Chapter Twenty Three: Drunken Wrath oh, and Vivi I guess
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It was another peaceful day on the Moby Dick.
The distant chatter of the crew as the sun beamed down from the heavens was all there was as Whitebeard sat watching his sons bicker together with a soft smile. At an early age, Whitebeard had been an orphan. Through his years of growing up, there had been nothing he wanted more than a family.
And he wanted to be family for those who were unfortunate to not have one as well. To the people who had been rejected by their family or the world, or to the people who were lost, Whitebeard accepted them all.
Because everyone deserves something special. They deserved to be loved.
Then on that one fateful day when you fell from the skies, everything had changed. For the better or for the worse, it was hard to tell. You may have been a very good child, but the effects of your actions always caused a rippling effect that haphazardly smacks everyone else in the face. And one of those people happened to be him.
Whatever you decided would concur, everything would go your way. Whitebeard knew you had all his sons whipped for you, especially that darn brat Ace who introduced the two of you in the first place.
There was a bit of hesitance on accepting you on Whitebeard's part. Why shouldn't he be hesitant? There was the fact that you were a weak looking individual. Sure, Ace knew you extremely well, but Whitebeard was more focused on if Ace would beg him to let you join the crew. His concerns were quickly quelled after Ace had complained about you choosing Luffy over him.
Besides, it turns out you were trained by the Admirals themselves, so there wasn't much to worry about. Except for the fact that you screamed every time you saw water, but that was alright.
Whitebeard sighed in exasperation. Now that he thought about it, your wanted poster came in recently. Whether to be worried or proud, the man was a little bit of both. As your (self-proclaimed) grandfather, he was extremely proud that you were on your way towards your dreams. But he was also worried that you may be garnering a little too much attention.
And with the recent development with the Big Mom pirates...
He gritted his teeth a little in frustration. Eyes narrowing up at the sky, Whitebeard felt his mood dampen when Marco came hurtling towards him at full speed. With a swift movement of his wings, Marco righted himself up before standing before his captain with a grim expression on his face.
"Oi, Oyaji. Big Mom just sent in another letter." Marco waved the letter around in the man's face with an irritated expression. "You'd think she'd learn when to give up. Do you want me to throw it out?"
Whitebeard shook his head with a sigh. Grumbling, he stood up from his seat, grabbing the letter from Marco and tearing it open.
Marco could only watch in anticipation as he watched Whitebeard's hands begin to shake in fury. The anger in the man's eyes was intense, like a burning flame filled with hatred. Crumpling it into a ball, he chucked it into the sea.
"That old hag," he growled under his breath. "It's the same as always with her. There's no in between."
"What should we do?" Marco asked with a frown. He tucked his arms together as he anxiously tapped his foot against the floor. "She wouldn't actually try to. That would be too catastrophic."
"Marco. You underestimate that woman." Whitebeard took a long drink of his sake. "She's practically raging war with this."
The pineapple head man sighed, scratching the side of his neck. "Yeah, but I think this is kind of childish. She's been sending these to you for two years now. Don't you think she's eventually just going to get tired of sending these taunts?"
"When it comes to who's the best grandparent," Whitebeard said seriously, "It is always war."
Marco gave his captain a skeptical glance, nodding his head along to the man's words. For nearly two years now, Big Mom had been sending taunts and letters to Whitebeard. The reason? To probably brag and get a rise out of the Whitebeard pirates most likely.
Everytime she sent something to them, it was always a different photo of you and her family, along with a letter of something along the lines of "fuck you, Y/n loves us more."
Eventually, even Kaido got into the bandwagon and began sending photos and letters of you and his own crew, along with his son. There was this one time it got so bad that they almost had a three way fight as to who was the best grandparent. It was a good thing you showed up when you did, or else it would have been a calamity.
To the three yonkos, deciding who you loved more was everything. To their crew members and children, it was just a ridiculous quarrel. Not that they could say anything about it, though, especially when they got into fights with each other about you too.
Marco's current rivals (or rather, rivals who posed the most threat to him since everyone on different crews were technically threats) Katakuri, and King. He would be lying if he said that he didn't occasionally send a letter to the two. More so to Katakuri.
Though sending a letter to that man was basically sending letters to a brick wall. His replies were always short, formal, and simple. Except for that one time he sent a photo back with himself and you. That had ended in an argument over letters over the span of a few months.
Yeah, so this whole thing was just some stupid thing the yonkos and their crews did together because not only were they bored, but they just wanted to irritate people. And irritating people was fun.
Except when you're on the receiving end, then not so much.
And right now, with Big Mom sending an early wedding invitation to Whitebeard, the man was on the verge of going to Whole Cake Island and declaring war on the woman. And for whose wedding you ask?
Yours of course.
Quite the statement she was making with all the pink glitter and fancy cursive lettering that Newgate could not read.
