Journey To Raftel Chapter 17 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Journey to Raftel! The Straw Hats travel to Whiskey Peak! How will the town welcome non-pirates? Do they have protocol for that? Surely, it’s not only pirates that sail into the Grand Line, right? Well, hopefully they don’t do anything foolish to get the Straw hats angry at them! Who knows what can happen on the first island of the Grand Line for the crew!

If you’d like to become a patron and get access to these chapters earlier, just head on over to Pat re on and add a /Kairomaru after the com.

Make sure to thank the patrons that make these stories possible by checking out the Patron Plaque on my profile!

So, without further delay, please enjoy.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Chapter 17 – Whiskey Peak, Baroque Works

“What is with these people?” Miss Wednesday blinked as she watched the Straw Hat crew. It was the morning of the second day of their voyage to Cactus Island and the town of Whiskey Peak. The crew had relaxed and taken it easy for the rest of the day from the Twin Capes. She was given a ‘room’ in the female quarters, the accordion wall system was rather ingenious in her opinion, and Mr. Nine had been given one in the men’s quarters. Both had been given the warning that any nefarious or hostile actions would see them tossed overboard. She’d behave though, especially after being able to take a hot shower for the first time in days!

Shortly after daybreak the next day, where Miss Wednesday had been rudely awoken by the crew’s noise, every member of the Straw Hat crew had been doing some form of training. Even she and Mr. Nine had been dragged into it, though that was ostensibly so that they’d never be out of the crews’ sight. Which was a poor excuse, given that the dozens of copies of the Captain kept watch over the two agents at all times. It was more like they were being punished for what had happened at the Twin Capes!

Miss Wednesday sighed, “I mean, really, don't they know the meaning of the word moderation?!” She exhaled heavily. And she thought that she trained herself pretty well, but she honestly didn't think she could do some of what she’d watched the crew do. At the moment she was resting from the forced training. The green-haired swordsman, Zoro, and the blonde chef, Sanji, were still sparring with the Captain! Meanwhile, she could barely feel her legs!

Mr. Nine wasn’t any better, lying on the deck and looking half-dead from his exhaustion.

“I’m with you.” Carina grumbled, rubbing her sore legs from her first bout of training on the ship. “Maybe I made the wrong decision to join up with this crew?” The lovely thief pouted at the soreness of her body.

“No take backs!” One of the copies of Luffy called out as he brought Carina some ice water flavored with mikan juice.

“I know, I know…” Carina accepted the glass with a fake sigh, sipping from the straw and letting out a pleased hum as the coolness refreshed her. “You’re lucky that you’re so endearing, Luffy.”

“Shishishishi!” The copy laughed as it leapt away to begin another task.

BAM

A loud crash came from the rear upper deck and Miss Wednesday flinched at the unexpected noise. Two blurs landed on the main deck and rolled to a stop. They were revealed to be Sanji and Zoro. Both men were panting and had sweat pouring down their faces. They also had bruises forming on their visible skin and Miss Wednesday was amazed they were still able to get back to their feet.

“Shishishishi, good job Zoro, good job Sanji! You two are definitely getting better!” Luffy chuckled at them. The black-haired young man barely looked winded!

“One of these days, Luffy…” Zoro panted threateningly. “One of these days…”

“Don't think you'll be able to take me lightly forever… Shitty Captain…” Sanji breathed heavily.

“I just don't get it!” Miss Wednesday waved her arms around at the crew. “I thought East Blue was supposed to be full of weaklings! It's literally called the ‘Weakest Sea’ in the world!”

“Hey!” The entire crew shouted.

“Sorry.” Miss Wednesday looked down at the deck quickly.

“Sanji, Zoro, switch with us, you’ve had your turn.” Nami demanded as she and Reiju stepped up for a two-on-one spar against Luffy.

“Yes, Nami-swan!” Sanji agreed instantly. While he didn’t want to see a hand laid on Nami, the Navigator had made it ABUNDANTLY clear that if he got in the way of her training, she’d scorch his ‘kintama’ off with her Devil Fruit.

