his attacks. Zoro was fast, his strikes precise and deadly, but Kaito was faster, his reflexes honed to near perfection. And Zoro lacked the power, the cutting edge he''d find later.


    He was good, very good. But compared to someone like Kaito, he was still playing in the kiddie league.


    Zoro swung his swords in a wide arc, aiming to overwhelm Kaito with a barrage of strikes. But Kaito anticipated the move easily, sidestepping at the last moment and countering with a powerful punch that sent Zoro skidding back. The force of the wind that the blow whipped up, put cracks in the cobblestone where Zoro had stood.


    "You''re strong," Zoro panted, a grin spreading across his face. "But I won''t back down." He charged again, this time with even greater speed, his swords slicing through the air with a fierce intensity, Zoro giving it his all, pushing every muscle.


    Kaito felt a rush of excitement as he met Zoro''s assault - this was amazing, meeting someone like Zoro in battle, it was like reliving childhood dreams. The clash of their battle sent sparks flying, and the ground beneath them shook with the force of their strikes. Kaito ducked under a sweeping slash, coming up with an uppercut that Zoro barely blocked in time. The strength of the blow caught on the flat side of his swords, sending him reeling.


    As the fight continued, it became clear that Zoro was pushing himself to the limit, his breath coming in heavy gasps. But his spirit was unbroken, and he refused to give in, even as Kaito''s superior speed and strength began to wear him down.


    Kaito admired Zoro''s tenacity. The swordsman was clearly getting exhausted at this point, yet he kept coming, his eyes blazing with determination. It was a testament to his willpower, and Kaito knew he had found a perfect recruit in the swordsman.


    With a final, powerful strike, Kaito knocked Zoro''s swords from his hands, sending them clattering to the ground, before punching him with just a smidgeon of Haki, cratering the ground under him. Zoro fell, breathing heavily, sweat pouring down his face. But there was no anger or frustration in his eyes - only determination and acceptance.


    "You win," Zoro said, his voice steady despite his exhaustion. "You''re stronger than I thought."


    Kaito extended a hand, helping Zoro to his feet. "You''re not bad yourself," He replied, a grin on his face. "You''ve got a lot of potential, Zoro. With the right training, you could become one of the strongest swordsmen in the world, maybe even the strongest like you wish." He smiled openly, "I could help you get there, if by nothing else - sparring with you until you can break your limits."


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Zoro looked at Kaito, a thoughtful expression on his face. He nodded slowly, a glint of determination in his eyes. "I''ll join you," He said, his voice firm. "If it means getting stronger, I''ll join your crew." He let out a breath, "Pirate, bounty hunter, marine, it doesn''t matter, all that matters is that I get stronger."


    Kaito smiled, clapping Zoro on the back. "Welcome aboard," He said, his voice filled with genuine warmth. "We''ll make sure you become the swordsman you were meant to be." He already had plans. There was so much Zoro could do if he got started on it early.


    Zoro grumbled some more, giving Kaito an intense look, "If I ever feel that you''re holding me back, or keeping me from my dream, I''ll kill you." He said bluntly.


    Kaito only laughed, patting him on the back again, "You''ll first have to get strong enough to have a chance!" He teased, not at all worried about the threat. Zoro would be growing stronger, there was no problem there.


    Duel, who had been watching silently, nodded in approval. "Good fight," she said simply, her eyes meeting Zoro''s. "Strong." Then her eyes raked over his muscular torso, the sweat making his shirt cling to him, "Mhm." She made an appreciative noise that made Kaito second guess bringing Zoro onboard.


    Zoro chuckled, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Not good enough," He replied, a weary smile on his face. "I''ll do better next time." He said, determination etched into his every feature.


    The air cooled as the sun had dipped completely below the horizon, casting Loguetown in the soft glow of its street lamps. The fight had drawn attention, though the trio had been too engrossed to notice. As Kaito, Zoro, and Duel walked back from the edge of town, the sound of boots on cobblestone and the faint rustle of uniforms became apparent.


    Kaito''s sharp eyes caught the subtle movement first - a shadow flitting between buildings, the glint of metal catching the rays of the street lamps. He stopped, placing a hand on Zoro''s shoulder, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Looks like we have company," He murmured, nodding towards the alley.


    Zoro and Duel turned, their expressions shifting from relaxed to alert. Around them, marines emerged from the shadows, forming a tightening circle. Their faces were grim, weapons drawn and at the ready. The leader, a lieutenant with a square jaw and a stern expression, stepped forward, holding a den-den mushi, likely transmitting to headquarters.


    "Pirates of the Red Dawn, you are under arrest," He declared, voice steady. "Surrender now, and we won''t have to use force."


    Kaito''s grin widened, a gleam of excitement in his eyes. "Well, this just got interesting," He said, cracking his knuckles. Duel''s mouth twitched into a smile, and Zoro''s hand rested on the hilt of his cursed sword, Sandai Kitetsu. Ready to let it loose.


    Zoro glanced at Kaito, a sense of determination in his eyes. "I guess I should get used to this?" he asked, drawing his swords, "At least it won''t be boring."


    Duel nodded, her gaze cold and focused as she readied herself, drawing her guns. "Fun screams," She agreed maliciously, her voice darker.


    Without another word, the three burst into action. Zoro lunged forward, his swords flashing in the dim light. He moved with precision and grace, each swing of his blades beating down the marines who dared approach, notably non lethally for now. His movements were a blur, the cursed sword humming with an eerie resonance as it sliced through the air. The marines tried to block and counter, but Zoro was relentless, his skill with three swords unmatched.


    Despite his tiredness, the marines, caught with having to split their focus between the three of them, couldn''t handle the whirlwind of blades that was Roronoa Zoro.


    Kaito was himself a whirlwind of motion, his fists and feet striking with the speed and force of a hurricane. He weaved through the ranks of marines with ease, using the six arts while laughing as they fruitlessly tried to hit him. The marines fell like dominoes, their cries of pain mingling with the sounds of the fight. Kaito''s laughter continued to ring out, a wild and joyful sound as he reveled in the chaos.


    This was what it meant to be alive! Fighting, living each day as if it was the last, messing with poor widdle marine soldiers. It was great!


    Duel moved with deadly efficiency, her strikes precise and devastating. She used her flexibility to her advantage, ducking under swings and delivering swift, powerful blows to vital points using her guns as bludgeons. Her expression remained impassive, but there was a gleam of fierce satisfaction in her eyes as she felled her opponents. The marines, despite their numbers, were no match for her agility and skill, especially not when she''d add to her brutal beatings by firing her pistols, not as caring as Kaito and Zoro about holding back her lethality.


    The trio fought as if they were performing a well-rehearsed dance, their movements perfectly in sync despite one of them only knowing the others for less then a day, their battle senses good enough to make do. The marines, though numerous, were clearly outmatched. Their attacks were clumsy and disorganized, their formations quickly breaking under the onslaught.


    Kaito landed a particularly brutal kick on a marine, sending him crashing into a nearby wall. He grinned, brushing his hands together. "You guys really need better training," He quipped, looking around at the fallen marines. "I know a guy, I can set you up." He told a terrified marine who was just staring at him, the rifle he held, shaking.


    Zoro, sheathing his swords after beating down another group, smirked. "If this is the best they can do, we''re in for a boring night." He agreed, albeit sounding a little out of breath.


    Duel, her voice hard, added, "Not done." Her eyes flicked toward the end of the street, where a figure was approaching through the dissipating dust and chaos.


    As the dust settled, the marines regrouped, standing aside as their superior officer strode forward. Smoker, the White Hunter, emerged from the haze, his expression stern and unreadable. A thick cloud of smoke billowed around him, a jitte resting casually on his shoulder. He surveyed the scene, his eyes narrowing as they landed on Kaito, Duel, and Zoro.


    "You three have caused quite a commotion," Smoker said, his voice carrying the weight of authority. "But this ends now." He puffed out a cloud of smoke, eyes fierce, "Resist arrest. I dare you."


    Zoro tightened his grip on his swords, ready for another round, never one to back down. Kaito, his eyes locked with Smoker''s, felt a surge of adrenaline. He had a way to deal with Smoker, but Zoro and Duel did not. The man also seemed¡­ A lot more intense than he remembered.


    Was canon Smoker actually the chilled out version?


    Before the others could react, Smoker moved with blinding speed. His smoke engulfed the area, thick and suffocating, blinding them. Zoro swung his swords wildly, trying to cut through the smoke, but it was no use. The smoke was everywhere, wrapping around them like a living thing.


    Kaito used moonwalk to get above the cloud, cursing inwardly at the situation, not at all pleased to be dealing with Smoker. With a kick of his leg, he sent several tempest kicks into the smoke, making sure to not hit his allies, dispersing it enough he could see the situation.


    Just in time to see Zoro hit the ground, Smokers Jitte at his throat, smoke encircling his limbs, hardening around them.


    Duel tried to move in to assist, but the smoke was too thick, immediately snaking around her limbs as well. In moments, both Duel and Zoro were down, captured in Smoker''s powers. It gave Kaito somewhat of an advantage, because holding two people would be taxing Smoker''s concentration. Despite his crew being captured, he wasn''t overly worried. Smoker had no idea he could use armament.


    Although he''d prefer to get out of this without using it, because that''s something he didn''t want spread around yet.


    Kaito stood alone, facing Smoker. The smoke swirled around him, and Smoker''s eyes were cold and unyielding. "You''re not getting away," Smoker said, his voice low and dangerous. "This ends here, Kaito of the Red Dawn."


    Kaito smirked, dropping into a fighting stance. "We''ll see about that, lackey," He replied, his voice full of confidence. He launched himself at Smoker, moving with incredible speed. His fists were a blur as he struck out, but Smoker''s smoke body made it impossible to land a solid hit, which was fine. It wasn''t what he was after.


    He was just dispersing more of his smoke, moving too fast for Smoker to catch him, forcing the man to spread his control even more.


    Smoker tried to counter with his jitte, swinging it in wide arcs - too bad none of them had devil Fruits - his little toy not as useful fighting ''normal'' humans. Kaito dodged and weaved with ease, his iron body technique protecting him from the worst of the blows when he took hits on purpose to allow himself time to deliver a tempest kick or two, cutting more of his smoke apart, fraying his concentration. The two clashed, the sound of their battle echoing through the streets. Kaito''s fists struck with the force of a hammer, but Smoker was relentless, his smoke powers making him nearly invincible unless Kaito tapped into armament - or managed to create enough of a wind funnel to blow him away.


    The fight was intense, neither giving an inch. Kaito''s speed and strength were impressive, but Smokers devil fruit powers appeared to give him the upper hand, Kaito could see that Tashigi girl cheering at the sidelines, the marines seemingly confident of their victory. He was kind of glad Zoro hadn''t noticed her, considering who she looked like.


    He grinned viciously at the marines cheering Smoker on, "Confident are we?" He called out, doing a pirouette mid air, tempest kicks lashing out, crescent blades of wind cutting through the smoke, and Smokers logia body, no one appearing to notice how Duel and Zoro''s bonds loosened.


    "There is nothing that will stop me from taking you down, today." Smoker told him coldly, puffing on his cigars as he reformed, Jitte over his shoulder.


    Kaito used shave, appearing right in front of Smoker, armament flickering onto just his knuckles as he ground them into his torso, Smoker spitting out his cigars as his eyes bugged out, his body flying away to smash into a nearby shop.


    There, no one should have seen that, not with all this smoke around. Let them wonder¡­


    Kaito stood smugly on the street, Zoro and Duel joining him as Smoker lost concentration, "Nothing you say? I''m not so sure about that, government dog, you''re rolling over pretty good¡­"


    He gave them all a wide shit-eating grin, "Want me to teach you bad dog or sit, too?"


    <hr>


    With Yoruichi and Archer.


    As Yoruichi and Archer moved through the narrow streets of Loguetown heading to the edge of town, their hearts pounded with urgency due to once again needing to make a quick getaway from an island. The stolen marine uniforms had been discarded in an alleyway behind them, and the stolen maps and log poses in their bags seemed to weigh heavily with the consequences of their theft. The sounds of the bustling marketplace were a blur around them as they moved to get away from the city, to where the Red Dawn Pirates'' ship awaited their return.


    "I can''t believe Smoker of all people is here!" Yoruichi groaned, eyes alert as she watched their surroundings for any sign of marines.


    And this time she couldn''t even blame Kaito for them having to get out in a hurry. They''d been caught, and by the worst person ever. That chain smoking tsundere. What she ever saw in him she had no idea¡­ except his body. She saw a lot in that, a girl has needs after all. Not that they ever¡­ She''d only met him a few times after all, briefly. But the eye candy¡­


    "It''s so you, to end up having your ex-boyfriend hunting us." Archer said with a flicker of amusement, enjoying her suffering.


    Yoruichi glared at him, scrunching up her nose in distaste, "Hey, not ever my boyfriend!" She wanted that on the record. She definitely didn''t want the crew to start calling the bastard her ex. They barely knew each other. She knew him by reputation more than by in person.


    They continued to bicker, as they made their way out of town, having to dodge marines as checkpoints were being set up, a concern for whatever crew remained in the city, hopefully not many, with night falling.


    Reaching the inlet they''d docked in soon afterwards, they saw the distinctive black and red sails of their ship. The crew, likely told by whatever stragglers arrived about the commotion in the city - about the marine presence ramping up - sprang into action as Yoruichi and Archer arrived, readying the ship, anticipating the orders sure to come as Yoruichi vaulted up the gangplank, her eyes immediately scanning the deck.


    "Wire, Apple, get the ship ready to sail!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the noise. Wire, who had been already prepared, lounging by Apple and Nami at the helm, jumped to his feet, and he immediately began shouting orders, the crew moved quickly, unfurling sails and bringing up the anchor.


    Yoruichi quickly ascertained who had made it back and who hadn''t, Dice making a headcount for her. The good news was that all the shopping and restocking had been done. The bad news was that there were still crew members on shore leave in town.


    Yoruichi had already set up a system for that kind of situation, with their luck being so horrible on every island so far. "Send up the flares." She ordered sharply.


    Their position would be revealed by the bright flares, but everyone of theirs in town would know to double time it to the docks, so their position being revealed didn''t matter, as they''d move to the docks as well.


    Soon enough Cloud and Tears had aligned the metal tubes Duel had created, and with dull thumps, the flares were fired into the sky, exploding into brilliant red stars briefly.


    "At least we got most of the day and part of the night before everything," Archer muttered beside her, his eyes scanning the way they''d come from for any signs of pursuit. "But this is becoming a habit," He added with a wry smile.


    Yoruichi nodded, a flicker of amusement in her eyes despite the tension. "Seems we can''t stay out of trouble," She replied, her voice light but her expression serious. "But we always manage to slip away, and we will this time too."


    It didn''t take them too long to make it to the harbor, no other ships out and about in the dead of night, Yoruichi watching as they picked up their own, occasionally helping Wire and the others with the marine presence at the docks, as she waited and watched, expecting Smoker any minute.


    Wire was easily taking care of the marines, protecting those of their crew rushing to get aboard, his devil fruit abilities running havoc amongst the poor marines.


    One of the crew members ran up to her, slightly out of breath, one of the ones who''d been in town, "Duel and the Captain is fighting at the edge of town, a guy that turns into smoke."


    Yoruichi thanked him with a grimace, before turning to Archer, "Damn," Yoruichi muttered under her breath, her eyes narrowing in thought. "They''ve got Kaito and Duel."


    Archer hummed, as he clenched his fists. "We can''t leave them," He said, urgency coloring his voice. "We''ll have to fight our way out again." He didn''t sound very upset about it, a wide grin on his face.


    Battle maniac, she thought fondly, laying a hand on his thick arm, "Slow down there, Archer¡­"


    Yoruichi nodded at the crew around them, even as determination hardened her gaze. "We will help them. But we need to be smart about it." She turned to Apple and Nami, who were in charge of getting the ship to move. "Keep the ship ready to move. I''ll go get them," She instructed, her voice firm.


    Archer made to protest, and she patted him on the arm again, "I''m faster, and my presence is more likely to make Smoker lose focus. "She smirked slyly. "He seems to dislike me." She added. Not sure if it was all about betraying the marines, or if he''d had a little ~crush.


    Archer glanced at her, concern and dismay flickering across his face. "Be quick," He urged, crossing his arms, "Or I''ll come looking."


    Yoruichi nodded and leaped off the ship, landing lightly on the dock. She sprinted away from the group of marines being badly beaten by Wire, her form a blur of speed and precision. Soon enough she approached the battle, the sight of Smoker''s smoke billowing around him didn''t look nearly as threatening now that she could see Duel and Kaito were safe. And was that¡­ Three swords?


    Huh, what is Kaito''s luck even?


    She arrived in a flash, smirking as Smoker immediately focused on her, "Miss me~?" She sang.


    "Yoruichi!" Smoker growled, biting through his cigars. "How kind of you to present yourself for your arrest."


    Yoruichi wagged a finger, "No, you''ve got it all wrong, I''m the gorgeous heroine here to save my people."


    Kaito snorted, a sheet of sweat the only sign he''d been bothered by the marines at all, "I''m not people, I''m your Captain, and I don''t need rescuing."


    A blue haired waif of a girl that had been sneaking around her peripheral since she got there, suddenly struck, Yoruichi easily grabbing her wrist, disarming her, and then holding onto the cute girl, putting her cheek next to hers, "Oh, she''s so cute~ and to strike out on her own even while being so obviously weaker, is she your protege, Smoker?"


    Kaito outright laughed, shaking his head, as Smoker immediately blew smoke at them, looking enraged. "You''re such a dick." Kaito shouted delightedly at Yoruichi, as he dodged.


    Yoruichi simply jumped back, her little hostage in her arms, even as she squirmed and struggled. "Settle down, little bird." She said teasingly.


    Kaito engaged Smoker, and Yoruichi grinned as Smoker actually had to dodge. "Oh, this suddenly got so much more interesting."


    "Let me go!" The blue haired little bird chirped in her arms, and she just ruffled her hair.


    "Be a good little marine, and let mommy watch."


    "Freak!" She shouted and struggled harder, her face beet red. Yoruichi just laughed, eyes on the fight where Smoker was clearly losing ground.


    It wouldn''t be long now.


    <hr>


    Back with the Red Dawn''s ship,


    The marines had all been dealt with, either to the point of unconsciousness, or more permanently.


    Wire wasn''t exactly able to go too non-lethal with razor sharp wire. And becoming a whirlwind of body parts and metal wasn''t exactly conducive to knocking people out - it worked amazingly on ensuring they didn''t leave with as many limbs as they entered with though.