So yeah, there was trouble stirring within the world of One Piece. Foreseeable trouble that was sure to rock the world. And speaking of trouble, there was currently a situation happening on Cactus island that involves you and a bit of alcohol.
---
There is a reason why your Master doesn't let you consume alcohol, and that reason isn't just because he doesn't want you to suffer kidney failure and constantly worries about your health. No. He's actually very worried about what would happen if you were to consume alcohol. Namely, what would happen if you got drunk.
And he knows what happens when you get drunk and it isn't pretty.
Kuraigana would have ended up in shambles had you not passed out. Even Shanks could barely do anything in the face of your holy wrath. Holy drunken wrath. It was oddly beautiful, and yet disastrously terrifying all the same.
It was similar to a game of Russian Roulette, except each cartridge is loaded up with bullets. And then there was the optional machine gun, the one that you absolutely did not want.
But the people of Cactus Island didn't know that. And that was their mistake.
Zoro could only stare at you open mouthed as you chugged your first mug full of alcohol, already looking a little tipsy. Your eyes were glossed over as you swayed, giggling as you sat on the couch, cuddling up with Luffy before passing out.
He thinks he understands the reason why Mihawk doesn't allow you to drink alcohol. You're clearly a lightweight. He thinks that Mihawk doesn't want you to somehow get yourself kidnapped because of that.
But he is wrong. Zoro can see that very clearly now because the destruction before him now is proof. And now the plan that the two of you concocted is thrown into the pits of hell.
He remembered what it was that you had said when you had cornered him.
***
"You already noticed, right Zoro?" you asked as he leaned up against one of the buildings. Zoro crossed his arms, huffing.
"I noticed back at the lighthouse." Scratching his neck, he slid down to a sitting position. "So what, is this one of those vision thingies that you had back in the whale?"
You nodded your head.
He scoffed. "Baroque Works. Seriously?"
"Well, even if it wasn't, it was still pretty sketchy," you said with a small laugh. "Earlier, Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday mentioned that they were whale hunting to feed their village. If they were whale hunting, then they would be low on food. But it's odd for them to throw a feast under those terms, don't you think?"
Rolling your neck, you yawned, covering your mouth with your hand. "Their- Their next plausible motive would be to take our bounties and loot our ship since they were unable to obtain the whale meat. I mean, at least I'd think so. What do you think, Zoro?"
Zoro studied you for a moment, before nodding his head in agreement. He could only sigh internally, however. You may be a bit ditzy occasionally, but your intelligence and observations were nothing to joke about. A shame you couldn't apply those aspects to the real world.
Even so, he now felt the utmost respect for you. It were these very qualities that garnered your rightful position as first mate. Not only that, but he was beginning to feel that feeling, the thing that drove him to become the greatest. He wanted to get stronger so that he could face you one day. Right now, he was nothing but a flea compared to you.
He was filled with excitement just thinking about how strong you really were if those bracelets limited your powers.
"With those idiots, they probably wouldn't think anything of it," Zoro mused. "How do you suppose we go about this?"
You grinned. "I think we can take them! Or, well you can. Even though they're Baroque Works, they're also regular civilians, so they aren't that strong. The ones you want to look out for are the Frontier Agents, Mr. Nine, Mr. Eight, Ms. Wednesday, and Ms. Monday."
Zoro quirked a brow.
"Then what are you going to be doing, First Mate?"
"Me? I'm going to be enjoying the party of course!" you spoke happily, throwing your hands up in the air. "Parties are always fun, and I've never had a party thrown by someone I haven't known before, so this will be a new experience for me! Ah, but my observation haki is going to drive me crazy later, probably if I loose control of it."
His jaw dropped. "What?! You're just dumping all the work on me!" he accused.
"Whaaat? Zoro, I thought you wanted to get stronger!" You gasped exaggeratedly, before playfully winking at him, knowing exactly how to get him riled up. "Are you trying to say you don't want to catch up to me? How mean."
"Oi oi don't start turning this around woman." He sucked in air sharply, before sighing. "You know you sure do know a lot about their organization. I guess Luffy actually knew what he was doing when he made you a crewmember."
"Phtt! I don't think so."
"You know, you're right. He's not that smart."
***
Watching your carnage makes Zoro suddenly realize just how far apart the power gap between the two of you were. And he also sees now that he should probably listen and enforce the rules that Mihawk has set in place for you because clearly that man knew you better than the rest of the crew did.
Though he doubted Luffy would know that you were like this as a drunk.
He watched as you sluggishly held your bokken in one hand, before making a small swing at the building some Baroque Works agents were in. You didn't even hit your target, but the sheer power you had put into it sent shockwaves that collapsed the entire building.
He would have yelled at you and questioned your motives, but he could see that you were too far gone; practically on the verge of unconsciousness.
This was bad. This was really bad.
Tears leaked from your eyes as you stood in one spot before beginning to cry. Crouching into a fetal position, you cried your heart out. Zoro clenched his fist before high tailing it in the opposite direction.