“Fine.” Zoro sighed and sheathed his swords. He caught a towel that was tossed to him by one of Luffy’s copies and started wiping the sweat away. “I need a drink and a nap anyway.”

Luffy grinned at his two lovers and made a ‘come on’ motion with his hand. “Shishishishi! Whenever you’re ready!” He leapt backwards and the area that he’d just been in erupted into a brief ball of flames. “You’ve gotta be faster than that, Nami!”

“Just you wait, Luffy!” Nami leapt up the wall and onto the upper deck, followed by Reiju.

Reiju nodded to Nami as she went left, leaving Nami to go right. They’d pincer Luffy and close the distance!

“Oh? Nice idea!” Luffy’s voice was heard from the aft of the caravel. This was followed by two smacking sounds.

“Luffy!” Nami squawked loudly.

“Captain…” Reiju almost sounded like she enjoyed what had just happened.

Miss Wednesday blinked as an idea popped into her head. “D-Did he just slap their asses?”

“Lalalalala!” Sanji put his hands over his ears and quickly retreated to the kitchen.

“Ushishi!” Carina laughed at the reaction from Sanji, the Cook still not used to Reiju being with Luffy and Nami just yet.

-Later-

The sparring was done, and the crew of the Going Merry were sailing along without much issue. The women had all showered to clean off the sweat; Luffy being dragged away by Reiju and Nami during their shared shower. Sanji refused to leave the kitchen the whole time, clearly intending to ignore that fact. Zoro was napping, leaned up against the side of the ship. Meanwhile, Carina and Nami were both working on their Devil Fruit Powers together. Luffy, with a bright smile on his face, sat on his ‘special seat’ atop the Going Merry’s figurehead.

“What in the hell?!” Nami exclaimed as the weather went from warm, sunny, and calm spring day, to heavy winter in an instant. It was like they had crossed an invisible line and a new season was on the other side! The girls on the ship started to shiver due to their thin, short clothes; Nami and Reiju in their mid-thigh length skirts while Carina and Miss Wednesday were both wearing shorts. A heavy snowfall began and it was just short of a blizzard in a matter of moments! To the crew’s shock, the snow was already starting to pile up on the ship as they watched. “How the hell?! I’ve never seen weather change like this before!” She wrapped her arms around herself as the wind began to pick up.

“That’s the Grand Line for you! We’ve passed outside of the Twin Capes’ stable climate. The sea between Reverse Mountain and the first islands is especially crazy!” Miss Wednesday explained while rubbing her arms, her frosted breath appearing as white clouds. All four of the women ran inside to get into warmer clothing. Nami was gracious enough to loan Miss Wednesday some of her things. When they came back outside, Luffy and a few of his copies were already building snowmen.

“Oh, Sanji~!” Nami called out with a grin.

“Yes, Nami-swan~?” Sanji practically pirouetted to the women. “What may I do for you, my lovelies? A nice hot chocolate, perhaps?”

“Please, a warm drink would be lovely right now.” Nami smiled at him. “Make sure everyone gets one.”

“Yes~!” The blonde zipped into the kitchen with hearts pouring off his form.

“There wasn’t even time to cover up my precious trees! They can survive cold snaps, but I don’t know about ones this fast! Crocus was right! This stupid weather defies logic! Was that thunder? Great, now we have lightning too!” Nami grumbled out, she was already not a fan of the weather of the Grand Line!

“Hey, shouldn’t you be keeping an eye on the Log Pose?” Miss Wednesday questioned the orangette. “I haven't really seen you steering much.”

“What do you mean? I’ve been checking our course regularly. The wheel is locked too.” Nami informed the bluenette.

“You might want to check again. You’re really underestimating the Grand Line!” Miss Wednesday winced.