    Wire jumped back onto the ship, giving Archer a terse nod, the other man looking into the distance, unamused with once again being left at the ship. Wire snorted, that''s the man''s own fault for being such a weak dicked man he lets a woman make all his choices for him¡­


    He leapt up to where Apple and Nami were, wanting to ensure they were ready for anything. Although with Duels little improvements to their ship, despite Kaito''s words that it was a waste of time due to them not going to keep this ship - they''d at least be able to outrun whatever fallout here.


    Before he could even speak to Apple, a sudden shout rang out from the a lookout. "Garp is here!" The cry echoed through the docks, sending a ripple of alarm through the crew, no one having expected the lookouts words, everyone waiting for the - just kidding - the ship working itself into a frenetic mess as it wasn''t forthcoming, Wire grabbed a looking glass, looking towards the horizon, seeing a large navy vessel, the dogs head confirming who''s ship it was.


    Nami, pale and with wide eyes, looked at him, even as Apple already began the preparations, knowing what he was going to say.


    "Set sail." He barked, gritting his teeth together. Again, they''d have to do this again, leaving people behind¡­


    But they needed to be out of the harbor before Garp the fucking Hero decided to do something about their presence. Maybe with their speed they could make it out the other side before Garp arrived.


    It was a fucking big maybe.


    But they couldn''t fight a fucking Vice-Admiral. Especially not this one.


    If they survived this he was going to fucking force Kaito to eat his own dick!


    The air grew thick with tension as everyone worked harder than they ever had in their life . Garp''s arrival was like a storm cloud looming over them, his reputation as the ''Hero of the Marines'' well known. They all knew they stood no chance if the man attacked them, they could only hope he''d be more interested in Loguetown.


    Which held its own issues¡­ Because Wire had no idea how the fuck Kaito was going to get out of this one. He gripped the railing so hard he crushed it, as he grit his teeth. Duel¡­


    Kaito if you let Duel die, even if you die¡­ I''ll find a way to get you back so I can kill you properly! He promised.


    There was suddenly loud laughter ringing out, as all they caught was the flutter of a cloak, as Garp soared past them in the sky, moonwalking rapidly, heading for the commotion in town.


    On the ship, Wire and the crew watched in horror as Garp closed in on their comrades. "We have to go!" Wire shouted even as his hands shook with rage at abandoning Duel and the others, his voice breaking with urgency. The ship''s hidden mechanisms - propellers and additional sails designed by Duel - whirred to life, propelling the vessel at a faster speed. The crew members clung to the rails, watching helplessly as their captain and key crew members were left behind.


    Without Garp, they could get out of this, their speed ensuring they''d make it out of the harbor long before the navy vessel closed. They''d seen several marines following Garp, in the sky. So hopefully the ones capable of bothering them, were already gone.


    Nami, her face pale, stood at the stern, her hands gripping the wheel tightly. "What do we do now?" She whispered, her voice trembling with worry.


    Wire, his face set in a grim expression, looked out over the water. "We regroup," He said bitterly. "And we come back for them. This isn''t over." We''ll find a way¡­


    The ship sailed on, leaving the chaotic harbor of Loguetown behind. The crew, though momentarily safe, felt the weight of their decision. The sight of Garp, a legendary figure, descending into the fight behind them, was seared into their minds, their worry for their crew mates weighing on them, hope hard to come by.


    Yet they still held onto it, clinging to it, praying for Kaito to pull off another stupid stunt.


    Archer and Wire stood at the railing, long after they were out of sight. Grim faced. Both of them were thinking the same thing, albeit about a different person.


    It should be me, not her.


    <hr>


    With Kaito and co,


    Kaito could only laugh, looking up at the sky, "So this is death?" He asked, a smile on his face, "I had a good run, I suppose¡­ For a second chance¡­"


    Monkey D Garp stood before them, and Kaito knew his adventure was over.


    There was no pluckiness, no power up, no miracle, that could save him from this. He didn''t have Dragon to come pull him out of the fire.


    He''d come this far, but he wouldn''t go any further.


    He accepted it, he''d face death with a smile on his face.


    "Yoruichi¡­ Take the others and go." He ordered calmly.


    "Kaito¡­"


    "Now!" He said, stepping forward, getting in-between his crew and Death in the flesh. "Garp, you want my head, right? So let''s fight, leave my people alone." He said, grinding his fists together.


    Garp put a finger up to his knuckle into his nose, "Eh? You''re a thousand years too early to make demands of me, brat!"


    Yoruichi grabbed Zoro by his collar, Duel already moving, as they made an attempt to flee the scene, Garp, despite his words, making no attempt to stop them. Neither did the marines that had followed him.


    Smoker on the other hand didn''t agree with letting Yoruichi go anywhere, roaring forward, his bottom half pure smoke as he swung his Jitte, "You''re not going anywhere, Yorui-"


    He was cut off as Kaito, now no longer restraining himself, appeared between him and his crew, punching him with full power straight in the face, his eyes widening in shock as his entire hand and forearm turned pure black in his anger towards Smoker, and fear for his crew.


    Smokers head popped like a ripe melon, Kaito coming to a stop, armament fading, as he stared at his hand, feeling sick. Yoruichi and the others taking the chance to run, even as the marines under Smokers command reacted with horror at what was in front of them.


    He had brain matter on his hand¡­ No¡­ Smokey¡­ Brains stay on the inside¡­


    Kaito winced as Tashigi fell to her knees where Yoruichi had left her, screaming, staring at Smokers almost headless corpse. A moment later she was staring at him, a roar of utter rage leaving her throat, before one of Garp''s marines knocked her out, mercifully.


    "I don''t suppose you''ll accept that it was an accident due to heated emotions." Kaito said, turning to Garp, who didn''t look nearly as easy going now.


    At least he''d let his crew go, even if Kaito knew deep inside that it was only because it wouldn''t be a hardship for him to take them down after Kaito.


    "What do you think?" Garp said almost pleasantly, but he no longer wore the big grin he''d had when he arrived, his eyes hard.


    "My gut tells me, no?" Kaito said, raising his arms up as he got ready to fight.


    "Good gut instincts then." Garp commented lazily, before he was just there, a finger flick breaking through Kaito''s defense like it wasn''t even there, sending him flying hundreds of yards, cutting a groove in the road the entire way.


    It felt like being hit by a truck, if the truck was wielded by Godzilla who was having a particularly bad period day. Kaito felt everything ache, even if somehow, he thought nothing was broken, his instinctive iron body probably saving him there.


    Garp was suddenly there, holding him up by his hair, serious eyes looking him over, "I was going to just drag you to Impel Down, but now that you''ve gone and made a mess¡­" He sighed, "It''s just easier to take care of you now."


    Kaito smiled through bloodstained teeth, "Heh, thanks for the favor, hell might actually have better room service then Impel Down from what I''ve heard."


    Garp let out a laugh, "What a brat you are, you should have chosen a proper career, boy." He shook him a little, hair ripping out of his head at the action, but never enough for Garp''s grip to loosen. "You''re wasted as a pirate, guts like that¡­"


    "I would go through Impel Down a thousand times before I became the dog of the benefactors of the slave trade!" Kaito said, an unpleasant, dark grin on his face. Fuck you, Garp!


    Garp didn''t even wince, tossing Kaito carelessly to the ground, "I''ve heard it all before, boy, don''t waste your last words." He growled, the tick mark on his face showing he wasn''t as unaffected as he claimed at that accusation.


    "Crocodile is secretly creating an underground organization called Baroque works, for the purpose of inspiring a revolution in Alabasta and to take over." Kaito said, blood running down his chin. "How''s that for last words? More WG justice¡­"


    As far as last words went, they weren''t very poetic. But if he was going to die here. For sure he was going to take some fucker with him. Crocodile just happened to be the lucky fuck. He could have mentioned the weapon Crocodile was searching for or Nico Robin - but he really didn''t want to get dragged to Impel Down for interrogation.


    Garp stared at him, hard.


    Seconds ticked by, and he was still not dead. Garp slowly opened his mouth, and then, a pillar of flame erupted from a ways away, looking like it originated from the harbor.


    Garp twitched, chewing on his lip as he studied Kaito. "Hmmm." He said. The flames grew in ferociousness, the marines who''d followed him already shaved away back in that direction.


    Garp disappeared, leaving Kaito blinking in shock, staring at where his executioner had just¡­ Left?


    Did¡­ Did that work? Holy shit!


    His gaze looked towards the distant flames, and what the fuck is Ace doing here!?


    Whatever the reason, he owed Ace one - like suck his cock levels of owed. Or Garp really didn''t like Crocodile or something.


    He shaved away after Yoruichi and the others, ignoring the protests of his body.


    <hr>


    Yoruichi and co,


    "We can''t just leave him behind! Isn''t he the Captain, we should back him up!" Zoro complained, running along, Yoruichi''s hand still on his collar as he kept trying to veer off, without even noticing himself.


    Yoruichi''s expression was pinched, as they ran straight out of Loguetown, "Tell me new guy, when I say strongest man in the world, what pops into your head?"


    Zoro answered immediately, hunger in his tone, "Dracule Mihawk, the strongest swordsman!"


    Yoruichi nodded, her ponytail smacking Zoro in the face, Duel quietly following them, stone faced, her knuckles white as she held onto her guns in a vice grip. "As good a choice as any¡­" She said grimly, before continuing, "That guy back there, Vice-Admiral Garp, he would take the best sword slash from Mihawk, laugh out that it tickled, and then bend him into a pretzel."


    Zoro didn''t have an answer for that. There was silence for a few moments, "Where are we going anyway?"


    "Ship." Duel responded, tone bitter.


    Yoruichi explained quickly, "We''ve had a few times now that we had to get out in a hurry, so our crew knows to sail around the island counter-clockwise, and any stranded members would try and make it to the other side."


    They''re suddenly interrupted by a crash, Kaito flying through the air in a moonwalk, to land unsteadily in front of them, smashing into the ground rougher than he''d intended.


    They all froze.


    "You''re alive!?" Yoruichi cried out, openly gaping at him, not able to understand.


    Duel looked back towards Loguetown, tense, "Coming?" She asked.


    Zoro and Yoruichi both tensed up, heads snapping back as they both looked back towards Loguetown, expecting Garp to come down on them any second.


    There was nothing. Well not nothing, a large part of the docks did seem to be on fire. But no Garp there to crush them into pancakes.


    Kaito stood up, wincing, "Shore, now!" He ordered hoarsely, feeling like his entire body was rejecting his existence. "Yoruichi, carry me!"


    Yoruichi to her credit, immediately went into her Zoan form and simply scooped him up over one shoulder, switching direction, Duel taking over watching that Zoro didn''t randomly run back or something. "Why straight to the shore? And why am I carrying you? How injured are you?" She asked rapidly, golden eyes scanning the horizon.


    Kaito groaned, "My entire body is a bruise, but I''m alright, I just want to rest until we hit the shore, so I can take you all out over the water in a moonwalk."


    "Crazy. Dumbass." Duel spat out, "Too many!" Seemingly offended he''d think they''d accept him injuring himself further.


    "Garp got distracted, and maybe heard something that made him more inclined to take me alive, he will come for us soon¡­" Kaito explained slowly, his breathing coming in a little strained, pulled muscles? Or worse? A doctor on the crew might have been a worthwhile thing to look for, in retrospect.


    Yoruichi cursed, picking up speed just a little, Zoro and Duel both struggling to keep up, but forcing themselves, not able to speak any longer as they pushed to their absolute limit.


    "The ship will come around out at sea at some point, if I can get you, us, out to sea - less likely Garp finds us, I can''t say the same if we stay on the island. There''s a limit to how much you can search the sea, given how he''s not a man with much time on his hands to freely spend." Kaito explained wearily.


    "So we''ll just hang around in the ocean, not exactly safe either." Yoruichi pointed out, but didn''t refute his plan either.


    "Any sea monsters in these parts, we can take care of, even if I''ll probably be exhausted. You and Duel could manage, while Zoro keeps me above water." Kaito explained.


    He had no idea why Ace was here, but Garp would only be distracted for so long, and likely had only left him because he''d known their ship had left - so they couldn''t escape him in time. Someone like Garp could suss them out on the island quick enough no matter where they hid, but search the sea as well? Would he think of it? Would he bother? He was a man easily distracted.


    If the ship made it, and he had to assume they all had, because he refused to believe they''d gone down so quietly they wouldn''t have noticed - then they would eventually be able to be picked up, once the ship got around to this general area.


    For normal sailors it would be almost impossible in the dark, but they weren''t normal, and he could literally moonwalk over to the ship once it got close enough. Or literally swim over to a shark and throw it at the ship to attract their notice.


    Soon after they arrived at the shore, Kaito got back on his own two feet, taking a deep breath. "Zoro, over one shoulder, Yoruichi over the other, Duel, princess carry." He ordered.


    There was grumbling from all corners, but the threat of Garp was enough to have it expedited, and Kaito soon had everyone on him, as he readied himself, leaping into moonwalk, skipping out over the sea, looking to get enough distance from the island that Garp wouldn''t be able to sense them, his every muscle screaming at him, protesting his every movement.


    The second he felt they were far enough away, he blacked out, falling to the ocean, safe¡­


    <hr>


    With Garp,


    "I''ll be damned, wonder how he pulled it off?" He muttered, scratching his chin as he looked at the distant view of Loguetown, his ship making full speed towards Marineford.


    Bogart grunted from behind him, "If you had dealt with him immediately, he wouldn''t have had a chance to escape." There was no chastisement in his tone, simply a statement.


    Garp laughed sheepishly, "Ah, don''t be a worrywart, I''m sure it will be okay¡­ Just don''t tell Sengoku."


    "The report was already sent."


    Garp bowed his head, tears running down his cheeks, "Why, Bogart, why?"


    Bogart did not reply, used to his superiors whining, and they stood in silence for a few moments.


    "... If I may ask, why did you not end him after he eliminated Captain Smoker?" Bogart asked.


    Garp stroked his beard, a wry grin on his face, "Brat said something interesting, figured I''d take him alive and squeeze him, then he pulled this vanishing trick, bah! Next time I suppose."


    He looked down at the chained up mummy on the deck before him, "You hear that, Ace? You caused your gramps a heap of trouble, you reckless brat!"


    The mummified boy tried to speak, probably to politely agree with him, but the chains made it impossible. He''d loosen them later. He looked at all the fire damage to the ship, maybe way later¡­


    "Let me see him! Please!" A woman''s voice screamed, straining against some of his men.


    Garp looked over, even as Bogart waved the sailors off, the blue haired waif of a girl rushing forward, tossing herself into a dogeza in front of him.


    "Oh? What''s this?" He asked, a big grin on his face, even as his eyes showed only regret. Getting lazy in my old age, would have never let the brat finish that surprise of his back in the day, sorry Smoker¡­


    Tashigi looked up at him, tears in her eyes, absolute fury in her soul, "Please sir, train me!" She shouted.


    Garp hummed, well, well, maybe I can make it up to you a little, Smoker.


    He''d taken the girl with him, mindful that Smoker had hand picked her, and not wanting to leave her alone in a base that until recently was plagued in corruption, and now was without a proper commander. But he hadn''t expected that look in her eyes¡­


    "I suppose I have a few minutes¡­" He said, demurely.


    "Show me what you got, girl."


    <hr>


    Hours after the battle of Loguetown,


    "What took you so fucking long?" Yoruichi griped, looking like a drowned cat, as Archer hauled her up on deck.


    "We knew you''d be a bitch so we stopped for snacks." Wire snidely replied, hovering around Duel, checking that she was okay.


    Archer just grabbed Yoruichi in a bear hug, making the woman let out a laugh, "Yeah, yeah, I''m okay, you big lug!"


    Zoro stood awkwardly over the unconscious Kaito, as crew members hurried over to give first aid.


    "So¡­ Is there any booze on this ship?"


    <hr>

 Welcome to Remnant.

    <hr>


    The Red Dawn Pirates'' ship was alive with laughter and music as it sailed smoothly through the open sea, the excitement palpable among the crew. After the tense escape from Loguetown, the atmosphere aboard was almost euphoric. The party had started the moment the ship had everyone back on board with Garp nowhere in sight, and now, with Reverse Mountain set in their sights, the crew was determined to celebrate their narrow escape in style.


    The ship''s deck was illuminated by hanging lanterns made by Apple, their soft glow mingling with the bright light of a full moon. Barrels of rum were rolled out, and makeshift tables had been set up, laden with food and drinks. The sound of clanking mugs, raucous laughter, and the occasional burst of song filled the air. Several crew members were dancing, the rhythmic thud of their feet matching the beat of a drum that someone had unearthed from below deck.


    Kaito stood near the main mast, a broad grin on his face as he raised his cup to his crew. "Listen up, everyone!" He shouted, his voice carrying over the noise. The crew quieted down only marginally, turning their attention to him. He gestured to Zoro, who was standing slightly apart, arms crossed and a bemused expression on his face as he took in the wild scene.


    "This here is Roronoa Zoro," Kaito declared, clapping Zoro on the back with enough force to make the swordsman stagger slightly. "He''s a swordfish, so don''t take it personally if he doesn''t remember your name. If you''re not a sword, he probably won''t care!" The crew burst into laughter, a few of them raising their tankards in mock salute to Zoro, who simply shook his head with a faint scowl.


    "A swordfish?" Zoro repeated scornfully, glancing at Kaito. "That''s what you''re going with? Tch.."


    Kaito grinned wider, eyes twinkling with mischief. "It''s better than what I could have said," He replied. "Just enjoy the party, Zoro. You''ll get plenty of time to train once we''re in the Grand Line. For now, relax and get drunk. It''s good for you!"


    Zoro''s lips twitched at that, not one to say no to a drink. "I guess I''ll play along with it this once." He accepted the cup that was thrust into his hand by an eager crew member, eyeing the contents before deciding it didn''t matter anyway and downing it. The rum was strong and burned its way down his throat, but he could handle it. He glanced around at the sea of unfamiliar faces, feeling the weight of their curiosity and camaraderie.


    He had never been a people person. The sea of faces staring at him made him itch for someone to fight. Someone in the back cheerfully called out, "Looks like a total Mosshead!"


    Zoro''s face twitched as he got a rictus grin on his face, "Someone wants to die, huh!?" He roared.