He's watched your patterns. This is what happens before the big one hits. And he's right when you suddenly bellow at the top of your lungs.
"I'M GOING TO KILL ALL OF YOU!"
Now isn't that nightmarish.
In a blink of an eye, you had disappeared from sight. Sweat dribbled down Zoro's chin and down to his neck as he watched his surroundings apprehensively. A scream rang through the air. Multiple screams, echoing in an eerie cacophony rhythm.
It was a nightmare. A horror movie turned into real life. And they were all going to die if something didn't happen.
For Igaram, he had thought life the past three years had been terrifying. But killing pirates for the sake of Vivi was all but bearable as it was for a better cause. But nothing could compare against the pure and unbridled terror that he felt right in this very moment as he watched as all the millions fell left and right by an invisible force.
Or perhaps it was a force that moved faster than the eye could see.
His heart was loud as it thundered and pounded in his ears, the blood rushed to his face as he was only going though adrenaline. He didn't know there were people this strong in Paradise. Or in the Grand Line for that matter!
Was this the power that people worthy of 500 million berries held? And if that were true, just how strong were the yonkos?
Just how strong were the shichibukai? Namely Crocodile?
Miss Monday had been taken down already by Zoro, along with nearly a fourth of the millions. The two other fourths had been knocked unconscious by you yourself.
From observation alone, he, Ms. Wednesday, and Mr. 9 could conclude that you were the true captain. Though through your drunken stupor your movements were elegant and held such an allure that sent shivers down their spines.
Yes, you were the rightful captain. It would be absurd to think that someone with such an incredible bounty would be working under someone who had a measly 30 million berry bounty. And that man would have to be your first mate. It would only make sense.
Such monsters... Such power...
But if they lose, what would their boss say? What would he do? They would be in so much trouble they would be disposed of for sure! But how could they ever stand their own against you? It's not like they could intoxicate you further until you were fully passed out.
Or could they?
"Hi guys." Igaram, Ms. Wednesday, and Mr. 9 choked at the voice behind them. Spinning around quickly, they were met with your innocently smiling face.
"I-I'll have you know that I'm Mr. 9!" Mr. 9 shouted. "We are Baroque Works, and the lower our numbers are, the more powerful and destructive we are. You can't stand against all of us!"
You hiccuped a little, giving the trio a dazed look. "Ahuh. And I'm Ms. Ice Cream Sundae." Blinking for a moment, you let out a small whine. "I want ice cream now... Do you guys have ice cream?" Sniffling a little, you wiped your nose with the back of your hand.
"Do you?" Your question sent chills down their spines and made their hair stand on edge. What was the correct answer? To answer truthfully and have you wreck havoc upon them at the fact that there was not in fact any ice cream, or to lie and say that there was, only for you to soon find out that it was a lie and then wreak havoc upon them.
They were fucked either way.
They were soon saved when you immediately got distracted by something in the distance. And that something happened to be Zoro.
Zoro held in a scream as you suddenly charged in his direction tackling him to the ground. His arms were quickly pinned to the side as you straddled his waist, your heaving form on top of his own.
"Hehehe... Hi Zoro!" You let out a small giggle, letting his wrists go to grab his shirt, pulling him up to a somewhat sitting position. He sucked in a breath as your hands traveled all over his clothed self, feeling him up.
"You... *hic*... haha you feel ha-hard..." He felt his face flush before realizing you meant his abs. "Did I tell... Didn't I tell you how much I looooove you?" You hiccuped before groaning.
"An- and Sanji. Wha.. Oh yeah! Sango.. Sango? Sangoru." You giggled under your breath before pulling him close to your chest. Squeezing him tightly, Zoro felt like a fragile little doll in your hands.
He could smell your breath tainted with alcohol, and he internally apologized to Mihawk profusely for not taking his words seriously.
"Did.. Did you know?" Your face suddenly became hard and serious. "Shhh...." you whispered, pressing a finger to his lips. "Ima tell ya a biiiiiig secret!"
Letting his body go, he dropped to the floor like a sag of rice.
"I don't know anything 'bout love! Hahaha! That's why I pretend I don't know what anyone's talkin 'bout! Oh. I guess I don't know what they talkin 'bout tho, haha..." You threw your hands up in the air, stretching before starting to cry again.
"Zooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrroooooo!!" you wailed. "I think everyone hates me!!!"
Said man could only lay on the ground and stare at the sky, questioning how many moods you were going to cycle through. Drunk Y/n was not a very sane Y/n.
"Loooooook! He glarin at me!!"
He followed your finger to the small shrubbery beside the building.
"You mean the bush?" You gasped, directing your attention to something else.
"Moses!"
Zoro paused, giving you a deadpan expression as you repeatedly gasped and pointed at the ground. It was a piece of moss. Though he wasn't exactly sure if he wanted to correct you. Despite the situation, it was kind of funny.