Nami cocked an eyebrow at the other woman. But Miss Wednesday was a Grand Line native. Nami didn’t get to be the best Navigator in the entire East Blue by not learning from those who came before, so she raised her arm to look at the Log Pose. “See, we’re right on…WHAT THE FUCK?!”

Luffy and his copies stopped the snowball fight that had broken out when they heard Nami's scream.

“What's wrong Nami?” Luffy asked his lover curiously.

“Luffy! Unlock the wheel! Now! Hurry! We need to turn the ship around, one hundred and eighty degrees!” Nami grabbed her head, “This is crazy! I just checked like five minutes ago and we were right on target! The seas were smooth! How the hell did we literally turn around?”

“The sea is having its way with us.” Mr. Nine sneered while walking over to them.

“The Log Pose is the only thing you can trust on these seas.” Miss Wednesday told her, in a slightly gentler tone, “Nothing else makes sense here! Not the currents, not the weather, not the clouds, the waves, or even the sky! Everything is treacherous and in flux!”

“Are you sure you’re a Navigator?” Mr. Nine questioned pompously. Nami’s eyebrow twitched and she slowly turned to look at him.

“Get off your ass and help then, you damn freeloader!” Nami yelled while tossing him bodily over the railing and to the main deck “Start shoveling snow!”

“Ow!” Mr. Nine whined as he stood up from his fall. He was then clocked in the chest with a snow shovel that Luffy threw to him.

“There’s a shovel, hurry up!” Luffy ordered as he leapt into the cabin and unlocked the wheel.

“Take the wind from the starboard yard brace! Turn us a hundred and eighty to port! Crow’s nest, watch astern! Sanji, thank you for the hot chocolate!” Nami yelled instructions and thanked Sanji as the Cook handed her and the other women the warm beverages. Sanji twirled away with hearts in his eyes to hand out the rest of the drinks. Everyone enjoyed the warm drinks as the Going Merry turned around in a wide half circle.

“Why is my hot chocolate kind of gritty?” Mr. Nine questioned Sanji.

“Be thankful you even got any.” Sanji replied to the crown-wearing man. “It’s gritty because you got the dregs from the bottom of the pot.” Mr. Nine cried crocodile tears at the callousness Sanji continued to show him.

“Hey! The wind just changed!” The copy in the crow’s nest yelled out.

“What! No way!” Nami groaned as she read the winds again.

“Ahh, the first winds of spring!" Mr. Nine and Miss Wednesday smiled as they faced the new wind. Miss Wednesday also happily sipping from her hot chocolate.

“Why?! This doesn’t make any damn sense!” Nami began to grind her teeth at the nonsensical weather.

“The waves are getting bigger!” Reiju warned as the waves crested higher and higher against the side of the Going Merry.

“Hey look! There are dolphins over there! Let’s go see them!” Luffy yelled out gleefully, several large dolphins were leaping from the sea quite a distance away.

“There’s an iceberg at ten o’clock!” Carina yelled out in panic, “Oh shit, we're headed right for it!”

“Luffy!” Nami screamed for Luffy and the Captain was a blur as he leapt from the ship. In an instant he was directly above the iceberg as he cocked back his fist and punched the titanic piece of ice! The iceberg exploded into snow, even the hidden mass below the waves! The sea exploded upwards as the water rushed in to fill the void. The spray of the waves didn’t even make it to the Going Merry before they were blown away by the winds.

“What the?!” Miss Wednesday and Mr. Nine's eyes bugged out of their heads at the display of strength! Luffy flew back to the ship on a golden cloud and landed next to Nami as if he’d not just jumped off the caravel and punched an iceberg.

“There's fog up ahead!” Sanji yelled out. The massive bank of fog was so thick it looked like a solid mass!

“What kind of ocean is this?!” Nami yelled, holding her head in her hands. Luffy chuckled as he gave Nami a side-hug.