    Kaito nodded approvingly, clapping Zoro on the back again. "That''s the spirit! You''ve got to get to know everyone. It''s a rowdy bunch, but they''re good people." He gave Zoro a final encouraging nod before bounding away to join another group of crew members, leaving Zoro to fend for himself among his new shipmates.


    A fight broke out immediately, but that was okay, they were pirates, it was supposed to be like that, Kaito felt it was important to be authentic to their culture.


    Nearby, Carina, Nami, and Apple had claimed a corner of the deck, their table overflowing with empty glasses and half-eaten platters of fruit and cheese. Apple, cheeks flushed with the warmth of alcohol, was laughing loudly at something Nami had said, her arm draped loosely around the navigator''s waist, because she was too short to reach her shoulders.


    Or so Kaito thought, knowing better then to say anything as he passed by.


    "I''m telling you, Nami, we should have stolen all the maps at the Marine base!" Apple insisted, her voice slurring slightly as she reached for her drink. "I mean if only to make fun of them, you''ve seen some of the ones we''ve got from them before - barely better than a toddler''s doodles!" She cackled, squeezing Nami slightly, "Nothing like yours."


    Nami giggled, shaking her head. "I know, I know, but we have to pick our battles, Apple. No point getting killed over some scribbles when we''re headed to the Grand Line anyway."


    Carina, who was leaning back in her chair with a watchful expression, raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of battles, you two should slow down a bit," She advised, a hint of amusement in her voice. "We''ve still got a long way to go, and I''d rather not have to haul your drunk asses up Reverse Mountain." She was also kind off their designated adult.


    For two people with mixed feelings for each other they tended to get into trouble easily. Especially with alcohol involved.


    Apple made a face, waving her hand dismissively. "You''re such a buzzkill, Carina! We''re celebrating! We got out of that mess in Loguetown without losing anyone. That''s worth a few drinks, right?" She turned to Nami, who nodded in agreement, her own movements a bit more controlled but still loose with the effects of the alcohol.


    Nami had better alcohol tolerance then most of the crew, but that didn''t mean she was unaffected, hence her closeness to Apple again where they stepped more lightly when sober.


    "Maybe," Carina allowed, but her eyes remained sharp, watching them both carefully. "Just remember, there''s a difference between celebrating and being reckless." She picked up a glass of water, sipping it as if to make a point. "Someone has to stay sober enough to steer the ship." Or keep you two separated and the pants on¡­


    Nami rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Fine, Mom," She teased, blowing a raspberry, but there was no heat in her words. "We''ll keep it together."


    Apple giggled, leaning against Nami. "Yeah, yeah. Just let us have a little fun. Besides, aren''t you supposed to be the thief here? Shouldn''t you be stealing shit instead of hoarding water?"


    Carina''s lips curved into a sly smile. "Oh, I''m just biding my time. You''ll see."


    As the three women continued their playful banter, the rest of the crew was similarly engaged in their own lively conversations and antics. Wire, his expression a mix of irritation and bemusement, was making his rounds across the deck, flanked by Dice and Tears. His sharp eyes scanned the various groups, ensuring that no one was getting too rowdy or neglecting their duties.


    While the party was ongoing, they still needed to perform their duties, they weren''t in the Grand Line yet, but that didn''t mean they couldn''t get in trouble if they weren''t watchful.


    "Keep an eye on the fucking helm, Dice," Wire instructed, his voice low but firm. "I don''t want any surprises while we''re partying like shit faced bitches. We''re still on watch, no matter what."


    Dice nodded, his usual demeanor replaced with a more serious expression. "Got it, Wire. I''ll make sure everything''s in order." He peeled off heading for the helm with a mocking salute, making Wire scowl at him.


    Tears, meanwhile, was checking on the ship''s rigging, his nimble fingers ensuring that the sails were properly secured despite the festivities. He glanced over at Wire, his eyes narrowing slightly. "We''re not going to lose anyone overboard, are we?" He asked dryly, tilting his head in the direction of a few rowdy crewmen dancing on the railing.


    Wire scowled. "Not if I have anything to say about it. These idiots might be celebrating, but I''m not going to let them forget we''ve got work to do." He stomped over, shouting at the idiots dancing drunkenly on the railings, making one actually fall, only Wire shooting off his hand saving the man as he floated him back on deck.


    Nearby, Blackjack, the youngest member of the crew, was weaving his way through the crowd, his small frame darting between legs and barrels with the practiced ease of someone used to being overlooked. He spotted Zoro standing by himself, watching the celebration with an unreadable expression, having finished his brief scuffle and immediately sought solitude. Blackjack''s eyes lit up with mischief.


    "Hey, you!" Blackjack called, skidding to a stop in front of Zoro. "You''re the new guy, right? You like sharp things?" Without waiting for a response, the kid pulled a collection of small knives from his belt, each one gleaming wickedly in the lantern light. "Check these out! I''ve got all kinds - throwing knives, switchblades, even this one!" He held up a particularly vicious-looking dagger with a serrated edge. "I stab people." He whispered out of the corner of his mouth.


    Zoro blinked, taken aback by the boy''s sudden enthusiasm. "Uh, sure... Nice knives, kid," He muttered awkwardly, glancing down at the array of blades Blackjack was showing off. "You¡­ Collect these?" He asked with a grimace, determined to at least attempt to fit in.


    Blackjack grinned, his eyes gleaming with pride. "Nah, I use them! For fighting and stabbing or mugging, mostly, but sometimes just for fun." He spun one of the knives expertly between his fingers before flipping it into the air and catching it by the hilt. "Pretty cool, huh, hub?"


    Zoro wasn''t sure how to respond to the kid''s apparent bloodlust. He looked around, half-expecting someone to come and take the boy away, but no one seemed to be paying them any mind. "Cool," He said lamely, scratching the back of his head.


    He supposed they were all pirates, but there was something weird with a kid talking so casually about stabbing people. Zoro had as a kid, but that was different, swords were appropriate stabbing implements for kids after all.


    Blackjack''s grin widened. "I knew you''d get it! You''re a swordsman, after all. That means you''ve got to like sharp stuff, right?"


    Zoro smirked despite himself, relaxing a little. If the kid liked swords he couldn''t be all bad. "I guess that''s true," He admitted, watching as Blackjack pulled out yet another knife, this one smaller and more ornate. The kid''s enthusiasm was infectious, if a bit concerning.


    "Hey, maybe you can show me some sword moves sometime!" Blackjack suggested, his eyes wide with excitement. "I bet you could teach me how to cut people up real good!"


    Zoro''s smirk faltered, where''s this brats minder? "Maybe we should start with the basics," He said slowly, glancing around as if searching for someone to rescue him from the conversation. "Like¡­ The fact a knife is not a sword¡­ And no stabbing people."


    He didn''t have anything against it per say, but it felt like someone should be a responsible adult, and having met Kaito¡­ Zoro realized he might have to be it. Kids shouldn''t stab people¡­ Unless it was sword training.


    Blackjack tilted his head, clearly confused. "But why?And it''s like a small sword anyway, right!?" He seemed genuinely puzzled by the idea that there might be a reason not to use his knives on people.


    Before Zoro could figure out how to respond to that, Archer appeared, carrying a massive platter piled high with roasted meats, grilled vegetables, and freshly baked bread. His grin was as wide as ever, and he practically radiated joy as he made his way through the crowd, dishing out food to the crew.


    "Eat up, everyone!" Archer called, his voice booming over the noise. "No one''s going hungry tonight!" He plopped a large portion of food onto Zoro''s lap, the swordsman barely managing to catch it before it overflowed. "You look like you could use some meat on those bones, new guy," He teased, giving Zoro a hearty pat on the back that nearly sent him sprawling.


    This guy''s tough, Zoro thought, immediately studying the musculature of the large man, disappointed to find an obvious martial artist instead of a swordsman, but if he was strong he could make a good sparring partner anyway.


    Zoro steadied himself from almost getting filed in half by the friendly pat from the crew chef, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "Thanks for the food, up for a spar?" He said, eyeing the heaping pile of food. He hadn''t realized how hungry he was until he smelled the savory aroma wafting from the platter. Taking a chunk of roasted meat, he bit into it, savoring the rich flavors. "This is really good," He admitted, looking up at Archer with genuine appreciation.


    Zoro had eaten a lot of¡­ Questionable things during his travels, it wasn''t his fault, wherever he went restaurants and shops and entire villages would just randomly move away so that when he turned around they weren''t there anymore.


    Archer beamed, clearly pleased at the compliment. "Glad you like it! There''s plenty more where that came from, so don''t be shy. Gotta keep your strength up, right?" He smirked, some battlelust shining through, "As for a spar¡­ Not during the party."


    Zoro nodded, already digging into the rest of his plate, pleased to have recognized some bloodlust in the giant man. Blackjack, still hovering nearby, looked up at Archer with wide eyes. "Can I have some more, too?" He asked, his tone more respectful than when he''d been talking to Zoro.


    Archer chuckled, ruffling the kid''s hair with his free hand. "Of course, kid. But remember, don''t take more than your share, practice stealing on others, not crew." He handed Blackjack a smaller portion, his expression softening as the boy grabbed it eagerly and scampered off to a quieter corner to eat.


    Zoro watched him go, a curious look on his face. "Is he always like that?"


    Archer shrugged, his grin never fading. "Pretty much. Blackjack''s a good kid, just a bit¡­ Intense. He''s got a thing for knives or throwing weapons in general and grew up with criminals so he''s not exactly housebroken, but we keep an eye on him. As long as he doesn''t start carving up the crew, he''s fine."


    Zoro snorted at that, shaking his head. "You''ve got an interesting bunch here." Not what I had pictured for myself even a day earlier, he admitted to himself.


    But then the strength of Kaito had been a lure too powerful to ignore. Zoro wanted that strength.


    Archer laughed, his broad shoulders shaking. "That''s one way to put it! But hey, it''s never boring. And you''re part of the crew now, so get used to it!" He gave Zoro another hearty slap on the back before moving on, handing out more food and joking with the crew.


    As the party continued, Kaito made his way through the different groups, his energy infectious as he checked on everyone. He stopped by the helm, where Wire was now overseeing the ship''s course with Dice and Tears standing nearby, their eyes scanning the deck looking for slackers, used to having to party later by the din of being Wire''s main go to men.


    "How''s it going up here?" Kaito asked, leaning against the railing with a grin. "Everything under control?"


    Wire nodded, his expression slightly exasperated. "Yeah, everything''s fucking fine, Captain pain in my ass. Just making sure no one falls overboard or sets the ship on fire." Wire glared at him, "That is not an invitation to set the ship on fire, by the fucking way!"


    Kaito laughed, shooting Wire some finger guns. "Good to hear! Last thing we need is to start the Grand Line adventure by sinking the ship." He clapped Wire on the shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. "Don''t work too hard, alright? You should enjoy the party, too, I promise any fires will be kept to a minimum."


    Wire''s mouth twitched in what might have been a smile. "I''ll enjoy it when I''m sure we''re not about to hit a sudden iceberg."


    Kaito chuckled. "Fair enough. Keep up the good work." He turned to Dice and Tears, raising his cup in a mock salute. "You two holding up okay? The two sacrifices to Wire''s dark party pooping?"


    "Oy!" Wire grumbled.


    Dice grinned, his usual carefree demeanor returning now that the ship seemed to be in order. "You know us, Captain. Just keeping things smooth." He glanced at Tears, who was adjusting a rope with practiced ease. "And making sure no one breaks anything important."


    Tears gave Kaito a small nod, his eyes gleaming in the lantern light. "We''ve got it covered, Captain. You just keep everyone in line down there."


    Kaito winked at him. "That''s the plan." He left them to their duties, weaving his way through the crowd again.


    The party showed no signs of slowing down, the crew''s laughter and voices growing louder as the night went on. Near the prow of the ship, Yoruichi and Duel were sitting close together, their heads bent as they whispered to each other. The rest of the crew kept a respectful distance, casting wary glances in their direction.


    Nothing good could come from the two of them collaborating on something.


    "Think, will, work?" Duel murmured, her voice so low that even the crashing waves nearly drowned it out.


    Yoruichi''s lips curved into a sly smile. "If we''re careful. We just need the right timing and the right bait. No one will see it coming."


    Duel''s eyes flicked to the crew around them, who were doing their best to look anywhere but at the two women. "No. Mistakes." She cautioned.


    Yoruichi''s smile widened. "Relax. I''ve got this under control." She reached out, giving Duel''s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Trust me. We''ll pull it off, and no one will know until it''s too late."


    Duel nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful. "All in." She agreed.


    Kaito, who had been lingering nearby, caught sight of their secretive huddle and raised an eyebrow. He sauntered over, his grin teasing. "What are you two plotting over here? Should I be worried?" He lowered his voice, "Is it a threesome?"


    Yoruichi looked up, her smile mischievous. "Oh, nothing, Captain. Just a little plan to keep things interesting." She leaned back, stretching her arms lazily. "You''ll find out soon enough."


    Duel struck out at him, Kaito only barely dodging the fist to his crotch, "Rather, Die!" She said with a sweet slasher smile.


    Kaito chuckled, shaking his head, keeping a wary eye on Duel. "Just don''t blow up the ship, okay? My body can take all that you dish out, all night long¡­"


    Duel''s lips twitched in what might have been amusement, might have been murderous rage, it was hard to tell when she locked her expression down, "No promise." She said ominously.


    Kaito rolled his eyes, still grinning as he moved on. He spotted Carina sitting with Nami and Apple again, the three women now talking quietly, their earlier laughter replaced by more subdued conversation. Carina''s sharp eyes met Kaito''s as he approached, and she gave him a slight nod.


    "Everything alright over here?" He asked, his tone casual. Considering previous issues, he liked to keep an extra eyes on two of these ladies in particular.


    Carina shrugged. "Just making sure these two don''t overdo it. Someone has to be the responsible one." Which was fair enough, she looked absolutely disgusted about the fact the responsible one was her, though.


    Apple made a face, sticking out her tongue. "Bo~ring!"


    Nami giggled, though she looked a bit more alert now, her posture straighter. "We''re fine, Kaito. Just winding down a bit." She murmured, cheeks pinking slightly as she tried to extricate herself from Apple.


    Kaito smiled, his gaze lingering on the trio. "Good to hear. You''ve earned a break, all of you." He gave Carina a pointed look. "Especially you. Don''t overwork yourself, it''s nice you''re keeping an eye out, but everyone should get to party, let me know if you need to switch out."


    Carina''s smile was faint but genuine. "I''ll try, but I think I''ll do a better job, no offense."


    Kaito left them to their conversation, his heart swelling with pride as he looked around at his crew. They were a wild bunch, each with their own quirks and secrets, but they were his crew. And they were heading into the Grand Line together. They''d already achieved so much¡­


    And now they could really work on getting stronger, and kick the Grand Lines ass!


    As the night wore on, the party slowly began to wind down. The crew''s laughter grew softer, the music fading into the background as exhaustion set in. Some of the more enthusiastic partiers had already passed out on the deck, snoring loudly as they lay sprawled among the scattered remains of the feast.


    Zoro, who had finally managed to escape Blackjack''s relentless questioning, found himself leaning against the railing, staring out at the dark sea. He had a half-empty cup in his hand, the drink forgotten as he lost himself in thought. It had been a long time since he''d been part of a group, and this one¡­ Well, it was definitely different.


    Trying to compare a pirate crew to a dojo was pointless anyways.


    "Deep in thought, Zoro?" Kaito''s voice broke through his reverie, and Zoro glanced over to see the captain leaning against the railing beside him, his own cup in hand.


    Zoro shrugged. "Just thinking about what''s ahead."


    Kaito nodded, his gaze drifting out over the water. "The Grand Line''s no joke. It''s going to be tough, and dangerous. But it''ll be worth it." He smirked, "It''s the challenge you want anyway, and it''s where your prize will be one day."


    Zoro took a sip of his drink, his eyes steady. "I''m ready. I joined to get stronger, and I''ll do whatever it takes to make that happen."


    Kaito grinned, his expression fierce. "I have no doubt about that. And we''ll make sure you get there. We''re going to face some crazy stuff, but that''s what makes it fun, right?"


    Zoro snorted, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "I guess you could say that."


    Kaito raised his cup, his eyes gleaming with determination. "To the Grand Line, then. And to becoming the strongest!"


    Zoro clinked his cup against Kaito''s, his smile growing. "To the Grand Line."


    The two men drank, the promise of adventure and challenges ahead burning brightly between them.


    As the last of the crew began to settle down, the ship sailed smoothly through the night, the looming silhouette of Reverse Mountain just visible on the horizon. The air was cool and crisp, the stars above shining brightly as the Red Dawn Pirates drifted towards their next great adventure.


    One by one, the crew members found places to rest, their energy finally spent. Some curled up in hammocks or beneath makeshift blankets on the deck, while others wandered below to their quarters. The ship was quieter now, the only sounds the gentle creak of the wood and the soft lapping of the waves against the hull.


    Kaito stood at the helm, his eyes fixed on the distant peak of Reverse Mountain. His heart raced with anticipation, a mix of excitement and nervous energy coursing through him. This was it. The beginning of something truly extraordinary.


    He glanced back at his crew, his family, and felt a surge of fierce pride. They had made it this far, and they would go further still. Whatever lay ahead, they would face it together.


    Taking a deep breath, he turned back to the sea, his hands steady on the wheel as he steered the ship towards the Grand Line.


    The night stretched on, the ship cutting through the water with unwavering purpose, and the crew of the Red Dawn Pirates dreamed of the adventures that awaited them just beyond the horizon.


    <hr>


    The next day,


    The Red Dawn Pirates'' ship surged up the massive current of Reverse Mountain, its dark and red sails flaring out as they crested the towering waves. The crew''s cheers and whoops of excitement echoed in the thin, cold air, mingling with the roar of rushing water that propelled them upward. The ship tilted and swayed, the deck steeply angled as they rode the raging flow.


    "Hold on tight, everyone!" Kaito''s voice boomed over the noise, his eyes alight with excitement as he gripped the railings. "This is what we signed up for!"


    Zoro stood near the bow, his stance wide and balanced despite the ship''s wild pitch. He glanced back at Kaito, a grin stretching across his face. "If this is what it''s like getting into the Grand Line, I can''t wait to see what''s on the other side!" He called out, his heart beating fast.


    Yoruichi, perched on the mainmast, looked back over her shoulder, her golden eyes gleaming. "Better hope you''ve got a strong stomach, swordfish!" She called, her voice cutting through the wind.


    Whatever Zoro cursed back over that infernal nickname he''d been saddled with, was lost in the wind, but Kaito laughed anyway, thrilled at everything.