Also, he's pretty sure he's learned more about you these past ten minutes then he probably could in a week. Probably more than that, actually.
He sucked in a deep breath of air when you finally got off of his chest, running over (occasionally tripping) to "Moses". Holding Moses up in the air, you happily raised him up like Simba.
And then you chucked him into the sea.
"Go!! Fulfill your *hic* destiny!!"
Igarappoi shuddered from behind the wall he was behind as he watched you drunkenly run rampid. "What an unfortunate turn of events!" He should have known that your bounty was no joke. This power was nothing he'd ever experienced before. You had to be at least on par with a shichibukai. The thought made him shiver. He wondered how they were going to continue to proceed about this. You seemed to have calmed down significantly, but now how were they supposed to obtain your bounties?
"Hehehe ya know who my first pirate friends were? Zolo?..." Zoro could only sigh as he stumbled back to him. What were you up to this time? He thought in exasperation.
"First of first ones was Red Hair's Rack! He's my favorite because he got that rack. You know, the rack he gave Luffy." Zoro blanched.
What in the what.
You paused, face scrunching up in confusion as if you were just now processing your own words. "Oh, I mean hat."
Thank god. Zoro facepalmed.
"Bu but An- an you know what he gave me?" You threw your hands in the air excitedly. "He gave me his number! I mean, *hic* lumber! I built a cabin in the mountains.. Haha. It's my secret base!"
You held up a finger. "But I can't forget the.... Uh the great people who became my first real pirate fiends! Uh... friends!" You held up your fingers as you listed them off.
"Dumby, Crocodildo, Gimbe, Puma uh... oh yeah and Cock!"
Zoro didn't know if he wanted to laugh or feel bad for the people just insulted.
"Oh, and I can't forget about Bat Man!! Dunudunudunudunu Fat Man!" You paused, thinking for a moment. "Oh yee and edgy Master Dracula." You leaned in to whisper in his ear. "I think he drinks blood instead of *hic* wine."
Dear Lord, save his soul.
All of a sudden, you gasped, looking super shocked. Grabbing Zoro by the collar, you yanked him back and forth rapidly.
"THEY'RE GOING TO THREATEN LUFFY!!"
... What?
"There!" You pointed over towards the building where Ms. Wednesday was a bloated Luffy out with a knife in her hands. "She hasth knife! Knives sharp! Danger!"
"Yeah, I can see that." Making a move to save Luffy, a thick iron chain immediately came to wrap around his wrist. From the other end of the chain, he realized that it was connected to the familiar green suit wearing man, Mr. 9, with a threatening metal bat in his hand.
Shifting his head backwards, he realized his other arm was pinned down by none other than yourself. He furrowed his brows.
"Oi, Y/n. Get off me and help Luffy." You shook your head, letting yourself rest up against his body.
"Mm mm. Y/n tired. Vewy." You yawned, stumbling a little until your whole weight was being supported by Zoro. The man's eyebrows twitched at the horrid timing. Seriously, he was going to make sure that you were never drunk ever again.
Grumbling, he attempted to lift his arm up to unhook it from the chain, but Ms. Wednesday's voice caused him to halt in his movements.
"Don't move. If you make a stupid move, I'll have to take your precious friend's life as well." She patted Luffy's stomach as emphasis.
Your eyes locked onto her figure before sliding over to the yellow big bird beside her, staring intently at Luffy's straw hat. You let out a gasp, jumping up and down.
"Zoro-juro, look! It's Big bird!"
"Y/n, seriously be quiet, I'm trying to get us out of this mess." He patted you on the back. "Go somewhere and sleep. You said that this would help me get stronger, didn't you?"
Your dilated eyes watched his face curiously for a moment, studying his features. "Ahuh. Sleep." And with that, you passed out on the floor. Zoro blanched. Was that seriously the only thing that registered in through your head?
Honestly, you were worse than Luffy at this point.
"Preparing to fire!" Snapping his head to the left, Zoro gritted his teeth as guns magically came out of Igaram's hair. Eyes wide, he let his attention glide down to your unconscious body. You would get shot unless he didn't do anything.
God damn it for getting him into his mess.
In a swift movement, he grabbed the chain and swung it over his head. Mr. 9, who happened to be on the other end of the chain, was consequently swung upwards towards the incoming bullets fired by Igaram.
The ammunition exploded upon impact, leaving a dazed and battered Mr. 9. At least Zoro dodged the incoming bullets and saved your ass. You seriously weren't joking when you said that this would help him get stronger because he felt like he was having a hella workout.
Letting the chain continue to swing, Zoro sent Mr. 9 hurtling at full speed towards Ms. Wednesday. She and her duck let out a high pitch scream as the man smacked into them and sent them crashing towards a house.
"Igarappappa!" Igaram shouted as he fired his firearms at Zoro.