And all the while, Sanji and the copies of Luffy were being run ragged trying to keep up with all the rigging changes that Nami was yelling out, only to have to correct them a short time later. Zoro was seemingly forgotten, already covered in snow as he napped. Mr. Nine was yelled at to hurry up with the shoveling as the snow was rapidly piling up again. The green suited man was given a lump on the head from Sanji and he quickly picked up the pace.

When the weather finally calmed down again, the crew let out sighs of relief. Mr. Nine looked exhausted from the constant snow shoveling, Sanji was leaned up against the mast while catching his breath. Zoro was still asleep, even with a blanket of snow resting atop him. Nami looked more than a little frazzled, as did both Reiju and Carina, who’d been trying to help the Navigator keep up with the weather changes. Luffy, and all of his copies, were still all smiles as he’d retaken his special seat atop Merry’s figurehead.

“Alright, listen up! We have to stay alert! Who knows what will happen next! Everyone needs to be ready for more bat shit crazy weather at all times!” Nami held her fist up, an almost manic gleam in her eyes. “I understand now! We all know how dangerous this ocean is now! And I know now how the Grand Line got its reputation! All of the navigational skills I’ve honed for the last decade-plus seem useless here!”

“You’re not exactly inspiring confidence here. Are you sure that we’ll be, okay?” Carina questioned with a nervous little chuckle.

“Of course!” Nami growled out at her fellow thief. “Other crews have braved these waters before! ‘Hawkeye’ Mihawk sails this sea in a goddamn coffin boat! The Pirate King even reached the end of this sea! I WILL learn how to read this damn sea like a book, just like I did back home! I WILL get us through this journey safely! We. Will. Not. Fail!” Every one of the crew was smirking at the fire their Navigator spoke with. Nami pumped her fist once into the air. “For our Dreams!”

“YEAH!” The replying shouts of the small crew sounded much louder to Mr. Nine and Miss Wednesday.

“What’s all the noise?” Zoro questioned, waking up and brushing the snow off of himself, confused about where it came from. “I’m trying to take a nap.”

All of the crew, barring Luffy, turned to glare at him angrily.

“You shitty Marimo!” Sanji launched a kick at Zoro. “We were working our asses off to sail through that crazy weather!”

“It couldn’t have been too bad if you made it, Dartbrow!” Zoro caught the kick with a growl.

BAM

Zoro’s face smashed into the deck as Nami’s fist slammed into his head. The wispy smoke rising from both her fist and Zoro’s head showed that she’d used a bit of her Devil Fruit powers in the blow.

“Why, you… How could you sleep through everything?!” Nami’s fist was shaking at Zoro sleeping through the whole weather emergency.

Zoro held his head as a comically large lump formed on it.

A bit later, after recovering from the punch to the head, Zoro looked at Mr. Nine and Miss Wednesday. “Hey, you two.”

“Y-Yes?” The two agents looked at the swordsman nervously.

“What did you say those codenames of yours were again?” Zoro questioned them both.

“I-I’m Mr. N-Nine.” Mr. Nine answered with a shiver at the sharp look in Zoro’s eyes.

“M-Miss Wednesday.” Miss Wednesday gave a strained smile to the swordsman.

“That’s right, they’ve been stuck in my head.” Zoro smirked at the two of them. “It seems like I’ve heard them somewhere before…” He noticed that both of the agents were now visibly nervous. “Then again, maybe not…” Both agents now looked at Zoro worryingly as the swordsman walked away.

Mr. Nine looked at Miss Wednesday, his look clearly questioning.

Miss Wednesday shrugged just slightly in response, not knowing if Zoro knew of their organization or not.

The two would need to figure out what to tell the others when they got to Whiskey Peak.

It was still another day and a half of sailing with random ‘Hellscape Weather’ popping up without warning before they got to their destination. The weather and sea seemed to calm down and stabilize a bit. The Luffy copy in the crow’s nest called out that he’d spotted something on the horizon not long after. As they sailed closer Nami smiled while she looked over the map. Luffy, sitting on Merry's figurehead again, was practically bouncing in excitement! This was their first island of the Grand Line!