    The ship continued its ascent, the crew working together seamlessly to keep it steady. Nami stood at the helm, her hands white-knuckled on the wheel as she guided them through the treacherous climb. Apple stood beside her, one hand on the ropes and the other on the rail, her eyes fixed on the swirling waters below.


    "Almost at the peak!" Nami shouted, her voice strained but steady. "Get ready for the descent!"


    The crew braced themselves, the air buzzing with anticipation as the ship reached the summit of Reverse Mountain. For a brief moment, they seemed to hang suspended, the world stretched out around them in a dizzying panorama of sky, water, and distant horizons.


    Then, with a rush, they tipped over the edge and began their rapid descent, Kaito whooping in excitement.


    The ship plummeted down the slope, the current carrying them at breakneck speed. The crew held on as the wind whipped through their hair and the spray stung their faces. Laughter and shouts of exhilaration mixed with the roar of the water as they raced toward the base of the mountain.


    But as they neared the bottom, a change in the air hit them - a sudden drop in temperature, the first flakes of snow whirling past them. The sky ahead darkened, and the seas beyond churned angrily under a blanket of low, gray clouds. The sharp sting of sleet replaced the gentle mist, and the wind howled with a chilling ferocity.


    Kaito squinted against the sudden onslaught of cold, his grin widening despite the harsh conditions. "Looks like we''ve got a welcoming committee!" I guess instead of Laboon we get a fucking storm. "The Grand Line says welcome to a real sea, you fuckers!"


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The crew exchanged uneasy glances as they plunged into the storm, the temperature plummeting with every passing second. The wind grew stronger, tugging at the sails and lashing the deck with icy rain. The sea churned violently beneath them, tossing the ship like a toy as the crew scrambled to secure the rigging.


    "Nami! What''s fucking happening? It was clear skies thirty bloody seconds ago!" Wire shouted over the gale, his voice barely audible above the wind, without even looking, he grabbed Blackjack by the neck and delivered him to the Dice who tied the brat down before he''d fly off overboard.


    Nami''s jaw was set, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she fought to keep the ship on course. "It must be a Grand Line storm! This is just the beginning, we can''t ever know what to expect if what the Captain has been saying is true - hold on and follow my lead!"


    The ship bucked and heaved as a massive wave crashed over the bow, drenching the crew and sending a cascade of freezing water sweeping across the deck. Dice and Tears were thrown against the railing, barely managing to hold on as the wave surged past them.


    "Brace the sails!" Nami commanded, her voice a whip-crack in the chaos. "We need to keep control or we''ll be smashed against the rocks!"


    The crew leapt into action, hauling on the ropes and fighting to secure the sails as the wind threatened to tear them to shreds. The storm intensified, the wind screaming through the rigging and the rain pelting down in icy sheets. Apple, seeing Nami''s struggle to keep her footing, grabbed a length of rope and quickly lashed herself to the helm, then did the same for Nami.


    "Locked down tight!" Apple yelled, tying the knots down tightly. "We can''t afford to lose you overboard!"


    Nami nodded grimly, the rope biting into her waist but holding her steady as another wave crashed over them. She squinted through the driving rain, her eyes locked on the needle of the log pose strapped to her wrist. The magnetic compass pointed resolutely northwest, ignoring the chaos around them. She could practically feel the raging storms heading, the movement of the currents. She made her decision.


    "We''re heading into it!" She shouted, her voice hoarse. "No stopping now - we push through, or we''re dead!"


    If they turned now, the storm would end up dragging them along, their only recourse was to bust right through. "Sails up again!" She cried, as they put the mountain behind them, managing to turn them so the wind from the storm would give them a boost instead of hindering them.


    The ship shuddered as a wall of water slammed into the side, tilting dangerously. Zoro, who had been helping to loosen the rigging again, stumbled but caught himself, his grip iron-clad on the lines. "This is insane!" He muttered, his teeth gritted against the cold.


    Beside him, Kaito was hanging off the railings, his hair plastered to his head and his clothes drenched, but his laughter carried above the storm''s fury. "This is sailing!" He roared, his voice a challenge to the elements themselves.


    The crew, straining against the wind and water, shot him incredulous looks. Nami shouted something that Kaito chose to ignore because it said mean things about his mother and farm animals.


    "Shut up, Captain!" Came the collective roar, their voices united despite the chaos - they didn''t appreciate their first taste of the Grand Line to the same extent.


    Kaito threw his head back, laughing even harder, his spirit unbroken by the ferocity of the storm, this, this was adventure! "Come on, you cowards! Is this all you''ve got? We''re the Red Dawn Pirates! We don''t back down from a little weather!"


    The ship lurched again, the wind howling with renewed vigor as it drove them deeper into the heart of the storm. Nami''s hands were steady on the wheel, her eyes never leaving the log pose as it guided them through the madness by helping her keep the heading straight.


    "Keep her steady!" Wire shouted, his voice barely audible over the din. He and Dice were wrestling with the main sail, trying to keep it from ripping apart as the wind battered them.


    Apple, still tied to the helm, leaned closer to Nami, her voice urgent. "What about the whale the Captain warned about? Shouldn''t we have seen it by now?" She was worried they''d suddenly find themselves running into it with viability so low.


    Nami shook her head, her face set in a grim mask. "No sign of it - and with this storm, I doubt it would have stuck around above the surface. Just focus on getting through this alive!"


    The sleet turned to snow, the flakes swirling around them in a blinding blizzard. Ice formed on the rigging, the ropes stiffening and the deck becoming treacherously slick. The crew moved cautiously, their movements hindered by the freezing cold and the constant battering of the storm.


    And then, as if the storm itself were testing them, the dark shapes of icebergs loomed out of the swirling snow, their jagged peaks rising menacingly from the churning sea. Nami''s eyes widened, her knuckles turning white on the wheel.


    "Everyone, watch out!" She screamed. "Icebergs ahead! Hard port!"


    The crew scrambled to adjust the sails, the rudder groaning as they tried to avoid the sudden iceberg, trying to maneuver the ship through the treacherous waters. Pie and Archer, their faces rife with concentration, worked together to keep the ropes secure as the ship weaved between the towering ice formations, the two some of the strongest on the crew.


    "This is insane!" Blackjack shouted, his voice high with adrenaline. "Are we seriously going to make it through this?"


    Wire, bracing himself against the railing, glanced at him with a grim smile. "No choice but to try." And then he glared at him, "Who the fuck let you up top again you little shit!"


    Before he could rage some more, Duel casually gathered the boy up, smothering him in her bust as she bustled him downstairs. Notably Blackjack did not fight too much to go this time.


    Another massive wave crashed over the ship, nearly knocking them into an iceberg as the water swept across the deck. Kaito, still hanging onto the railings, felt the cold bite into his bones, but he refused to let go. He looked around at his crew, his heart swelling with pride as they fought against the storm, their spirits unbroken despite the odds.


    "That''s it, keep going!" He shouted, his voice raw. "Show this storm what we''re made of!" To assist, he utilized the six powers to not only cut chunks of ice away from them, but to give the ship a bit of a boost in moving sideways when he''d jump off board and send a bunch of blunt tempest kicks knocking the ship away from icebergs.


    The ship twisted and turned, narrowly avoiding one iceberg only to face another looming ahead. Nami''s eyes were locked on the log pose, her mind racing as she calculated their best path through the maze of ice and water.


    "We''re almost through!" She yelled, her voice hoarse from shouting over the storm. "Just a little further - hold on!"


    It was really bullshit she thought, the weather literally ambushing them from nowhere as soon as they entered.


    The crew gritted their teeth, their hands frozen on the ropes as they pushed the ship onward. The storm seemed to reach a fever pitch, the wind howling like a living thing and the waves crashing around them in a frenzy. But then, slowly, the sky began to lighten, the snow thinning and the wind dying down.


    The ship broke free of the icebergs, the sea around them calming as they sailed out of the storm''s grasp. The crew stood in stunned silence, their breaths coming in ragged gasps as they looked around at the clear, calm waters that stretched out before them.


    "This is not how fucking weather works!" Wire complained.


    Nami, still tied to the helm, sagged in relief, her hands shaking as she loosened her grip on the wheel. "We made it," She whispered, her voice thick with exhaustion and disbelief. "We actually made it."


    Kaito, his hair and clothes still dripping with melted snow, pushed himself up from where he''d been hanging on the railings. He turned to face the crew, a triumphant grin splitting his face. "See? I told you we could do it!"


    The crew let out a ragged cheer, their voices tired but victorious. They had faced the storm and survived, their ship intact and their spirits unbroken. As the Red Dawn Pirates sailed on into the calm, open waters of the Grand Line, their laughter and cheers echoed across the waves, a promise to the world that they were here to stay.


    Kaito felt nothing but excitement, this was fun, this was dangerous, but most of all, it would be a challenge!


    <hr>


    Two days later, Grand Line.


    The Red Dawn Pirates'' ship glided smoothly through the calm waters of the Grand Line, the air thick with a sense of anticipation as Kaito gathered the crew on the main deck for their first training session. The sky above was clear, the breeze gentle, but there was a crackling energy in the air as the crew assembled, eager and curious.


    Zoro stood at the front of the group, his swords strapped to his waist, his stance wide and eager. His eyes were bright with excitement as he looked at Kaito, who had his arms crossed over his chest, a mischievous grin tugging at his lips.


    "Alright, everyone, today we''re going to be training Haki," Kaito announced, his voice carrying across the deck. A murmur of interest rippled through the crew, several members exchanging excited glances. "And we''re going to begin with Observation Haki."


    He''d already explained all of this to most of the crew, but Zoro was new, and it didn''t hurt to give everyone else a refresher either. Nami and Carina hadn''t really had much of these training sessions either, with him focusing on their strength and stamina to get them ready for the six powers.


    Zoro frowned slightly, his brow furrowing. "Observation Haki?" He echoed, clearly not knowing what it is. "What''s that?"


    Kaito chuckled, shaking his head. "Observation Haki is a way to heighten your senses. It allows you to sense the presence, emotions, and even the intentions of others around you. At its highest levels, it can even let you predict an opponent''s moves before they make them or notice people across an entire island."


    Zoro''s eyes widened with interest, and he leaned forward slightly, his hands resting on the hilts of his swords. "Sounds useful," He muttered, his tone thoughtful. "So how do we train it?"


    Kaito''s grin widened. "By straining your senses constantly," He said, his voice taking on a slightly devious edge. "You learn to predict and react to attacks, even without seeing them. And the best way to do that¡­" He paused, glancing around at the gathered crew, many of whom were watching him with wary curiosity. "...Is by being attacked."


    There was a collective blink from some of the crew, confusion spreading across the newcomers'' faces.


    "Wait, what?" Nami exclaimed, her voice rising. "We''re supposed to learn this by getting attacked?"


    Zoro was unmoved, the swordsman eager to get started already, this skill something that would be very useful for his skill set. "Sounds good to me." He said flippantly, Carina and Nami both glaring at him.


    "Exactly!" Kaito said cheerfully. "But don''t worry, you won''t be using weapons against each other. Duel, Blackjack, and a few others have volunteered to use these!" He held up a wooden bat, the smooth, polished surface gleaming in the sunlight.


    Duel, Blackjack, and several other crew members stepped forward, each of them holding similar batons. Duel''s eyes gleamed with sadism, a slightly wicked smile on her lips, while Blackjack twirled his baton in his hand, a mischievous grin on his young face.


    Nami and Carina exchanged horrified looks, their eyes widening as the realization of what was about to happen sunk in.


    "You can''t be serious!" Carina protested, her voice high with disbelief. "We''re just supposed to stand here and let you whack us?"


    "Pretty much!" Kaito replied with a grin. "You''ll be blindfolded, of course, to help you focus on your other senses. The goal is to try and sense where the attacks are coming from before they hit you." His grin widened, "This will likely take months."


    He''d never cracked it working on his own, but he''d started getting a feel now after sailing and fighting, so he''d be joining in on training soon enough as well, to hopefully crack through the ceiling completely.


    "This is insane," Nami muttered, but there was a resigned note in her voice as she took the blindfold offered to her. She''d seen how his training had worked. How crew members were beginning to utilize the six powers. She wanted to be strong too.


    "Just try not to hit my face," Carina added, tying her blindfold over her eyes. "I still have to look good after this."


    "Blackjack I swear to Davy Jones locker, you hit my boobs I''m going to shove that bat up your urethra!"


    Blackjack pulled on the sleeve of one of the other crew members, which happened to be Venom, "What''s an Urethra?" Before looking at Nami warily, after it was explained.


    Zoro, meanwhile, was already blindfolding himself, his excitement palpable as he stood ready. "So, we''re just supposed to sense when they''re going to hit us? No blocking or fighting back?"


    "Exactly," Kaito confirmed. "You''re going to focus entirely on trying to predict their movements. This will help you develop your Observation Haki. Just try to anticipate where the strikes are coming from and move out of the way. And for those of you who are more in tune with defensive techniques, like Iron Body or Paper Arts, you can practice that as well. Multitasking is fun, right?"


    That way they could strain their senses on trying to anticipate a hit, while also practicing control over their body, meant it was likely they''d have only small gains, but at the same time, they''d be gaining in two areas.


    He glanced at the gathered crew, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Ready?"


    A chorus of uncertain murmurs answered him, but no one backed down. Nami and Carina, their expressions hidden beneath their blindfolds, shifted nervously, while several others - Dice, Tears, Cloud - stood with tense postures, bracing themselves for what was to come. They''d all done this before.


    "Alright then," Kaito said, stepping back and gesturing to Duel and the others. "Go easy on them¡­ At first."


    With that, Duel stepped forward, her smile widening as she raised her baton. She moved silently, almost casually, before suddenly swinging it at Zoro''s side. The baton struck him with a solid thwack, and he let out a grunt of surprise, his stance faltering.


    "Gah! Damn it, where did that come from?" Zoro growled, his teeth gritted as he tried to focus. His brows furrowed as he strained his senses, trying to if nothing else pick up on the wind of the blow, not easy on a windy day on a ship.


    "Try to sense it," Kaito called out encouragingly. "Listen to the sound, feel the air around you. Observation Haki is all about extending your awareness beyond just your sight, but first you must hone your current senses to their utmost limits."


    Blackjack darted forward, his baton aimed at Nami''s shoulder, showing his bravery by still picking Nami as his target, that or his idiocy. She let out a yelp as it connected, staggering slightly. "Ow! This is ridiculous!" She shouted, frustration clear in her voice.


    Apple, watching from the sidelines, blushed slightly as she watched Nami''s flustered attempts to dodge, especially as Blackjack spanked her ass with the baton, getting an elbow to the face for the effort. "This works for me," She muttered under her breath, a faint smile tugging at her lips.


    "I heard that!" Nami shouted, blushing beet red. Hearing that but not the woosh of the bat.


    "Selective sensing." Kaito chuckled, but then Nami might be one of the first ones to get this anyway, her senses were already spectacular, both for danger, and for the weather. So she already had supernatural senses.


    The crew began to move, the blindfolded members shifting and swaying as they tried to anticipate the incoming strikes. Some, like Zoro and Dice, remained relatively steady, their bodies tensing and shifting as they tried to sense the attacks. Others, like Nami and Carina, were less successful, their yelps and exclamations of pain filling the air as they were repeatedly struck.


    "Come on, you can do better than this!" Kaito called out, his tone light but firm. "Focus! Use all your senses - smell, sound, even the changes in the air around you!" It wouldn''t bring out observation Haki, he thought, not yet, but once they''d honed their senses¡­ That''s when observation would be the next step.


    Duel swung her baton again, this time aiming for Zoro''s midsection. He flinched, his body twisting to the side, and the baton just grazed him instead of landing a full hit. He let out a triumphant huff, a grin spreading across his face beneath the blindfold.


    "I felt that one coming!" He shouted, his voice filled with eagerness, "Again!"


    Kaito nodded approvingly, though none of them could see it. "Good, Zoro! That''s what you want. Keep focusing. Everyone else, try to tune in the same way. At least his basic senses were good, not surprisingly."


    The training continued, the crew moving in a strange dance as they tried to evade the strikes. Blackjack, his grin widening, moved in on Dice, his baton flashing out to strike at his arm. Dice flinched, his body jerking awkwardly as he tried to avoid the blow.


    "Too slow!" Blackjack taunted, his voice gleeful.


    "This isn''t fair!" Nami protested as she narrowly avoided another strike, only to get whacked on the back of the head by Duel''s baton. "How are we supposed to learn anything when you keep hitting us so easily?"


    "You''re learning by experience!" Kaito replied, his voice brimming with amusement. "Every time you get hit, you''re training your body and mind to react faster. Keep at it!"


    Carina, her lips pressed into a thin line, ducked awkwardly, managing to avoid a hit from Duel, only to stumble into the path of another crew member''s baton seconds later. She let out a frustrated huff, muttering curses under her breath, but notably kept at it without complaint.


    Kaito clapped his hands together, the sound sharp and commanding. "Remember this is also good training for those of you interested in Iron Body or Paper Arts! If you''re more defense focused, try to use your Iron Body to absorb the hits I''ve already taught you how. If you''re more about evasion, like Yoruichi, focus on letting your body flow with the attacks, avoiding them entirely. This is the perfect opportunity to multitask your training!"


    There were scattered groans and mutters of agreement as the crew tried to follow his instructions, their movements becoming more deliberate, more focused.


    Zoro, his muscles taut and his senses on high alert, managed to avoid another swing from Duel, his body shifting smoothly to the side. He grinned, the thrill of the training coursing through him.


    "Decent," Duel said, her voice carrying a note of approval as she readied herself for another strike. "Strike harder." She promised, with a smirk.


    Zoro snorted, his grin widening, "Just you wait - I''ll get this down faster than anyone."


    Kaito, watching from the sidelines, chuckled, his eyes twinkling as he called out. "I''m sure you will, Zoro. If you avoid another ten strikes I''ll spar with you one-on-one later."


    Zoro let out a low laugh, the promise of a challenge igniting his competitive spirit. "Looking forward to it, Captain."


    The training continued, the deck filled with the sounds of laughter, yelps, and the occasional curse as the crew pushed themselves to adapt. Slowly but surely, they began to improve, their movements becoming more fluid, their senses more attuned to the world around them.


    Kaito watched them with a sense of pride and satisfaction, his heart swelling as he saw his crew rising to the challenge. They were strong, resilient, and determined¡ªand he knew that with time, they would become even stronger.