Just one more to go. Zoro grit his teeth as jumped up high into the air, landing on top of Luffy's bloated stomach. Using the boy as a trampoline, he rocketed upwards towards Igaram located on top of one of the homes, swiftly pulling out Wado Ichimonji and initiating a quick, clean cut to the chest.
The man stumbled for a moment, before falling backwards, landing on his back. With a sigh, Zoro lept off the building to land beside your unconscious body. Slinging you over his shoulder, his eyes stayed on Luffy's form before ignoring him.
Luffy was fine on his own. It was you he was more concerned about. Carefully adjusting you in his hold, he settled the two of you on top of one of the two story stone buildings that overlooked the canal that had brought the ship in.
He brushed a few stray strands off of your face, as he let out the longest sigh. "You were probably more of a handful than Luffy today," he commented with a huff. "Who would have thought?"
Your breathing was slow as Zoro let your head settle against his chest, cradling you almost like what lovers do. A small smile creeped up his face at your peaceful expression, unaware of the near death situation you had nearly gotten him into when you had passed out.
"You're such an idiot. That shitty cook was right, you do need help."
---
The next time you woke up, you had a splitting headache.
It hurt bad, but not like anything you hadn't dealt with before. Having hot magma touch your skin gave you a slight pain tolerance, you suppose. Standing up, your body swayed side to side, the world around you blurring and spinning.
Letting yourself take a few moments to recuperate, you closed your eyes, listening and spreading your observation haki out. It wasn't that bad, now that you thought about it. Maybe it was because most people were unconscious at the moment. Or hopefully it was because you had more control over it now.
From what you could tell, you were sitting on a building overlooking the canal. The skies above you were still pretty dark, so you probably weren't out for very long. From your guess, you supposed... an hour maybe? That was assuming that you passed out during the party. But if that were the case, how did you end up on the rooftops?
BOOM
An explosion rumbled and quaked the earth, causing the building to vibrate and jolt. Your eyes were still shut closed as you sensed the presence of a few familiar people.
Huh. That's Zoro, Luffy, Nami... and is that who I think it is?
Standing up, you walked over towards the edge carefully, before leaping down with grace. Slowly walking down the street, you stretched your arms, letting out a tired yawn.
"Ah... I'm so exhausted," you said to yourself, patting your back for your backpack. When you only felt your back, you felt your heart stop. Where is it? Where did it go? Shaking your head quickly, you mentally reassured yourself it was safe.
It was probably back at the party. Speaking of the party, where was it located again?
Looking around, all you could see were unconscious bodies and rubble. Zoro must have done a number of the millions, you supposed. Eyes glazing over everything, you immediately brightened up when you spotted your bag on the ground.
"Aha!" Checking if the keychains were all fine and dandy, you grinned. Slinging it over your shoulders, you were all set. Dashing down the streets, now, you happily skipped around towards your destination.
In the distance, you could make out three familiar figures.
"Nami!" you yelled, running up to her and tackling the woman into a big hug. "Hi! I missed you so much! What happened? How'd I get on the roof? Did you defeat everyone, Zoro?"
Your eyebrows furrowed when you noticed the large welts on their heads. "Oh, did you guys get punched by Nami? You guys weren't fighting again, were you?"
Nami facepalmed, shaking her head at the two idiots. "Yes they did. These two decided it would be a great idea to pick a fight with each other instead of protecting the princess from the Baroque agents.
"Princess?" you echoed, turning your head to Ms. Wednesday and a duck. "Oh right." Clearing your throat, you sent the blue haired woman a wave. "Hello! I didn't notice you there."
Turning back to Nami, you let out a small hum. "So I'm assuming that you've decided to protect the Princess of Alabasta so that she'd be in our debt. Huh, that's a pretty cash money move of you to make. But I don't think we have to worry about money."
Nami's jaw hung open at your spot on statement.
Luffy laughed as he rocked back and forth on the barrel that he was sittin on. "Y/n! You're as smart as ever, huh? Shishishishi! You should be our honorary smartest person crewmate!"
"More like don't ever get drunk crewmate..." Zoro muttered under his breath. You quirked a brow at his statement.
"Did something happen when I was under the influence of alcohol?" you asked curiously. "I've read and watched that there would be side effects, but all I have are the hangover symptoms."
"Don't worry about it," was all Zoro said as he crossed his arms. "Just try not to drink anymore, alright? I think Mihawk was right about that one."
You nodded your head along to his words. "Alright. I'll have to trust you on that one. But I really did like the way it warmed me up and kept everything calm and quiet. I don't know what else to use as a substitute for that."
"Try sleeping."
"Huh, that's a good idea! Wow, you're so smart Zoro!" you praised. "That's it! Every time my observation haki starts overwhelming me, I'm just going to go to sleep!"
Zoro gave you the most incredulous look, quite obviously regretting his decisions.