As they neared the island, they all noticed how it got its name.

“Are those really cacti?” Reiju questioned in surprise as what looked like mountain-sized cactus plants loomed over the island.

“Whoa!” Luffy grinned widely. “It’s Sake Summit!”

“Whiskey Peak.” Nami corrected him with a grin, standing at the base of the figurehead.

“We arrived safely!” Mr. Nine exclaimed joyfully. Miss Wednesday smiled as well; it was good to be back. She needed to speak with Mr. Eight too. She could honestly say she liked this crew (for the most part), but she needed to go. So, for now, she just went along with her partner and jumped onto the railing of the ship. “We’ll be taking our leave now.” Mr. Nine declared loudly.

“Thanks for the ride, darlings! We’ll meet again, fate willing!” Miss Wednesday slapped a smug grin onto her face. She had a part to play, and she couldn’t jeopardize it. She had to do it for her country, until they could save their homeland.

“Bye, bye, baby!” The two agents then back-flipped off the ship and into the water below. The Straw Hats just watched while blinking at the eccentric duo.

“Okay…” Luffy shrugged as they watched the pair swim towards the island, perpendicular to their own course. “Well whatever! Let's land!” He grinned brightly. “I wonder what kind of island this is. I hope it’s a fun one!”

“Your idea of ‘fun’ isn't the same as everybody else’s, Luffy.” Carina mentioned to her Captain. “What if this island is actually incredibly dangerous?”

“Well, that certainly is a possibility. This is the Grand Line after all.” Sanji chuckled as he took a drag from his cigarette. “But you ladies needn’t worry! I’ll protect you all!”

“Pervert Cook.” Zoro scoffed at Sanji’s declaration. The two were quickly glaring at each other.

“It doesn’t matter what’s on this island, we have to stay here until the Log Pose records this island’s magnetic field and picks up the next one on our path.” Nami spoke up as she looked at the Log Pose strapped to her wrist. “According to Crocus, the time that it takes for the pose to record the magnetic field varies from island to island, so we may be here for a while. It could be hours, or it could be weeks. Just keep that in mind.”

The crew sailed further into the island, the Going Merry sailing right into a river that had a wide bay. The bay held a large dock that could fit almost any size ship. Only a few small fishing boats currently occupied the large dock though. The crew heard voices in the mists that surrounded the coast of the island. All of the crew tensed, just in case they needed to fight. When the fog finally cleared completely, it was to the sight of seemingly the entire town cheering for them.

“Welcome to the Town of Celebration – Whiskey Peak!” The crowd roared, doing everything from cheering to literally throwing confetti at them. “Welcome to our town, brave sailors! Hurray for the heroes of the sea!”

“Wow, so any ship that makes it here gets a welcome like this?” Reiju commented with an amused tone.

“Wow! So many cute girls!” Sanji’s visible eye turned into a heart and he started ‘noodling’ about the deck. Nami and Zoro deadpanned at the Cook’s reaction, while Luffy was just chuckling at his nakama.

“Oh yeah, this isn't suspicious at all.” Nami commented, barely stopping herself from rolling her eyes at the display.

“Ushishi!” Carina laughed at Nami’s words, since they echoed her own thoughts. “So, what kind of scam is this?” She whispered to her fellow thief knowingly.

“This should be fun.” Luffy laughed, he wasn't the type to turn down a free party.

“In more than one way.” Zoro smirked and briefly grasped one of his swords.

“Hem-hem!” A tall man with blonde, ridiculously over-curled hair, holding a saxophone in his hand greeted them when they finally docked and disembarked. He had broad, thick shoulders, a barrel chest, and oddly skinny legs too. “Mi-mi-mi!” His odd throat clearing almost made Luffy laugh by itself! “My name is Igarappoi, and I’m the Mayor of Whiskey Peak! Welcome, brave sailors!" The crowd let out another deafening cheer. “Welcome to Whiskey Peak! I know this might come as quite the surprise to you all. But we’re a bustling town of music and ale brewing! We’re very proud of our ale and have an ocean of it! Would you care to join us in a celebration and regale us with the tales of your adventures?”