    Nearby, Nami was still struggling, her face a mask of frustration beneath the blindfold. She had taken several hits already, each one making her stumble and curse. Her focus wavered as she muttered under her breath, trying to make sense of what she was supposed to be feeling.


    "Come on, Nami, you can do this!" Kaito called out, his voice filled with encouragement. "Don''t think too much - just let your body respond."


    Nami huffed, her jaw set with determination. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. She had faced storms and navigated through treacherous waters, but this - standing blindfolded while people hit her - was a different kind of challenge entirely, one she should do well at, dammit. Her senses were sharp!


    "Fine, fine, I''ll try," She muttered, her hands clenched at her sides as she tried to focus. A sudden rush of air warned her just in time, and she managed to duck under the swing of Blackjack''s baton, her breath catching in surprise.


    "Yes!" She shouted, triumph lighting up her face. "I did it!" Sure, it wasn''t observation, but she dodged a hit.


    Apple, watching from a safe distance, let out a low, appreciative murmur, her eyes never leaving Nami. "That''s right, you did," she whispered, a faint smile curving her lips. Kaito glanced over at her, wondering how on earth the two of them managed to get so twisted up in each other, especially considering how they met.


    Oh well, not his business. As long as they didn''t stab each other. Too much.


    Although they better not shack up too soon, he''d bet a lot of money on the two of them getting into bed together properly by next month. So they really needed to stop acting so adorable with each other. Just for a little while. Until he could win his bet.


    Finally, after what felt like hours, Kaito clapped his hands again, signaling the end of the session. "Alright, that''s enough for now. You all did great. Take a break, get some water, and rest up. We''ll keep at this until everyone''s comfortable with it."


    "You didn''t train yet, Captain." Nami said sweetly, taking off her blindfold, stealing Blackjack''s baton before the boy could even blink.


    Slowly, the entirety of the crew who''d been previously blindfolded turned his way, their eyes almost going demonic as a miasma of intent covered the ship.


    "H-hey now, I don''t even have a blindfold." He protested, as they all grabbed batons.


    "Then close your eyes." Carina said, twirling a baton, smirking nastily.


    "I''ll take the balls." Nami growled.


    Kaito yelped, "Hey now, those belong to Duel!"


    Duel, who''d given her bat to another crew member, growled loudly, putting her hand out, "Give!" She requested, demanding her bat back.


    Much training was had, and the crew left for dinner in a much greater mood and a sense of camaraderie.


    Some time later,


    A somewhat bruised Kaito leaned against the railing next to Yoruichi, who''d kept herself apart during the chaos, and, he had noticed, seemed more melancholy than normal.


    "You alright, Yoruichi?" He asked, not pushing, just offering to lend an ear.


    He knew Archer had been hovering around her a lot more ever since they entered the Grand Line. Although he didn''t have details, he knew she''d been saved by him once upon a time.


    It didn''t take a genius to guess something bad happened in this sea, and with her stationed in East Blue, this was her first return to it.


    "I don''t want to talk about it." She said, brusquely.


    "Alright." He said, just leaning against the railing, listening to the ocean.


    "The Grand Line¡­" Yoruichi muttered to herself after a while, nails scratching the wood. "Will I find him here?"


    Kaito kept his silence, she hadn''t asked him anything, and he was just there to keep her company.


    "There''s a man, a man I need to kill, Captain, just fair warning¡­" She said so quietly he had to strain to hear her. "The laughing man in pink¡­" She closed her eyes, "If I run into him, I can''t promise I''ll stay on the crew. I have to make him pay."


    Kaito didn''t even need to think about it. "Okay." He said.


    "That''s it?" She said, a sad smile on her face as she shook her head.


    "I''ve got your back." He said, equally simply.


    Even if that sounds like¡­


    <hr>


    A week and a half later,


    Kaito had almost been tempted to use the Eternal pose he got from Buggy to head for one of the backways up to the sky islands to start their adventure.


    But now that he saw the first island they''d arrived at, he was glad he hadn''t, because this was much more interesting than the boring Whiskey Peak or Drum island that the Straw Hats had visited - and he''d always have the sky islands in his back pocket for when he wanted up there anyway. The Grand Line really could continuously surprise you, and it was awesome.


    The island loomed ahead, its jagged cliffs and windswept dunes etched sharply against the sky. As the Red Dawn sailed closer, the crew all gathered at the railings, their eyes locked on the strange sight before them. A desert island stretched out, a small town and a harbor nestled at the front, appearing almost serene. But behind it, the landscape was dominated by a massive sandstorm, its swirling mass obscuring everything beyond.


    The island, far from being a single landmass, was massively broken up behind the town, only glimpses able to be caught due to the sandstorm.


    The storm was a monstrous wall of sand and wind, churning violently, as if it was trying to swallow the very island itself. Occasionally, huge chunks of the island seemed to flash through the storm, appearing and disappearing within the chaotic swirl. It looked like parts of the island had been ripped apart, leaving the village and harbor isolated and untouched on the edge of the maelstrom.


    What excited Kaito the most was the landships he''d caught flashes of moving through the sandstorm, do they have Jawas? He almost wanted to squee in excitement.


    Kaito, Yoruichi, and the other officers stood on the deck together, gazing at the scene, the other watching with a mixture of curiosity and wariness as opposed to Kaitos excitement. The crew behind them murmured among themselves, glancing nervously between the island and their leaders.


    To be fair¡­ They hadn''t exactly had the most luck, really, so far. Although Kaito would argue that the fact they all came away alive and with all limbs no matter their bad luck islands, meant they had some pretty good luck.


    What East Blue pirate survives running into Garp, of all people?


    "Well, that''s something you don''t see every day," Archer remarked dryly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Looks like a giant blender out there." He chuckled slowly, the sound deep and reverberating, "The Grand Line never disappoints."


    "Yeah¡­ not really sharing your point of view there, Archer, it''s not exactly a vacation spot, we desperately need some actual chill time." Yoruichi said, scrunching up her nose cutely, her eyes narrowing as she studied the storm. "That sandstorm doesn''t look natural, big surprise. No way it''s just a regular weather pattern, even for the Grand Line."


    Wire nodded thoughtfully. "The island''s practically broken. I''ve never fucking seen anything like it."


    Nami, her gaze fixed on the village, chimed in. "But look at the town. It''s like there''s some kind of invisible barrier around it. The storm doesn''t seem to touch it at all."


    "That''s some serious Grand Line fuckery," Kaito said with a grin, his eyes glinting with excitement. "Which means we have to check it out."


    "Seriously?" Nami turned to him, her expression incredulous. "You want to go into that?"


    Kaito shrugged. "We need to resupply, and we could use some R and R. Plus, it''s not like we haven''t handled worse."


    Yoruichi raised an eyebrow. "And what if that storm decides to come for the town while we''re there? You want to deal with getting buried alive in sand?"


    Kaito''s grin widened. "We''ll deal with it when it comes. Besides, the storm hasn''t moved from that spot the entire time we''ve been watching. I say we take the chance."


    Wire sighed, shaking his head. "You just want to see what''s in the fucking storm." He grumbled.


    "I never said I didn''t." Kaito chuckled. "But I''m serious. The town looks safe enough, and we could use a break without getting into a fight for once. We''ll be careful, scout the place first, then decide if the rest of the crew can disembark."


    Yoruichi considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, but we''ll stick to the plan. We go in first, check things out, and if it''s safe, we let the others know."


    "Sounds good to me," Archer said, glancing back at the crew. "And we could use a resupply. I''m running low on a few things."


    Zoro immediately shook his head, a scowl on his face, "I''ll guard the ship, I don''t like sand."


    Kaito immediately had to stop himself from his knee jerk reaction, that you, Anakin? Instead Kaito turned to face the crew, raising his voice. "Alright, listen up! We''re heading into that town. The officers will go in first and check things out. No one else disembarks until we give the all-clear. Understood?"


    That way if they had to flee quickly, they didn''t run into the issue of having to chase their people down again. Honestly, this island had to be better. You can only have so much bad luck.


    There was a collective murmur of agreement from the crew, but one voice piped up from the back. "Do we still need to babysit Apple in case of kidnapping?"


    The entire crew erupted in laughter, while Apple''s face turned beet red. "Don''t remind him, you fucker!" She shouted, launching a swift kick at the unfortunate crewman''s groin. He doubled over, groaning as the others continued to laugh.


    Kaito grinned, pointing at Pie and a few other crewmembers nearby. "Yes, absolutely stay close to Apple if we let her disembark. No wandering off, gotta keep the kidnapbait close at hand at all times."


    "Hey!" Apple protested, her cheeks still flushed. "I can take care of myself!"


    "Uh-huh," Pie said, rubbing his leg where Apple had kicked him once before. "Keeping you safe anyway."


    "Or to save the poor bastards who try to grab her," Blackjack added with a smirk, dodging a second kick from Apple, sticking his tongue out, only to face plant as Duel casually smacked him down.


    The crew laughed again, the tension easing as the banter continued. "Fine, fine, just don''t get in my way," Apple muttered, folding her arms with a huff.


    "Alright, officers, let''s get moving," Kaito said, clapping his hands. "Everyone else, keep the ship ready. We''ll be back with the news."


    The officers disembarked, the rest of the crew waving them off with a mix of cheers and jeers. As they made their way down the gangplank, they were immediately met by a woman striding towards them.


    She was striking, with fiery red hair reaching to her neck, a black eyepatch covering the entirety of her right eye yet without any visible way of staying on, and a confident swagger that spoke of authority. A sheriff''s badge gleamed on her leather vest, and her hand hovered over the six-shooter at her hip. But it was her leather pants that caught most of their attention - tight and well-fitted, accentuating her every step as she approached.


    Kaito wanted to see her walk away.


    "Name''s Nala," She said, her voice drawling with a heavy accent. "I''m the sheriff ''round these parts. Now, are you folks here to be nice or naughty?" Her eye narrowed, "We don''t mind y''all with the black flag as long as you can be neighborly, reckon we''ll have a problem if ya cause a ruckus tho''!"


    Her hand stayed poised over her gun, her gaze sharp and unyielding as she sized them up. The officers exchanged glances, sensing the tension in the air, this woman didn''t feel like she was weak. But she wouldn''t be enough for all of them - yet she had the balls to approach like this.


    It spoke well for the town if this was it''s protector, Kaito thought, this might be that one stop where we can finally spend some time on shore leave¡­


    Yoruichi stepped forward, her tone calm and friendly. "We''re just here for resupply and some time off the ship to revel. We''re not looking to start any trouble."


    Kaito, grinning, added, "But if it finds us, we''ll finish it." He pumped his fist in the air. His grin stayed even as both Yoruichi and Nami elbowed him in the gut from either side, making him let out a soft ''oof''.


    Nala''s gaze didn''t waver, but her lips twitched slightly. "Well, I''ll be watchin'' y''all closely. And if you cause any problems, I''ll take care of it myself. Welcome to Remnant Island." With a final, assessing look, she turned on her heel and stomped off.


    Kaito watched her go, letting out a low whistle. "Now there''s a woman you want to see walk away."


    Before the others could react, there was a sharp crack, and Kaito instinctively went into Iron Body, a bullet bouncing off his head. Nala, who had already turned back, spun her gun on her finger before holstering it again, a smug look on her face as she continued walking away.


    Notably she did not freak out over him being able to take a bullet like that, they were in the Grand Line alright.


    "Good hearing," Yoruichi muttered, smacking Kaito over the head. "Don''t start trouble with the locals." She growled, her face going shark-like for a moment.


    Archer chuckled. "At least wait until we resupply," He added with a smirk.


    Wire groaned, frowning at them all, "I''ll kill you all if you mess up shore leave, I''m not fucking made to be on a ship all the time!"


    Duel smacked him to the back of the head, "Pussy." She taunted easily.


    Wire grumbled, "Stop smacking people, woman!"


    Kaito just laughed, waving them off. "Alright, alright, point taken. Go check out the town. Let''s see what this place has to offer."


    They split into groups, each heading in a different direction. Kaito and Archer made their way towards the market area, Yoruichi and Nami headed for the official-looking part of town, and Wire and Duel wandered off towards a run down tavern near the harbor.


    The town was a curious mix of rustic charm and rough edges. The buildings were sturdy, made from weathered wood and stone, their fa?ades worn but well-kept. People moved about, going about their business, their clothes simple but practical, suited for the harsh desert environment. The market was bustling with activity, vendors shouting over the noise, hawking their wares - everything from fresh produce to exotic spices and strange Grand Line artifacts.


    As Wire and Duel entered the tavern, they were met with the low hum of conversation and the smell of strong liquor. The place was dimly lit, the wooden floor scuffed and stained from years of use. A few patrons sat at the bar, nursing their drinks, while others were gathered around tables, playing cards or chatting quietly.


    To their shock, the woman they had just seen - the sheriff - was standing behind the bar, a cigarette dangling from her lips as she lazily cleaned glasses. She was also wearing a more casual outfit, the first few buttons of her shirt unbuttoned, showing plenty of cleavage.


    "Welcome to the Spotted Dick, best drinking hole in Remnant," She drawled, not even looking up as she placed a clean glass on the shelf. "What can I get ya?"


    Wire and Duel exchanged a bewildered look. "Aren''t you - " Wire began, but Nala cut him off, finally glancing up with a raised eyebrow.


    "Ain''t ya cute, you doing something later, sugah?" She asked Wire, a coy smile tugging at her lips. "It''s a small town, it ain''t got men like you around..."


    Duel snorted, recovering quickly. "Strong, drink." She said shortly, ignoring the spluttering Wire, who''d been caught completely off guard.


    Nala nodded, reaching for a bottle of amber liquid. "Comin'' right up."


    Meanwhile, Yoruichi and Nami made their way through the more official part of town. The buildings here were a little more polished, with signs indicating various shops and offices. The air was quieter, the hustle and bustle of the market replaced by a more subdued atmosphere.


    As they approached what appeared to be the mayor''s office, they noticed a small crowd gathered outside, murmuring amongst themselves. Curious, they joined the group, craning their necks to see what was happening.


    The door to the office burst open, and the mayor stepped out, a fierce scowl on her face. It was Nala. The same Nala they''d seen in the harbor just minutes ago, now standing in front of them with an air of authority that made the crowd fall silent, wearing a full on tan suit, straightening her tie with a jerky motion.


    "Y''all need to calm the hell down!" She shouted, her accented voice slicing through the murmurs. "I said I''d handle it, darn it, and I meant it. Quit actin'' like a bunch of headless chickens and get back to ya lives!"


    The crowd stirred, several people looking disgruntled but more confused than anything else. A burly man near the front crossed his arms over his chest, his voice carrying a note of frustration. "But Mayor -"


    "Don''t you ''But Mayor'' me, Paul!" Nala snapped, pointing a gloved finger at him. "I''m takin'' care of it. You''ve got no business stickin'' your nose in where it don''t belong. Now git! All of ya!" She waved her hand, shooing the crowd like they were a pack of unruly animals.


    The townsfolk grumbled, some shooting glares her way, but they began to disperse. Nala stood on the steps, arms crossed, her expression stern and unyielding. She paid no particular attention to Yoruichi and Nami, other than to turn her nose up at them, before glaring at the leaving townsfolk.


    Yoruichi and Nami exchanged looks, both women raising an eyebrow in disbelief. They were sure they''d left Nala back at the harbor, and there was no way she would have beaten them here, changed outfits and been waiting for the crowd at the same time. But there she was¡­


    "That''s the same woman, right?" Nami muttered under her breath, her eyes narrowing as she studied Nala.


    "Pretty sure," Yoruichi replied, her voice equally low. "Either she''s the fastest person on this island, or we''ve got something weird going on, again. Might need to poke around and see what''s going on."


    "Again? I don''t even want to know..." Nami''s eyes followed Nala as she stomped back into the mayor''s office, slamming the door behind her. "We should tell the others about this. It''s definitely something, even if she''s just that fast." She sounded doubtful of that being the matter at hand even as she said it.


    They turned away, heading back towards the others, minds racing with questions. At least from what they could tell, the rest of the town seemed somewhat normal, although every person they saw were armed heavily, which was something of note.


    But then again it could be because of the higher risk of pirate attack at this stage of the Grand Line.


    Meanwhile, Kaito and Archer were wandering through the lively market district. Stalls lined the streets, their awnings flapping in the warm breeze as vendors called out to potential customers. The air was filled with the scents of spices, baked goods, and the occasional whiff of something less pleasant, like fish that had been left out too long.


    Kaito strolled along, his eyes wide with interest as he took in the sights and sounds. He loved seeing new places, and this island, with its unique atmosphere and strange storm, was unlike anything he''d encountered before.


    Archer was keeping a close eye on the goods being sold, mentally cataloging anything they might need for the ship. "If we''re going to be here for a while, we should stock up on some of these spices," He commented, nodding towards a stall where a woman was selling small jars filled with vibrant powders. "Grand Line spices are hard to come by depending on where you are, and they''d add some nice flavor to the food."


    Kaito nodded absently, his attention suddenly drawn to a small bakery nestled between two larger buildings. The warm, sweet smell of fresh bread and pastries wafted out, making his stomach growl.


    Archer laughed as Kaito''s steps faltered. "What''s the matter? Can''t resist a good pastry?" He hefted a bag he was carrying, already half empty, "You''ve already eaten half of what I picked up for a treat for tonight."


    "Shut up." Kaito grinned, already making his way over to the shop. "You know I''m a sucker for fresh bread."


    The bakery was charming, with a painted sign over the door that just read The Bakery. The smell intensified as they stepped inside, the air thick with the scents of sugar, cinnamon, and freshly baked bread. Behind the counter, a woman was busy arranging a tray of pastries. She was tall and sturdy, her hair done up in a messy bun, an apron tied around her waist. Flour dusted her cheek, and her hands moved deftly as she placed each pastry with care.


    "Welcome!" She called out, her voice warm and friendly, the same drawl they''d heard before. "Y''all here for somethin'' sweet?"


    Kaito and Archer froze, their eyes widening. The woman behind the counter was Nala. Except now she looked more relaxed, a genuine smile on her face as she wiped her hands on her apron. The Sheriff hadn''t even walked off in this direction? How?


    "What in the¡­?" Kaito muttered, cocking his head as if trying to clear it. He glanced at Archer, who looked equally bewildered. "Am I seeing things?" Is this a nurse Joy situation?


    Archer chuckled, shaking his head. "No, but it''s the Grand Line. Odd is normal here."