"Oi you idiot! Just because I said try sleeping, doesn't mean you sleep whenever it's giving you trouble. What if you sleep in the wrong spot and you get kidnapped?"
"Kidnapped?" you spoke as if the word was familiar to you. Because it was. "Oh hey, I've been kidnapped before! You know it was pretty fun. I got to play a bunch of card games and I even won a bunch of money!"
"THAT'S NOT A KIDNAPPING!" Nami facepalmed. "Poor Y/n-chan has no knowledge of the real world."
Luffy, Zoro, and Nami sighed.
Vivi, meanwhile, stiffened at the familiar name. Where exactly had she heard it from though? Her thoughts were cut off as Nami scolded Luffy.
"Wait, why are you sighing?!" Nami shouted accusingly at Luffy. "You're just as bad as Y/n! And also, we're getting a bit off track here!"
Turning toward the Princess, Nami smirked. "Right then, as you remember from our conversation from earlier, as compensation for our services, I'd like one billion berries."
Your jaw dropped. "That's a lot of money! That's as big of a bounty as Kata!"
"... Who's 'Kata'?" Nami questioned.
"Wha? Huh? Katana?" Zoro was consequently knocked in the head.
"Alright I need you guys to stop interrupting me." Nami practically growled. You were about to apologize when Nami added, "but not you Y/n-chan. You're adorable."
You made no comment besides a mumbled 'thanks'.
"As I was saying, you saw how strong these guys are. Especially this one-" she pinched your cheeks softly "-right here." She squealed a little bit. "It's a pretty good offer, if you ask me."
"I can't," Vivi immediately answered. Her face was deadly serious and you could see the frustration in her eyes. "I do appreciate you saving me. Thank you."
"Why can't you?" Nami asked, her hands on her hips as she looked confused. "You're a Princess! One billion shouldn't be that much!"
Actually, you were pretty sure it was.
Vivi bit her lip. "Do you know of the kingdom known as Alabasta?"
Your breath hitched and you found yourself looking away from Vivi, a hand covering your mouth as you tried to hide the guilty expression on your face. Yes, you knew Alabasta far too well. But Vivi didn't know that.
And you weren't sure how she would feel about you having such close relations with a certain Mr. 0.
"It's a peaceful kingdom known as a great civilization and nation." You could see the small sparkle in her eyes as she described her home land, until it dulled like a match being blown out as she added, "Well, it used to be."
From beside you, Nami's expression changed slightly to one of surprise. You couldn't blame her. Nami was an empathetic person from what you could tell, and from the tattoo of the Arlong pirates you saw previously on her arm one time, you knew that she was filled with pain.
In this world that you live in, it is a kill or be killed world. Your dream is to change that. You wanted this world to be able to live in harmony and be at peace. Where there are no social boundaries that keep people from interacting with people who are outwardly different, because no matter what, they are the same on the inside.
No matter if you were a fishman, a human, a giant, or a merfolk, this world that they lived in should be shared. It doesn't even matter if you were a pirate or a marine, because there were good and bad people who shared that title.
You wanted to get rid of stereotypes. But it would be a hard dream to accomplish with how the world already was. But you knew you could do it. Because this crew was bound to do incredible things.
And one of those things would be Alabasta. You snapped yourself out of your stupor. Ah, you should probably be paying attention to the conversation. You internally scolded yourself.
"Then one day, I heard of an organization called... Baroque Works!"
Ah, you came in at just the right time, didn't you?
"I learned that the populace was being manipulated by this group. But there was a tight lid on any other information than that, and there was nothing I could do." Vivi's hands clenched as she shook in anger.
"That's when I asked Igaram, who always meddled in my business since childhood, for help. I asked him if there was a way I could infiltrate Baroque Works because that would allow us to see who was pulling the strings and what their goal was."
Definitely not an organization on creating a new nation, that's what.
Zoro smirked from his spot. "You're a pretty high-spirited princess. So? Did you figure out this goal of theirs?"
Vivi nodded.
" 'The founding of an ideal nation.' " Vivi lifted her head up to stare at Nami. "That's what Igaram said at least. Does that mean...?"
Vivi solemnly nodded her head. "The boss says it's to create an ideal nation, but it's all wrong. The true goal is to take over Alabasta Kingdom! I have to hurry back, tell everyone the truth, and stop the fighting!"
You nibbled on your lip nervously. Everything she said was wrong. That wasn't what Crocky wanted to do. But it wasn't like she knew that anyways. And who were you to say anything? She would probably see you as a threat. And what then? What would become of you and your crewmates?
No, it was better to keep quiet about this. Everything would be fine. You saw it in a vision. Everything turned out right in the end. And yet, why couldn't you brush off the feeling that it would be anything but?
"I see." Nami sighed, realization spreading across her face. She shifted her head to the side, away from Vivi. "There'd be no money during a civil war, huh?"