    "Y''all alright?" Nala asked, raising an eyebrow. "Lookin'' a little lost there."


    Kaito recovered quickly, flashing her a grin. "Yeah, just surprised to see such a nice bakery in a place like this, run by such a beautiful woman." He said suavely, leaning into the counter.


    Nala laughed, the sound rich and genuine. "Well, ah like to reckon we''re a little oasis in the middle of all this craziness. What can ah get for ya?" She smirked at Kaito, "And ahm taken already, so stow the swagger."


    "Surprise us," Archer said, his tone light. "Whatever you think is best."


    She nodded, grabbing a couple of pastries and placing them in a small basket. Adding two wrapped pastries on top "Here ya go, on the house for y''all, welcome tah Remnant."


    Kaito''s mouth watered as he took a pastry, the flaky crust practically melting in his hand. He took a bite, and his eyes widened in delight. "Damn, this is good!" He moaned, "Who''s taken you, I''ll duel them for your hand!" He teased.


    Nala beamed, clearly pleased. "Glad ya like it! We don''t get many visitors, so ah try to make sure tourists leave with a good taste in their mouth." She smirked at Kaito again, "And ahm married to mah work, boyo."


    When they finally left the bakery, their hands full of pastries, Kaito shook his head, still puzzled. "Something''s definitely off here, I don''t think that was the Nala we met before."


    "Agreed," Archer said, munching on a croissant. "We should regroup and figure this out. Maybe the others have seen something weird too."


    Just then a child ran by, with an eyepatch and red hair, a weathered old woman running slowly behind her, "Nala! You little thief!"


    The two of them exchanged looks.


    Fuck it, we''re rolling on the Grand Line now, Kaito thought, stuffing another pastry in his mouth.


    <hr>

 The Most Interesting Person in Remnant

    <hr>


    The Red Dawn Pirates'' ship rocked gently in the harbor of Remnant Island, its sails furled neatly as the crew gathered on the deck, buzzing with anticipation. The officers had returned from scouting the town, and the air was thick with pent-up energy as the crew awaited the word to disembark. They had been confined to the ship for what felt like ages, their adventures thus far granting little time for indulgence. The thought of land, drinks, and debauchery lit a fire in their spirits that was impossible to suppress.


    Kaito stood near the mainmast, leaning casually against it with his trademark grin. His coat billowed slightly in the breeze, and his bright eyes scanned the restless crowd. He raised a hand, his voice booming as he called out to his crew.


    "All right, you animals!" Kaito shouted, the excitement in his voice matching that of his crew. "You''ve been cooped up for too long. Go, drink, fight, steal, get laid - whatever it is you do when you''re not making my life miserable!"


    The deck erupted in cheers. Pirates grabbed their gear, some slinging swords over their backs, others already popping corks on bottles of rum as they prepared to storm the town like kids running into a candy store. Kaito chuckled at the sight, his pride in his chaotic crew obvious.


    "Remember your groups!" Yoruichi''s sharp voice cut through the noise. She was perched in the rigging like a panther, her golden eyes scanning the throng below. "If I catch even one of you separated from your buddy, I''ll make you clean the bathroom with your tongues!"


    The warning earned a mixture of groans and laughter, but everyone knew she wasn''t bluffing. Blackjack, the youngest and most mischievous of the crew, paused at the railing, tilting his head curiously. "Would you really?" he asked, a sly grin forming on his face.


    Before anyone could respond, Duel''s boot found its mark on his backside. With a sharp kick, she sent Blackjack tumbling off the side of the ship and into the water with a loud splash. "Nice!" Kaito exclaimed, grinning broadly as he gave Duel a thumbs-up.


    Duel crossed her arms, smirking, looking over the railing at a cursing Blackjack. She flipped Kaito off without missing a beat once she deigned to pay him any attention, getting laughs from the crew, then turned to ensure no other crewmates were trying to pull similar delaying tactics or jokes.


    "I have the best crew," Kaito said dreamily, watching her walk away, paying special attention to how her hips swayed that kaboose. He didn''t even flinch as Wire smacked him in the back of the head, having already felt it coming.


    "Oi, fuck off. Focus on the real shit, Captain," Wire grumbled, jerking a thumb toward the town. "Like what the hell is up with that place?"


    Wire being a grump? Check, now their entire checklist for a new island have been completed, Kaito thought, turning around to face his quartermaster.


    Kaito rubbed his head, unaffected by Wire''s irritation. "Not our problem, whatever it is," He said, shrugging lazily. "Doesn''t seem to be malicious, so¡­ No big deal."


    Wire''s scowl deepened. "Yeah, and how fucking likely is it that it''ll stay that way?"


    Yoruichi dropped down beside them, landing with the grace of a feline. She threw an arm around Wire''s shoulders, her grin teasing. "Aww, don''t worry, grumpy. I''ll save you if the scary woman makes eyes at you!"


    Kaito burst into laughter at Wire''s annoyed expression, while Yoruichi stuck her tongue out playfully. Wire sighed, his body dissolving into a flurry of pieces that swirled around Yoruichi before reforming behind her, breaking her hold.


    He''d really gotten used to using Buggy''s fruit on their trip so far, that had been pretty smooth.


    "Tch. You''re both taking this too easy," he muttered, sticking his hands in his pockets, scowling darkly.


    Before he could continue, Archer loomed behind him, his massive hands landing firmly on Wire''s shoulders. "This is shore leave, Wire. Taking it easy is the whole point."


    Wire shrugged him off, glaring at Archer. "None of you find that fucking woman suspicious?"


    Kaito scratched his head, considering the question. "I mean, sure, she''s weird. But why does that make it our problem? We''re pirates, not heroes. As long as she doesn''t mess with us¡­" He pumped his fist in the air. "Then we can just get drunk and enjoy ourselves!"


    Wire scoffed, turning on his heel. "Fine. Whatever. If something goes down, don''t bother me. I warned you. Now I''m gonna get shitfaced with Duel and make bad decisions for the rest of the day."


    "Sounds like my kind of party!" Kaito called after him, grinning. "You''re finally one of us!"


    "One of us!" Yoruichi and Archer chanted with shit eating grins, and Kaito had never been prouder. They really were learning from his genius leadership.


    Wire''s mouth hovered in midair briefly, snapping out a retort. "You''re not fucking invited." The disembodied words earned laughter from the crew as the rest of Wire''s body had already floated away to join Duel - the mouth frowning in midair for another moment, before flying off to join the rest of his body.


    "I''m kicking his ass later," Kaito muttered, though his smile didn''t fade. He was honestly thrilled with how quickly Wire was coming along in using his devil fruit.


    It kind of put into perspective how lazy Buggy had been, because Wire was practically at that level already and Buggy had pissed away what? A decade and a half?


    Yoruichi, still grinning, leapt onto Archer''s back. "Piggyback ride to the nearest bar!" She declared, pointing dramatically toward the town. She turned to Kaito, a sly glint in her eyes. "Betcha I can drink more than you, Captain!"


    "Oh, you''re so on!" Kaito exclaimed, vaulting over the ship''s railing and landing on the dock with a flourish. Yoruichi cackled as Archer carried her down after him, and the three officers strode into the town together, their laughter echoing behind them.


    ¡­


    Back on the ship, the remaining crew watched their departing comrades wistfully. A skeleton crew had been assigned to guard the Red Dawn, ensuring its safety while most of the pirates indulged in the town''s offerings. Among those staying behind was Zoro, seated at the base of the mainmast with a jug of sake resting in his lap.


    The swordsman glanced around at the quiet deck, his lips curling into a small smirk. "Finally," He muttered, taking a long swig of the sake. The warmth spread through his chest, relaxing him more than he cared to admit. "Some peace and quiet."


    He loved the training, how strong he was getting from sparring with the captain, and the first mate. He even enjoyed showing how to use a sword to the grunts, it was¡­ Nice.


    What he didn''t enjoy - was now constantly rowdy it was, he was only able to fit in two naps a day so far. It was ridiculous.


    The sound of waves lapping against the hull and the gentle creak of the ship''s timbers filled the air. Zoro closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the mast as the chaos of the crew grew distant. The faint echoes of laughter and music were muffled by the calm of the sea.


    This was exactly what he needed - a moment to himself. No rowdy crew, no meddling officers, and no overenthusiastic murder gremlins trying to show him knives. Just the sea, the sake, and the promise of battles to come.


    He would savor the stillness.


    Knowing his captain.


    It wouldn''t last.


    <hr>


    The tavern was alive with energy, the Red Dawn crew having taken it over almost in its entirety, locals only hanging around to watch them in fascination. Tables were packed with rowdy pirates swapping stories, arm-wrestling, and toasting to their survival of the Grand Line storms. The air was thick with the scents of spilled ale, roasted meats, and the tang of sweat. The roar of laughter and shouting drowned out the scratchy tunes played by a pair of local musicians trying and failing to keep up with the chaos.


    Kaito leaned against the bar, his coat draped over the stool next to him. He held a tankard of ale in one hand, the other resting on the counter as he surveyed the madness with an amused grin. Apple and Blackjack were perched on the bar itself, arguing loudly about the ''proper'' way to steal someone''s drink. Ironically, while they did so, Nami and Carina stole their drinks, looking pretty smug, and already pretty tipsy.


    Archer was in his element, holding court at a long table piled high with food. He was surrounded by crewmates, all vying for a share of his cooking tips or an extra helping of whatever he''d managed to scrounge up from the tavern''s kitchen.


    Because of course he''d found a way to ''relax'' by taking over the owner''s kitchen and working for free. Fucking weirdo.


    He kept looking around, and saw Nami and Carina return to where they''d been spending the evening, new drinks in hand, sitting down to loud cat calls and curses from those around them.


    There, Nami and Carina sat shoulder to shoulder, their heads bent close together as they whispered conspiratorially. A small pile of coins sat between them, evidence of a card game they''d been dominating since the moment they arrived. Every so often, Nami would let out a triumphant laugh as another opponent threw up their hands in defeat.


    "Think you''ve got it all figured out, huh?" A burly local challenged, his face flushed with drink as he slammed his cards down. "Let''s see you try and cheat your way outta this hand!"


    Nami smirked, her fingers deftly flipping her own cards over. "I don''t need to cheat to win," She said smugly, scooping up the pot. The local groaned, burying his face in his hands as the table erupted in cheers.


    Carina surreptitiously waved some cards at Kaito behind Nami''s back, hidden in her sleeve, mouthing, ''But it sure helps!''.


    Meanwhile, Yoruichi was perched atop a barrel near the corner, a tankard in each hand and a growing audience of drunken pirates gathered around her. She was in the middle of regaling them with a story, her voice carrying over the din as she reenacted a particularly daring escapade against a pirate ship.


    "And then," She said, leaping onto her feet and balancing precariously on the barrel''s edge, "I jumped straight off the mast, caught the rope mid-swing, pounced through the wall and landed right on their fancy captain''s desk! The poor old man had a heart attack then and there, and died with one hand down his trousers!"


    She was already quite tipsy, her cheeks rosy as she continued to make up shit, because Kaito called bullshit. No way that happened!


    The crowd roared with laughter and applause, some of them banging their tankards against the tables in approval. Kaito watched with a grin, raising his own drink in a silent toast to his crew''s ability to command the room. Even if they were all full of shit.


    On the far side of the tavern, Wire and Duel had claimed a booth near the fireplace. Wire had already downed enough ale to float a small ship, his devil fruit allowing him to separate his body parts and perform increasingly ridiculous drinking stunts. Duel, for her part, seemed content to watch the spectacle with a raised eyebrow, occasionally reaching out to smack a drunken crewmate who got too close to going over the line.


    Rubber bullets weren''t lethal, but they sure hurt. Especially as Duel tended to go for a low shot against any crew member starting to cause trouble.


    Blackjack had already taken three shots tonight. Poor lad might not have balls left by the time they drop.


    Kaito wandered over, his curiosity piqued by the growing commotion around Wire''s table. "What''s going on here?" He asked, leaning down to grab a handful of nuts from the platter on the table.


    Duel smirked. "Wire. Freakshow," She said, gesturing to where Wire''s floating head was currently spinning in circles above the table, his mouth wrapped around a tankard of ale.


    Kaito snorted, amused despite himself. "And how much has he had so far?"


    "Bar supply. Low soon," Duel said shortly, shaking her head, but a small amused quirk to her lips told Kaito she was having fun seeing Wire cutting loose.


    The attention in the room gradually shifted toward Wire, drawn by his antics. With a theatrical flourish, he sent his hands floating across the room to grab an entire casket of ale from behind the bar. The crowd erupted in cheers and whistles as the cask was hoisted into the air, Wire''s head bobbing alongside it, his body sitting in the booth well away from the action.


    There had been some commotion early on about it - but by now no one cared - or was too drunk to care.


    "Ladies and gentlemen!" Wire announced, his voice slurring slightly but still loud enough to command the room''s attention. "Behold the magic of the Chop Chop Fruit!"


    His hands tilted the cask, pouring a steady stream of ale directly into his open mouth. The room exploded into chaos as pirates and locals alike scrambled to get a better view.


    "Where the hell does it go!?" Someone shouted, their voice barely audible over the din.


    "That''s not how bodies work!" Another added, their face a mix of confusion and awe as they looked between his chugging head and his body on the other side of the room.


    Wire''s grin widened as he continued chugging, the ale disappearing into what seemed like thin air. His detached body remained slumped in the corner of the booth, one leg twitching slightly as if in response to the copious amount of alcohol being consumed.


    Kaito crossed his arms, a playful scowl forming on his face. "This is bullshit!" He called out, his voice cutting through the noise, playing devil''s advocate just because. "How do we even know he''s drinking it? For all we know, he''s just dumping it into some kind of invisible pocket dimension!"


    Wire''s laughter rang out, deep and raucous showing just how drunk he was. His head tilted slightly, a few drops of ale spilling from the corners of his mouth. "If you don''t believe me," He slurred, "I''ll happily piss out this cheap piss-water beer for your amusement. Right here, right now!"


    The crowd erupted into laughter, their initial confusion giving way to pure chaos. Someone in the back shouted, "Do it!" While another voice countered with, "Please don''t!"


    Dice and Tears, who normally kept some control over Wire, had completely given up the ghost of even trying, sitting in their own corner and chugging away at their own drinks.


    Duel, shaking her head in exasperation, walked over, and reached out to smack Wire''s floating head with the flat of her palm, making it spin around looking sickly. "Idiot," She said, though there was still a trace of a smile on her lips. From how rosy her own cheeks were - she''d had a few too.


    Kaito laughed so hard he nearly spilled his drink, doubling over as tears streamed down his face as Wire spun around, vomiting over a shocked group of locals due to Duels action. "You''re lucky we like you, Wire," Je said between gasps for air. "Because you''re officially the grossest person on this ship."


    "Love you too, Captain!" Wire replied, his head bobbing in an exaggerated nod as he managed to regain control, immediately grabbing another drink and tossing it towards his head. No doubt to wash the sick out of his mouth.


    Maybe they should keep Wire drunk all the time? He was remarkably more easy going, Kaito thought.


    As the night wore on, the energy in the tavern showed no signs of waning. Pirates danced on tables, their boots thudding against the wood as they spun each other around in clumsy, joyous circles. Blackjack managed to swipe a bottle of rum from behind the bar, only to have it promptly confiscated by Nami, who gave him a sharp flick on the forehead for his trouble.


    Not for drinking, because he''d already had a few. Being a pirate trumped being underage. No, she''d filched it because he''d gotten caught stealing it.


    Apple, emboldened by several drinks, climbed onto a chair and began belting out a sea shanty, her voice surprisingly strong despite her small stature. The crew quickly joined in, their voices rising in a boisterous chorus that made the tavern walls shake. At least they did until Nami swept her off the chair and took her away, Apple having started to improvise lyrics to fit Nami into each verse of the lewd shanty.


    Even the locals, initially wary of the pirates'' presence, found themselves swept up in the revelry. A burly fisherman challenged Duel to an arm-wrestling match, only to find himself defeated in record time - which somehow only brought more challengers.


    The tavern was still alive with drunken revelry when the sharp crack of hands slamming against a wooden table rang out, silencing the nearby laughter. Nala, the fiery redheaded bartender with the eyepatch and unmistakable southern drawl, stood at the center of the commotion. Her hands were planted firmly on the table in front of Wire, who blinked up at her, clearly struggling to focus.


    "Well, now," Nala began, her voice dripping with a dangerous sort of charm. "Ah couldn''t help but overhear someone runnin'' their mouth ''bout my ale." She leaned closer, her good eye narrowing as she fixed Wire with a glare. "Now, see, sugar, that don''t sit right with me. Ain''t nobody badmouthin'' the pride and joy of mah bar, not while ahm still breathin''."


    Wire, slouching back in his chair and clearly several drinks past coherent, waved a floating hand dismissively while his head swayed. "I didn''t¡­ hic¡­ badmouth it," He slurred, trying to focus on her face and failing miserably. "I just said it was¡­ y''know¡­ A bit like horse piss."


    The room erupted in laughter, with pirates and locals alike slapping the table and pointing at Wire. Kaito eagerly leaned forward, expecting his quartermaster to eat a fist.


    Nala didn''t flinch, though her lips pressed into a thin line. "Oh, is that what ya think, huh? Well, bless your heart, sugar. Ah reckon you wouldn''t know good ale if it up and slapped ya in that floatin'' head o'' yours." She straightened, crossing her arms over her chest. "But since you seem so keen on provin'' somethin'', how ''bout we settle this the proper way?"


    Wire squinted up at her, his drunken brain struggling to comprehend. "Proper¡­ What now?"


    "Arm wrestlin''," Nala said firmly, slamming one elbow onto the table and holding her hand out. "Right here, right now, for the honor of mah bar, you lose, yah clean it all up in the mornin''."


    The crew erupted into cheers, instantly forming a circle around the two. Kaito was the first to laugh, shaking his head. "Oh, this is gonna be good," He said, walking up and slapping Wire on the back. "Make us proud, buddy."


    "Our buddy''s already too far gone to find her hand to start," Archer called out, his deep chuckle adding to the chaos.


    And sure enough, Wire''s floating hands were flailing wildly in the air, trying and failing to find Nala''s outstretched palm.


    "Here, help," Duel said dryly, grabbing one of Wire''s hands and slapping it into Nala''s, then grasping his arm and moving it back towards his hand, fusing them back together. "Embarrassing. Don''t, lose." She said, punching his shoulder hard.


    "Cheating!" Kaito shouted, just for fun, pointing an accusatory finger at Nala. "He''s so drunk he can barely see straight! How is this fair?"


    Nala arched an eyebrow, her lips curving into a sly smile. "Oh, honey, don''t tell me the big, bad pirates are too chicken to own up to their words just ''cause of a little ol'' drink." She drawled, her tone mocking.


    The crew roared with laughter, jostling each other as bets were placed on the outcome. "Wire''s got this!" Someone shouted. "Nah, my money''s on the fiery redhead!" Another countered.


    "I''d pay for that redhead!" One of their crewmen shouted, only to take three rubber bullets, one to the forehead, one to the gut. One¡­ Lower.


    Duel twirled her non-lethal pistols, a raised eyebrow on her face as the crewman''s sheepish mates helped him to the side. Kaito agreed, there was no need for that language. After all, Remnant had a whorehouse. If they wanted that, they could use the facilities and not bother other women.


    Wire still seemed determined to fight, accepting the wager, foolishly. Someone is going to be happy cleaning a whole tavern while hungover.


    Kaito finally gave up trying to help him, throwing his hands into the air. "Fine, fine! But you''d better not lose, Wire," He said, still laughing. "You''re representing all of us right now."


    Wire grumbled something unintelligible, his face reddening as he tried to focus on the task at hand. "I got this," He slurred, tightening his grip around Nala''s hand. "Just¡­ Gimme a sec."


    The match started with a crack of tension, the two opponents straining against each other. For a moment, it seemed as though Wire might actually hold his ground - until Nala slammed his arm down in one fluid motion, the force rattling the entire table, Wire seemingly taking a moment to realize he was supposed to push back.


    The crowd erupted into howls of laughter, the pirates shouting over one another in gleeful disbelief or crying foul over losing their bets.


    "Two seconds! Not even two seconds!" Archer howled, pounding the table with one massive fist, laughing.


    Wire''s face turned even redder as he struggled to sit upright, his head floating back into position. "I wasn''t ready!" He protested loudly, his voice cracking with indignation. "Gimme a rematch!"


    Nala tilted her head, a sweetly mocking smile spreading across her face. "Oh, bless your lil'' heart," She cooed, her tone dripping with faux sympathy. "It''s real brave o'' you to admit ya have trouble¡­ Performin''. Or maybe¡­" Her good eye sparkled with mischief. "Maybe you''re just a quick shot, huh?"


    The room collectively gasped, then erupted into a cacophony of shouts and laughter. "OHHHHHHH!" The crew roared in unison, some of them doubling over with laughter while others slapped Wire on the back.


    Wire blinked slowly, his drink-addled brain taking a full three seconds to process the insult. When realization finally hit, his eyes narrowed into a glare, and he slammed his arm back onto the table. "I''ll make you eat those words!" He growled, though his slurred speech robbed the threat of any real menace.


    That and the fact he almost slammed his face into the table just trying to say them.


    "Whenever you''re ready, sugar," Nala said sweetly, her voice as smooth as molasses. She casually placed her arm on the table again, her fingers wiggling playfully.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The second match was even quicker than the first. Before Wire could properly brace himself, Nala''s arm shot forward, slamming his down with the same decisive force as before.


    The tavern erupted once again, the crew howling with laughter and mockery. Wire''s face was a picture of stunned disbelief as he sat there, his floating head slowly tilting forward in defeat.


    "Clean-up duty tomorrow, sugar," Nala said with a wink, patting him on the shoulder as she stood. "Ah reckon ya might wanna sober up a bit first, though."


    The crowd parted as she sashayed away, her hips swaying with confidence as she returned to the bar to collect her winnings from the pile of bets.


    "Look at that ass¡­" Kaito said appreciatively, his gaze following her retreat, "Thicc."


    Without missing a beat, Duel, and Yoruichi, who had been chatting nearby, both reached out and smacked him on the back of the head.


    "It is a perfect specimen of booty," Another voice drawled, laced with a southern accent. A voice identical to the one who''d just walked away.


    Kaito blinked, his head snapping to the side. Standing next to him, dressed in a crisp tan suit and with an air of authority, was none other than Nala - the mayor. She looked identical to the bartender Nala, right down to the eyepatch, though her outfit and demeanor were markedly more official.


    Kaito stared at her, his brain struggling to catch up. "Ever hit that?" He asked before he could stop himself, earning another facepalm from Yoruichi as Duel burst out actually laughing in sheer shock at his gumption.


    The mayor''s lips curved into a sly smile. She glanced over at the bar, where the other Nala was now serving drinks to a group of cheering pirates. "Sweetie," She said in a conspiratorial tone, "Everyone''s hit that. She''s ah bit of ah slut."


    Kaito''s jaw dropped as he looked from one Nala to the other, his drunken brain spinning. "Alright," He said finally, rubbing the back of his neck. "I''m confused. And aroused."


    The mayor patted his cheek patronizingly. "Well, sugar, you are male," She said with a shrug, before walking off to mingle with the other townsfolk.


    Kaito watched her go, his mind racing as the tavern''s chaos resumed around him. "What the hell is going on in this town?" He muttered, though his grin never wavered. It was a weird little thing, but really none of their business.


    "Who cares, right? That''s what you said!" Yoruichi said, clinking her tankard against his. "Drink up, Captain. Whatever this place is, it''s our kind of crazy."


    <hr>


    The tavern''s loud chaos had begun to settle into a low, drunken buzz when Mayor Nala approached Kaito and Yoruichi, her polished boots tapping lightly on the worn wooden floor. The crowd parted instinctively for her, her tan suit and commanding presence marking her as someone who didn''t mingle aimlessly. Her sharp eye focused on Kaito, her gaze unwavering as she motioned toward a quieter corner of the room.


    "Captain," She said smoothly, her southern drawl cutting through the noise like a blade. "If ah might have a word?"


    Kaito, mid-swig of his drink, raised an eyebrow but stood, his grin ever-present. "Of course, mighty Mayor," He replied, bowing mockingly before following her to the secluded spot. Yoruichi trailed behind, her cat-like curiosity piqued as she flicked a glance toward Nala''s sharp profile.


    The three of them settled into a corner booth. Nala leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table as she laced her fingers together.


    "Ah''ll get straight to the point," She began, her voice low but firm. "This town could use a bit o'' muscle, and from what ah''ve seen, y''all have that in spades. Ah''m willin'' to pay, of course, but ah need some help dealin'' with a¡­ Situation."


    Kaito''s grin widened as he sat back in his chair, arms crossing lazily over his chest. "A situation, huh? Sounds interesting. But let''s talk about payment." He leaned forward, his voice dropping conspiratorially. "How about¡­ A night with Nala?" His hand waved vaguely between the mayor and the bartender across the room. "And Nala."


    Mayor Nala didn''t miss a beat. A sly smile curved her lips, and she drawled, "That can be arranged, sugah."


    Before Kaito could follow up, Yoruichi planted her hand squarely on his face, shoving him back into his seat. "No," She said flatly, turning her sharp gaze on the mayor. "The crew prefers money, not indulging this idiot''s libido."


    Kaito pried her hand away, pouting dramatically. "Fine," He muttered, throwing a stage whisper toward Nala. "We''ll talk later about the other thing."


    The mayor rolled her eyes but didn''t address the comment. Instead, she straightened and tapped her fingers on the table. "As ah was sayin'', Remnant''s a mining town. That sandstorm out there? It''s got our gem mines in it - mines full o'' the finest gemstones you''ll find in these parts. And they ain''t just a one-time deal; those mines regenerate, always refillin''. It''s what keeps this town runnin''."


    Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, skepticism clear in her voice. "If this town''s sitting on a literal gem mine, it doesn''t look that rich."


    Nala chuckled, a low, knowing sound. "We don''t waste our coin on no fancy mansions or ostentatious nonsense. That just invites piracy." She gestured toward the room with a sweep of her hand. "Not the good kind either - ah mean the bad kind, not y''all. Y''all''re the dumb party animal kind."


    Kaito grinned, tapping his tankard against the table. "Cheers to that."


    The mayor continued, her voice taking on a more serious tone. "Folks ''round here spend their money on necessities and keep it in-house. Extra is for the sex, drugs, and alcohol. Keeps us happy and safe."


    Kaito leaned toward Yoruichi with a gleam in his eye. "Can we just never leave this island? Sounds like paradise."


    Yoruichi snorted, crossing her arms. "We can''t afford it on your thirst alone."


    "I have plenty of pull, and I''m not thirsty," Kaito protested indignantly.


    Mayor Nala cleared her throat pointedly, bringing them back to the matter at hand. "Unfortunately, we ain''t been able to mine properly for a bit now. We''ve got a pirate problem."


    Kaito cocked his head curiously. "Pirates? Didn''t see any in town."


    Nala nodded toward the swirling wall of sand visible through the tavern''s windows. ""Sand pirates. Done figured out how to land on the storm side and make their attacks. They''ve taken over most of our sand skiffers, and they''re likely plunderin'' the mines as we speak. Ain''t got the fighters to go in and clear ''em out, neither."


    Kaito''s grin faltered as he processed the information. "Sand pirates¡­" He muttered, the gears in his head turning. "Okay, now I''m intrigued. But I gotta ask - " He gestured vaguely at the mayor. "What''s up with, you know¡­" He waved at her. "The whole thing?"


    Yoruichi leaned forward, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, I''d like to know too. Devil Fruit?"


    Nala''s expression didn''t change. "Ah have no idea what y''all''re talkin'' about."


    Just then, bartender Nala appeared at their table with a slice of pie, placing it in front of the mayor. "Here ya go, darlin''," the bartender said cheerfully, a smirk on her face.


    Mayor Nala smiled, leaning over to kiss the bartender on the cheek. "Thank ya kindly." She gave the bartender a playful swat on the backside, making her giggle and scurry off. "Yeah, you go on now with that fine-lookin'' backside, missy!"


    Turning back to Kaito and Yoruichi, the mayor maintained her calm demeanor. "As ah was sayin'', ah''ve got no idea what y''all''re talkin'' about."


    The two pirates stared at her deadpan, clearly unconvinced. Finally, Yoruichi sighed, brushing the matter aside. "Alright, moving on. Why should we care? We''re pirates too. We could just take whatever we want if we needed it."


    Nala leaned back, her good eye glinting with amusement. "Ah recognize y''all''s kind. Real pirates. Not like the losers squattin'' in the sandstorm, makin'' money and stayin'' put. Y''all''re gonna move on. Y''all''re not gonna be stuck here."


    She leaned forward again, her voice dropping to a persuasive whisper. "Anything they''ve got? Y''all can have it. Likely a ship full o'' valuable gems, at the very least. It''s a good deal for both sides. We lose the gems for now, sure, but we don''t have ''em right now anyway. And y''all get a quick payday before movin'' on."


    Kaito leaned back in his chair, stroking his chin thoughtfully. He glanced at Yoruichi, who sat silently, her gaze steady as she waited for his decision. Despite her constant teasing, she respected his role as captain.


    After a moment, Kaito''s grin returned, wider than ever. "We''ll do it," He said firmly. "The money''s good, sure, but honestly¡­"


    He leaned forward, his eyes alight with excitement. "I get to play sand pirate, hunting raiders in a sandstorm. I''d do this for free!"


    This was like some Mad Max shit, and he was all for it. He was not kidding. He''d have done this for free if Yoruichi wasn''t right there, and liable to be an annoyance if he did.


    Nala chuckled, shaking her head in amusement. "Mighty kind o'' ya," She drawled. "The sheriff''ll be joinin'' ya, just to make sure y''all''ve got a local guide, o'' course, dunno if y''all met, quirky lady named Nala..." Her grin turned positively wicked.


    Kaito''s own grin only widened at the prospect. "Let''s do this!"


    <hr>


    Grand Line, in transit to Marineford.


    The marine flagship cut through the Grand Line''s turbulent waters, a towering fortress of justice against the chaotic sea. The deck buzzed with activity as marines hurried to and fro, ensuring every task was performed with military precision. Above them, Garp stood at the ship''s stern near a large blackboard filled with scribbles, and a drawing of a monkey for some reason, a broad grin plastered across his weathered face.


    The shadow of his ever-present right-hand man, Bogart, loomed beside him. Dressed immaculately in his suit and hat, Bogart''s expression was one of tired resignation, the subtle lines in his face betraying the patience of a saint. Garp had already been going since 4am after all.


    Seated before them were two starkly different individuals. Tashigi, her glasses gleaming in the sunlight, perched at the edge of her chair with a notebook clutched tightly in her hands. Determination lit up her features as she awaited pearls of wisdom from the legendary Marine hero. Beside her sat Ace, slumped and wrapped entirely in seastone chains. Only his head was free, and his disheveled black hair cast shadows over his sulking face as he resolutely avoided looking at Garp.


    The fact he felt weak as hell and like shit covered in this much sea stone, also assisted in making him one grumpy young man.


    "There are a few things that make a perfect marine," Garp began, slamming a meaty hand on the blackboard for emphasis. "Things I will teach you today, to set the foundation for the next generation of heroes you''ll become!"


    Ace, his lips curling into a sneer, muttered under his breath, "Not gonna be a marine, shitty gramps."


    Before the words even fully escaped his mouth, Garp''s fist shot out faster than a cannonball. The force of the punch sent Ace flying off the ship and into the roaring sea with a comical screech. He hit the water with a resounding splash, chains and all.


    Garp, still holding the pose of a perfect punch, let out a huff and straightened up, his expression nonchalant. "Bogart."


    "On it, sir." Without so much as a sigh, Bogart moved with calm efficiency, disappearing from sight in a blur. Moments later, a soaking wet Ace was hoisted back onto the deck and dropped unceremoniously back into his chair. He glared daggers at his grandfather, water dripping from his hair.


    "Now, as I was sayin''," Garp continued, ignoring Ace''s sulking and Tashigi''s wide-eyed stare, "These few rules of mine are the core tenets you need to follow if you wanna be a Marine worth a damn!"


    He slapped the blackboard again, this time smashing it into splinters. The sound of destruction echoed across the deck. Tashigi raised a tentative hand, her glasses sliding slightly down her nose. "Uh, Sir?"


    "Yes, glasses girl?" Garp said, turning to her with his usual exuberant grin.


    "You¡­ um¡­ you destroyed the blackboard when you slapped it," She pointed out timidly, her voice wavering. "We never got to go through what it said¡­"


    Garp blinked and turned to survey the mess he''d made. "Hah!" He barked a laugh and scratched the back of his head. "That just proves the first rule: BE STRONG!" He flexed his biceps for emphasis, the sight making several marines pause in awe.


    At least from Garps point of view¡­


    "Bogart, bring me another blackboard, for JUSTICE!"


    Bogart pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sir, we''ve gone through ten blackboards already this morning. We''re out of replacements."


    Tashigi dutifully scribbled down Rule #1: Be Strong in her notebook. She stared at the words, hoping for a deeper meaning to emerge, but nothing beyond the obvious came to her. Meanwhile, Ace let out a groan and banged his head against his desk.


    "Alright then," Garp declared, puffing out his chest. "I''ll just tell you!" He jabbed a finger toward the horizon. "Rule number one: Only listen to proper orders!"


    Ace lifted his head slightly, confusion and frustration warring on his face. "Wait¡­ Wasn''t ''Be Strong'' rule one?"


    It was bad enough he had to listen to this shit, his gramps could at least try to be consistent with the nonsense!


    Tashigi tilted her head, muttering to herself as she wrote. "Another rule one?"


    "Exactly!" Garp said as though it made perfect sense. He began pacing, his hands clasped behind his back. "Now, proper orders are all about interpretation. Let me give you an example!" He waved a hand dramatically. "It''s like when I''m in a meeting with Senny, and he says, ''Garp, no matter what, DO NOT go to the Royal Kingdom of Morrissey. Do you understand me?''" Garp chuckled, mimicking Sengoku''s stern voice. ''I have a mission for you in the West Blue instead, and you''re NOT allowed to meddle, AT ALL, you''ve been banned from there forever. Is that understood?''"


    Ace stared at him in disbelief. "And let me guess¡­ You went to Morrissey." And this was the guy that had captured him¡­


    "Of course I did!" Garp roared, pounding his chest. "Why else would he put such emphasis on it? I knew what he really meant - that I was the perfect man for the job!" He pointed at them, "This is a skill you must learn!"


    Tashigi''s pen hovered over her notebook as she tried to figure out how to phrase this ''rule''.


    "Sir," Bogart interjected, his voice carrying a note of exasperation and fondness. "You were banned from Marineford for six months because of that incident."


    Garp waved him off with a hearty laugh. "That was just Sengoku''s way of thanking me for a job well done. A vacation, really!"


    Ace let out a strangled scream and slammed his head into the desk repeatedly. The thudding sound was loud enough to make Tashigi wince.


    Garp''s jovial expression darkened, his fist clenching as it turned black with Armament Haki. "If you''re not going to listen, I''ll just move on to the ''Be Strong'' rule!"


    In an instant, both Tashigi and Ace were launched into the air, propelled by Garp''s mighty punch. As they flew, Tashigi twisted mid-air to plant a swift kick between Ace''s legs, "Stop making everything more crazy! I didn''t even do anything you stupid boy!" She screamed at the annoyed looking boy. The boy let out a muffled yell, "You''re blaming ME!?" Before they both hit the water with twin splashes.


    Back on the ship, Garp folded his arms and let out a nostalgic sigh. "They''ll make excellent marines someday," He said, his tone filled with pride. "Already so lively."


    Bogart raised an eyebrow but said nothing, his stoic demeanor barely masking his exhaustion. The marines on deck continued their duties, pretending not to notice the absurdity unfolding before them as two dripping figures were dragged back onto the ship.


    Especially as they were soon sent flying again. And again.


    <hr>


    Remnant Island.


    The Red Dawn Pirates were in no condition to do anything remotely heroic - or piratical - right away. The tavern revelry had turned into a debauched disaster. Nami and Apple had found their usual corner for necking, oblivious to the chaos around them. Wire had drunk himself into oblivion, slumped over a table with Tears and Dice passed out beside him, having failed miserably at keeping up with him.


    Carina had disappeared with a local, and was either having a lot of fun. Or robbing the fool. He gave it fifty/fifty odds.


    Even Archer, the crew''s dependable cook and bastion of discipline, ended up sitting cross-legged on the floor, swaying slightly as if meditating, though Kaito could tell by the lopsided grin on his face that he was more out of it than anyone else, and was faking it.