While Nami looked disappointed, Luffy's face was nothing but intrigue and excitement. He grinned, leaning in toward Vivi a little.
"Hey, who's pulling the strings?" Vivi immediately straightened, disbelief and surprise written all over her face. She clearly looked unsettled, and you knew immediately that she knew who Mr. 0 was.
You sighed softly. It couldn't be helped. You couldn't help.
"The boss's identity?! You shouldn't ask that! Your lives will be put in danger too!" Vivi frantically spoke. Your eyes shifted to the side, spotting a pair of animals. Ah, it was already too late.
Nami laughed nervously. "Ahaha, I think I'll pass on that! After all, these are guys trying to take over an entire country! They're obviously insanely dangerous people!"
"Yes! They are!" Vivi agreed.
Luffy's had a big frown on his face, and you knew that they were only egging him on to want to go to Alabasta and take down Crocodile. Sighing for like the millionth time, you sipped on some tea as you waited for their conversation to finish.
"As strong as you people may be, you'd never stand a chance against one of the shichibukai, Crocodile!"
The tea that you just so happened to be sipping on flew out of your mouth, rendering you choking and sputtering. Oh god, you didn't actually think she'd say his name out loud.
At the word 'shichibukai', your crewmates immediately swiveled their heads in your direction, only to see your sad and dying self. Once you caught your berings, you groaned face palming.
"You're not supposed to say it... Ah, and here they come." Their eyes followed your train of sight to a pair of animals with sunglasses. One seemed to be a vulture, the other was an otter. "Hey guys," you greeted with a defeated expression.
The animals gave you a short bow before taking flight. Or well Mr. 13 (the otter) jumped onto Miss Friday's (the vulture) back as she took off. Hopefully they won't tell Crocky that you weren't in on this. How else were you supposed to get into the premium VIP casinos and restaurants?
"--WHAT WAS THAT BIRD AND SEA OTTER?!" Nami screamed as tears rolled down her face. She angrily yanked Vivi back and forth as she waited for an answer. All Vivi could reply was a long string of 'I'm sorry's.
Before long Nami swiveled to you, pointing a finger at you. "And Y/n-chan! Do you know those two animals?! Why were you getting so chummy with them? You don't actually know them right?"
Of course you didn't, Nami reassured herself. Why would you get involved with such an evil organization? If you were, you had to have obviously been forced into it. There's no way you would willingly consent to all this.
"Uh... no?" Nami rapidly shook her head.
"No no, what we need is your input! You're our informant! Our blackmail material! So please! If you have anything valuable to tell us about the shichibukai then do it!!"
You twiddled your fingers together, hands trembling as you wondered what info you could give her that would benefit them, but isn't much of a blow to Crocodile. "Uh... he eats Crocodiles?"
"..."
"Uh, just kidding?"
"Woah wait, Y/n! Crocodile's a shichibukai right?" Luffy asked excitedly. "That means that he's got to be super strong right? Have you seen him before? You already know two shichibukai, so does that mean you know him too?"
You nodded your head a little. "I mean, I guess we're kind of cool."
"WOAH! That means we're lucky we can see him so soon!" Luffy exclaimed. You sweat dropped a little. Right. Lucky.
Zoro gave an amused smile. "Not bad. I wonder what he's like. Input first mate?"
"He's a tsundere."
"Oh, so like what Ace used to be." You found it a little funny that Luffy's immediate thought was Ace, and you nearly busted out laughing. If only Ace were here to hear this, he would probably deny it like the tsundere he was.
"SHUT UP YOU TWO!" Nami screamed in despair at Luffy and Zoro. Immediately standing up, Nami began to walk away. "It's been a short acquaintance, but thank you for everything!"
You blinked as everything around you began to move.
"OI OI Why are you taking Y/n too?!"
"BECAUSE SHE'S NOT GOING DOWN WITH YOUR STUPIDITY!" Nami grinned as she gave you a quick hug. "Alright, they don't know our faces yet, so we better get going quick-" She paused in her hurried footsteps when she spotted Mr. 13 in her way. Immediately, the otter turned his drawings around to present to Nami.
Your jaw dropped at the drawings. What great artistic talent! Just like you to be Mr. 13! Oh wait. Running up to the otter you eagerly pointed to yourself.
"Mr. 13! Wait! Do me too!" The otter paused for a second, flipping through his sketchbook for an empty page.
Grabbing his pencil, he studied your face with concentration, memorizing your features. Then he proceeded to draw, his paws flying across the pages as he scribbled. After a few moments, he was finished, and he turned the drawing around for you to see.
You made a face at the photo. It was a stick figure with a big smile on it's face. Mr. 13 obviously didn't try very hard, especially when it was obvious that nobody would be able to recognize who it was.
"Oh," you spoke, rather disappointed. "I guess you shouldn't draw me for a reason," you mutter under your breath, before nodding to the otter. It was nice to know that Mr. 13 was well aware of the situation you were in. The inner turmoil that you would be feeling would have increased by tenfold.