    "Guess it''s a tomorrow problem," Kaito muttered, stepping over Blackjack, who was snoring with his face in an empty rum barrel. The kid was going to enjoy his hangover tomorrow.


    By morning, the Red Dawn ship was a floating hangover. Crew members groaned and stumbled about, clutching their heads as Kaito called a meeting on deck to explain the situation. The sun was too bright, the air too loud, and no one could focus for longer than a minute.


    The group that assembled looked more like prisoners of war than pirates. Nami had a scarf wrapped around her head, shielding her eyes from the glare of the sun, while Apple leaned heavily against her, looking thoroughly disheveled. Wire had managed to drag himself upright but had the unmistakable glaze of someone regretting every decision that led him to this point. Even Archer, normally steady and bright-eyed, leaned against the mast with his arms crossed, swaying slightly as though the deck were pitching beneath him.


    Carina seemed fine, and smug as hell. Which didn''t really clarify if she''d gotten laid, or robbed someone.


    Zoro somehow looked the most attentive and put together out of all of them, despite the fact they''d found two dozen empty jugs around his sleeping person when they''d returned to the ship.


    Ultimately, it had been decided that most of the crew would remain on the ship or in town. Kaito didn''t anticipate too much trouble, and the fewer liabilities in the sandstorm, the better.


    Seeing the state of his crew. It would definitely be the right choice.


    Kaito, of course, seemed immune to it all, somehow feeling fine, grinning like a man who hadn''t spent the previous night encouraging his crew to drink themselves into oblivion. He clapped his hands together, drawing groans of protest from the crew.


    "Alright, listen up, you magnificent bastards," He began, his voice far too cheerful for the situation. "We''ve got ourselves a little adventure on our hands."


    "Can''t it wait?" Wire mumbled, massaging his temples. "Like¡­ A fucking month?"


    Kaito laughed. "Nope! Sheriff Nala and Mayor Nala need our help clearing out some sand pirates. Think of it as a little warm-up for the real troubles on the Grand Line."


    "You''re the only one who cares." Nami muttered, her voice muffled by her scarf.


    Kaito ignored her. "The good news is, most of you don''t have to do anything. Me, Yoruichi, Archer, and Zoro will handle it. The rest of you? Keep the ship secure. Maybe try not to burn the town down while we''re gone."


    There were half-hearted cheers and a smattering of applause before the crew shuffled back to their hammocks or leaned against the railing, clearly uninterested in further participation.


    Yoruichi sighed, as she shot Kaito a wary look. "This better not be one of those ''Oops, we almost died'' kind of adventures."


    Kaito grinned. "Where''s the fun in safe? A little danger is the spice of life."


    ¡­


    When the team disembarked, the streets of Remnant were quiet and bathed in the golden light of morning. The sandstorm raged far in the distance, a swirling wall of chaos that seemed to breathe and writhe with a life of its own. Sheriff Nala was waiting for them just beyond the dock, leaning casually against a wooden post wearing a leather half jacket with only a sports bra underneath, and a pair of faded jeans - not exactly an official looking uniform. She had a strip of jerky in one hand and her six-shooter in the other, spinning it lazily as her one eye watched them approach.


    "Well, ain''t this a sight," She drawled, her voice dripping with amusement. "Y''all look about as lively as a herd of turtles."


    Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, her eyes a little bloodshot. "I assume you mean us and not Captain Sunshine over here?" She gestured toward Kaito, who was practically bouncing on his heels with excitement.


    Nala smirked, tearing a small bite from her jerky and chewing slowly. "He''s a whole other kinda critter, ain''t he?" She drawled, her voice carrying the lazy rhythm of a southern breeze. Her gaze swept over the group, finally landing on Zoro with a spark of interest. "And you. You the quiet type, huh? Betcha you''re all bite an'' no useless bark in the sack, ain''tcha?"


    Zoro shrugged, muttering something under his breath, not seeming to care much either way, having lost interest the moment he saw a gun instead of a sword.


    Nala motioned for them to follow, leading the group into town. The streets of Remnant were bustling with early morning activity. Unlike Loguetown and it''s bustling space, here only a few vendors set up stalls along the main thoroughfare, hawking fresh fish or quick grilled meals on the go. The scent of roasting meat wafted through the air, mingling with the salty tang of the sea breeze. Townsfolk moved with purpose, their clothes practical and their weapons visible - proof of the harsher conditions of the Grand Line.


    No matter who you were here, you carried something at least on you. Because a pirate attack was always a possibility. And counting on marine aid was usually a pointless endeavor unless you literally had a base on your island.


    Archer''s stomach growled audibly as they passed a food stall selling skewers of grilled fish. "So, what''s the local cuisine like?" He asked, falling into step beside Nala. "Anything we should try before heading out?"


    Kaito gave him a weird look, had he been so busy cooking, drinking and trading his own recipes last night that he hadn''t asked that question to the owner of a place that sold food?


    If it had been Yoruichi, he would have thought she was fishing for inconsistencies, but Archer? Maybe he''d underestimated his buddy.


    Nala gave him a sidelong glance, her smirk never fading. "Mostly seafood, o''course," Nala drawled. "An'' meat when we can wrangle it, though that''s comin'' off them big ol'' sandworms."


    Kaito''s ears perked up. "Sandworms? How big are we talking?"


    Oh boy, this was just getting better and better!


    Nala chuckled dryly, tearing off another bite of jerky. "Big enough that yer ship''d look like nothin'' more''n a baby next to one, sugah."


    Yoruichi swore under her breath, shivering. "I don''t want to see any worms, and if we do, Archer, you''re on your own if you want to cook one." She said, pointing at him.


    "Noted," Archer replied cheerfully. "But imagine the flavors." He looked around, trying to spot a stall that sold the meat. "If they''re all using it, must mean it is fairly tasty, no?"


    "Or they have nothing else." Zoro said lackadaisically.


    "I''m not eating anything that looks like a giant wriggling nightmare," Yoruichi muttered, glaring at the cook.


    Kaito grinned, his enthusiasm undeterred. "This is awesome! Why don''t they come into town?" He asked Nala. This Nala. Sheriff Nala¡­ How did people in town not get confused?


    "Town''s ''bout the only spot on this whole island where the ground''s solid rock an'' proper soil all the way though that they can''t dig through," Nala drawled, her hand gesturing lazily at the sturdy streets underfoot. "Out yonder? It''s all sand, nothin'' but worm territory, less''n ya dig deep down into the mines."


    "And in the mines?" Yoruichi asked, her voice laced with suspicion.


    Nala''s smirk turned downright wicked. "If ya come across a worm down in the mines, an'' it happens now an'' again¡­ Well, we just pack up an'' start diggin'' in a diff''rent mine till it decides to mosey on."


    "And the miners?" Yoruichi pressed, her eyes narrowing.


    Kaito already had a feeling where this was going.


    Nala shrugged, unfazed. "If they''re lucky, that ol'' worm''ll chomp ''em down real quick-like," Nala drawled, her tone as casual as if she were talking about the weather.


    "This is so awesome!" Kaito yelled, practically bouncing on his heels. "This is exactly the kind of adventure I live for!"


    Yeah, sure, sucks for the miners or whatever. He didn''t care about the death of some randos. But not only did they get to do some Mad Max desert shit, they were going to do some real Lara Croft tomb raider shit too! Best new life ever!


    He hoped they had other things other than giant death worms!


    Nala glanced at him, unimpressed. "He''s one''a them types, huh? All swagger, no saddle." She cocked her head, asking Yoruichi, "All cock, no brains." She added, in case they hadn''t understood her the first time.


    Yoruichi burst into laughter, clapping Kaito on the back. "She''s got you dead to rights, Captain."


    Kaito rolled his eyes but didn''t argue, having all cock was a compliment as far as he was concerned. Before the conversation could devolve further, Nala stopped outside a small storefront with faded lettering that read Nala''s Outfitters.


    "Git on in there an'' get yerselves outfitted," She drawled, jerking her thumb toward the door. "Ain''t no way y''all can head into that sandstorm like ya are -''less ya fancy losin'' all yer skin."


    "And you?" Archer asked curious.


    "Got mah own." She shrugged, jerking a thumb in the direction of their transport.


    ¡­


    The interior of the store smelled of leather and oil, the walls lined with racks of heavy garments and equipment. Behind the counter stood yet another Nala - or at least, a woman identical to the Sheriff, save for her multiple piercings and full leather ensemble. She leaned against the counter, eyeing them with a critical gaze.


    "Well, don''t y''all clean up nice," She drawled, clicking her teeth together. "Big ''uns, huh? Get in there." She gestured toward the changing rooms with a casual flick of her hand looking over Kaito and Archer who were both taller than the average man. "I''ll need to adjust some things. We don''t grow ''em that big ''round here."


    Then she turned her sharp gaze on Yoruichi, her lips curving into a smoldering smile. "You, darlin'' - you''re somethin'' else. I''ll handle ya myself. Gotta take yer measurements real¡­ thorough-like."


    Yoruichi arched an eyebrow but didn''t protest as what Kaito dubbed Leatherworker Nala - approached with a measuring tape, her smile both predatory and playful. Kaito snickered from the other side of the room.


    Their own gearing up was fairly quick as Nala adjusted things with deft hands, just ensuring their gear would be big enough to fit in.


    From the squeals and protests from Yoruichi''s changing room as Archer and Kaito waited for her to finish.for quite some time - this Nala was extremely thorough in getting measurements from her.


    Archer looked very uncomfortable.


    Kaito couldn''t stop laughing at him as he winced at every squeal from his pseudo- daughter or younger sister or whatever their relationship was.


    Zoro, not surprisingly, just napped in the corner, his own outfitting standard and therefore done without even needing Nala''s assistance.


    Kaito was pretty sure Zoro only had three thoughts in that thick head, swords, alcohol, sleep.


    Eventually, Yoruichi finally stepped out, pointing at them all, "Not a word!" She said threateningly.


    Nala slapped her ass, making Yoruichi squeal again as the leatherworker moved around her. "Come again, darlin''." She waved her off with a smug smirk on her face.


    ¡­


    By the time they emerged, they were clad head-to-toe in desert gear. Tan overalls covered them from neck to ankle, wearing thick boots with magnetic clamps designed to grip the sand skiff firmly if there was turbulence, and helmets with goggles and cloth masks that completely concealed their faces, a breathing filter handling the air intake.


    "I don''t know about you guys," Kaito said, striking a dramatic pose, "But I make this look good."


    Yoruichi snorted. "It''s a full-body overall and a face cover."


    "I stand by my statement."


    Zoro tugged at the collar of his suit, grumbling. "This is too thick. It''s gonna slow me down."


    "Don''t worry," Kaito said, patting him on the back. "You''ll get to cut stuff soon. That''ll cheer you up."


    He''d meant it as a joke.


    But Zoro did immediately get a much brighter body language.


    ¡­


    Sheriff Nala led them to the outskirts of town, where the sandstorm roared like a living beast just beyond the last sturdy buildings. There, parked at the edge of the storm, was their ride - what they called a sand skiffer.


    The vehicle looked like something out of Star Wars almost. It resembled a miniature Jawa sandcrawler, its bulked-out hull designed to withstand the harsh conditions of the storm. The deck was lined with harpoons and grappling hooks, with a raised cockpit at the front, and storage area for the miners to travel in, under the deck.


    Kaito froze, staring at the skiffer with wide eyes and a look of pure wonder. "I love my life," He whispered reverently, stars practically shining in his gaze. It''s almost like getting in a REAL sandcrawler!


    Yoruichi sighed. "Here we go¡­"


    "Is this a normal thing?" Zoro asked, as Kaito fell to his knees, raising his hands in thanks.


    Archer grinned and nodded, before addressing Kaito. "Ready for this, Captain?"


    Kaito''s grin turned feral. "Oh, I''ve been ready my whole life."


    Desert pirate is a go!


    <hr>


    The sandstorm engulfed the sand skiff entirely, its howling winds battering the reinforced hull and creating an endless cacophony of noise. Grit and sand scraped against the windows like the claws of a desperate beast, and beyond the reinforced glass, visibility was nonexistent. The storm was a roiling sea of shifting sand, utterly impenetrable to the naked eye.


    You couldn''t even see a foot forward, it was entirely blinding, and they were now absolutely sure that walking into this sandstorm was suicide.


    Inside the skiff, the atmosphere was tinged with curiosity. The interior was a patchwork of rugged, utilitarian design. Walls of reinforced metal were bolted down with heavy rivets, every surface scuffed and worn from years of service. The cockpit was situated at the front, with a wraparound dashboard of blinking lights and dials that seemed more decorative than functional. Crates of supplies were stacked haphazardly in the corners, some strapped down and others left to roll slightly with the motion of the skiff.


    Kaito stood near one of the wide windows, his nose almost pressed against the glass as he tried to make out anything beyond the swirling sands. "This thing doesn''t even have sails. Why call it a skiff?" He grumbled. "It''s not sleek, it''s not nimble - it''s a sandcrawler! Just admit it!"


    "Is he going to do this for much longer?" Zoro grumbled, sitting on a box.


    "You have no idea." Yoruichi sighed.


    Nala, perched lazily in the command chair with her boots kicked up on the console, smirked at Kaito. She held a piece of jerky in her hand again, chewing on it leisurely as she tilted her head. Girl liked her beef. "Sugah, it''s called a skiff ''cause that''s just what we call it. Don''t gotta make no sense - it works, don''t it? Just words anyhow. Sometimes there just ain''t no need to make things all fancy-like."


    She glanced out the window, looking bored. "Don''t matter none what we call it, long as it sails ''cross the island. That''s all that counts, darlin''."


    Kaito opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, Zoro chimed in with a nod, his tone serious. "She''s right. But sometimes islands aren''t where you left them, either. Tricky things, their names change so easily too, we''ll have to keep an eye out for that."


    The entire group turned to Zoro, their expressions ranging from confusion to exasperation. Yoruichi opened her mouth to say something, then promptly shook her head and gestured for Nala to continue. "Nope, not dealing with that one today. Moving on."


    Nala just shook her head amused, not saying anything else, studying Zoro.


    Yoruichi leaned against the metal wall, her fingers tapping a rhythmic beat. "So, wait a second. Are you telling me we''re not even steering this thing? We''re just letting it¡­ What, autopilot us into a pirate-infested mine?"


    Nala shrugged, crossing her hands behind her head and leaning back farther. The chair creaked ominously but held steady. "Yup. Got some presets - mines, outposts, and a few other spots worth a look. That''s ''bout it. Ain''t like this here island up and moves or nothin''." She gave Zoro a teasing look at that.


    Yoruichi gestured wildly at the windshield, where nothing was visible beyond the whirling sands. "And what happens if a worm attacks us? How are we supposed to harpoon something we can''t even see?"


    Archer clapped her on the back, grinning as if they weren''t speeding through a deathtrap field. "Relax, Yoru. If we run into a worm, I''ll take care of it. Always wanted to cook something this exotic."


    Nala laughed, a slow, amused drawl that filled the space. "Sweetie, if a worm shows up, you''ll know ''cause it''ll be chompin'' down on us. Don''t gotta aim much when the beast is already takin'' a bite outta your ride."


    Yoruichi''s groaned, her hands clenching in agitation. "So comforting. Thanks." She crossed her arms and turned to glare out the window as though she might spot danger despite the storm.


    Zoro, who had also turned to look out into the storm, rested a hand on one of his swords and leaned forward slightly. "How tough is their skin?" His tone was calm but eager, his fingers brushing the hilt of his blade as if preparing for action.


    "Fairly squidgy," Nala answered, her eye half-closed. "Thing is, their important parts''re always shiftin'' ''round. Gotta figure out where that dang brain''s hidin''. Could be anywhere in the whole blasted critter."


    "Not the heart?" Archer asked, his tone genuinely curious.


    "Nope." Nala took another bite of her jerky and chewed thoughtfully. "Worms''ve got a dozen hearts or so, sugah. Sometimes less. Never seen more than twelve, though. Makes ''em a pain in the ass to kill."


    Kaito grinned, turning to Zoro with an expression that could only be described as gleeful. "This is gonna be amazing! Zoro, picture this - we lure one up to the surface, rile it up with a few good hits, then ride it through the storm. Like, imagine surfing, but way cooler!"


    Sure the sand would be a problem, but it was a man''s romance! Small issues like sandpaper air taking your skin off could be worked around with Iron Body!


    Zoro nodded, already imagining the challenge. "As long as I get to cut it after."


    Nala glanced between the two of them, shaking her head with a faint smirk. "It''s always the cute ones that''re dumb as a sack o'' rocks," She muttered.


    "I heard that!" Kaito said, though he didn''t seem the least bit offended, after all, she''d called him cute.


    Although he''d have preferred manly.


    Archer stepped forward, his voice bringing the conversation back to the task at hand. "So, the mine we''re heading to¡­ That''s where the sand pirates have set up shop?"


    Nala shrugged, leaning back again and kicking her feet idly. "Reckon they might''ve moved on, or maybe they''re worm chow by now. Hard tellin'', not knowin''."


    Yoruichi scowled, her tail lashing again. "How many pirates are we dealing with here, exactly?"


    "Used to have us ''bout twenty skiffs," Nala drawled, waving a hand lazy-like at the vehicle. "Now we''re down to two. Y''all can do the math, darlin''."


    Archer''s sharp gaze swept the interior of the skiff towards the hatch to the passenger compartment. "You can fit at least fifty people in one of these things. Maybe more if they''re packed tight."


    "Reckon that''s ''bout right," Nala said with a lazy nod.


    Yoruichi''s eyes narrowed as she turned to Kaito. "Did you sell us cheap again? What kind of deal did you make with death worms and hidden dangers?"


    Archer raised an eyebrow at her. "You were there when they negotiated it. Maybe don''t pin it all on the captain." He poked at her whining with an amused look.


    Nala chuckled, clearly enjoying their bickering. "Now, now," She drawled. "If y''all didn''t haggle better, that''s on you. Wasn''t me settin'' the terms."


    Kaito and Zoro, meanwhile, had wandered to the other side of the skiff, where they were deeply engrossed in their own conversation. When they returned, their expressions were a mix of determination and excitement.


    "We''ve agreed," Kaito announced, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest like a victorious general. "We need to fight at least two worms. Anything less wouldn''t be fair."


    Yoruichi groaned audibly, dragging a hand down her face. "Are we there yet?" She muttered, her voice heavy with resignation.


    Nala chuckled, kicking her feet off the console and leaning forward for the first time. "Ain''t yet, sugah. But don''t y''all worry - yer worms''ll come soon enough."


    <hr>