You gave a curt nod to the duo before they took off, watching as Mr. 13 ripped the drawing of "you" into shreds, throwing it over his shoulder, and allowing the wind to scatter the pieces away like dust. Mr. 13 really did you a favor, didn't he?
"Y/n!! What in the world was that?!" Nami screeched, clutching your body tightly. "You just basically showed your face to the enemy!"
"Uh, well if we're going down, we might as well go down together?" Yep, that sounded like a reasonable answer. And with Nami's reaction, it only solidified it. You watched with a nervous smile as Nami's mouth fell open as she began to wail, hugging you as if you were the most precious thing in the world.
"Y/n-chan!! I love you!! You're just so sweet and perfect!" Your face felt a little hot from her praise, and you realized you must be blushing. Ah, she was kind of acting like Sanji right now, now that you think about it.
Zoro stood up with a large smirk on his face, definitely pleased with the current predicament. "Guess that means all four of us are on Baroque Work's hit list now."
Your smile quivered slightly. Right.
"Fear not!" Igaram called out.
Everyone turned around to see the man dressed flamboyantly as Vivi. You gave him an impressed look. It was a pretty decent cosplay if you had to say so yourself. And the touch of red lipstick did wonders to popping out the equally red blood on his clothes.
Igaram should start cosplaying anime characters with you sometimes. Your eyes widened. Oh my gosh, you should totally invite him to Anime Fridays with the fam! That would be hilariously amazing! Oh wait, were you still able to do Anime Fridays when you were with the Strawhats? Huh.
"Ma-ma-ma..." He cleared his throat, adjusting the four dummies in his arms. "It's all right! I have a plan!"
Vivi gasped, walking up to the man.
"Igaram! What are those clothes?!" she asked.
You shook your head, sipping on your tea. No, a better question would be where he got those clothes. Did he know this was going to happen and decided to have the same clothes as Vivi? Or did the man love Vivi so much that he wanted to cosplay as her?
Either way it was a little weird, but you understood what he wanted to do.
People were going to come after her and your friends, and it was the best option to create a decoy so that you guys could escape. That decoy would be Igaram, posing as Vivi. Or, well, somehow. Meanwhile, your team could move towards Alabasta separately. It was a smart move on Igaram's end.
"Wait a moment!" Nami shouted. "Who said that we were going to take the princess there?!"
Luffy blinked. "Huh? Princess?"
Ah, typically Luffy. Standing up right, you stretched your muscles. It was silent as you walked over to Nami, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Nami, don't worry too much about it." Giving her a kind smile, you wrapped your arms around her reassuringly. You could feel her slowly untensing her muscles, leaning into your soft embrace. "There are millions of lives at stake. Can't you see that Vivi-chan needs to go home?"
Vivi stiffened when you spoke her name. She never gave you her name. The rest of your crew was clueless about Alabasta, so she thought that it wouldn't be any different with you. But you, you were knowledgeable about her country.
What was it that they said you were? First mate? Black mail material?
"Crock- Uh Crocodile is nothing against our teamwork! I can see it." Your eyes shifted to stare at your comrades, and then to Igaram who stiffened under your gaze. "And if you have any doubts... well... I'll protect you guys!"
Grinning, you released your arms, letting them settle by your sides. "The shichibukai are no match for my charms! Mwahahaha! It'll even get you closer to your dreams too, Luffy! This will be a great trial before the New World!"
"Is Crocodile really that strong?" Luffy asked excitedly. You nodded your head quickly.
"Super strong! But none can compare to Kata's valor! He's the best! One day I'm going to have the two of you meet each other! It's going to be great!"
Somewhere in the world, Katakuri sneezed.
Coughing into your fist, you grinned sheepishly. "But that doesn't mean that Crocky- Crocodile isn't strong. He's a shichibukai. He is a pirate legally recognized by the World Government. His frozen bounty may be 80 million berries, but I think he should be worth about over half his bounty now."
"HALF?!"
"THAT'S EIGHT TIMES MORE THAN ARLONG'S BOUNTY!" Nami screamed fearfully as the tears flowed down her cheeks.
"Well I have a bigger bounty!" you shouted.
"HE'S STILL A SHICHIBUKAI!"
"But it's Alabasta!" you whined. "Alabasta is so cool! And there's super duper cool casinos there where you can gamble and nice restaurants with good food! There's also an aquarium there! It's also native to so many different species! We can't just not go!"
Pouting, you turned to Luffy. "Pleeease Lu Lu? It'll be fun! It'll be an- adventure."
At your words, you could see his facial expressions change to one of intrigue and excitement. With a flushed face, he exclaimed, "shishishi! If Y/n wants to go, then let's do it! It sounds like fun!"
Good good. Now then. You were going to make sure you have a little chat with Crocodile when you see him soon.
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Status: unedited