“You bet we would!” Luffy and Sanji cheered, their arms thrown over each other’s shoulders.

“Say, how long does it take for the Log Pose to set on this island?” Nami questioned the mayor curiously.

“Log Pose?” The mayor blinked at her sharp stare. “Mi-mi-mi! Not very long at all, young lady, only about six or so hours, eight at the very most. But please, set aside such trivial matters and enjoy yourself!” He tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but a glare had him pulling back with an apologetic smile. “Come on everyone! It’s party time!”

From that moment on a huge party was underway! Zoro, Carina, and Nami got into a drinking contest with a Fifty-Thousand Beri prize. Sanji was surrounded by twenty women, all shamelessly flirting with him. Luffy was eating through enough food for a dozen men easily; Reiju was at his side enjoying some food and occasionally feeding Luffy herself. The cooks in the kitchen started to drop from exhaustion as they couldn’t keep up with Luffy’s voracious appetite! All the while, laughter and cheer were in the air along with the ‘famed’ music.

“Bwahaha!” Igarappoi laughed loudly. “Marvelous! I'm so glad you’re having fun! Continue enjoying yourselves!”

-Hours Later-

Miss Wednesday sat on one of the buildings above the party, just staring at the moon. Mr. Nine sat a bit away from her on the ledge. They’d written up their report for the Boss, but they’d have to send it through the normal mail since the Unluckies were dead. She looked down when the door opened as the sounds from within had died down. She eyed the town mayor as he exited the building.

“Tonight… The cactus rocks seem to dance… So beautifully in the moonlight.” Iggarapoi mused as he looked up at the moon.

“You’re a poet, Mr. Eight.” Mr. Nine declared as he and Miss Wednesday jumped down from the roof.

“Hmm, if it isn’t Mr. Nine and Miss Wednesday, how did your mission go?” Mr. Eight asked, turning to face the duo.

“Badly.” Miss Wednesday gave him a look, as they locked eyes for a moment. Unknown to Mr. Nine, there was much more in that gaze than he realized. “That crew in there is incredibly strong. It would probably be best to let them be on their way, no stealing from them or charging them for the party before they leave. I wouldn’t want to have to fight them directly.” She cautioned Mr. Eight.

There were two ways that Whiskey Peak made money for their organization: the first was by throwing parties to inebriate Pirate crews and then turn them over to the Marines for their bounties. The second was to throw a large party for non-pirates and then charge them for it the following morning when they were all still reeling from hangovers and unable to put up any argument. Those that did try to argue were quickly reminded that Igarappoi had never said that the party was free.

“Oh my,” A new voice called out from the door. It was a woman dressed in the habit of a nun. She’d been Nami’s final opponent of the drinking contest, both Zoro and Carina calling it quits before the end and seemingly passing out. The woman ripped off the ensemble revealing an incredibly muscular body, dark skin, and pink hair styled into two little puffs. “Damn, I was just drinking carbonated barley tea and even I feel buzzed.” She cracked her neck as she stretched. “They sure can put away the food and booze. But was this whole charade really necessary for such a small crew? There’s no way they have much cash on them. And there’s a food shortage with no whale meat headed this way.” She glared at Mr. Nine and Miss Wednesday.

“Don’t say that!” Miss Wednesday yelled at the other agent.

“Yeah! We did our best!” Mr. Nine declared; his hands on his hips.

“You failed, is what you did.” Miss Monday retorted.

“Ohohohoho!” Miss Wednesday's ‘Queen Bitch’ laugh returned as she held her hand over her mouth. “Aren't you getting a bit too big for your britches, Miss Monday? I’d like to have seen you take down that whale with that crazy old doctor protecting him.” The two women glared at each other fiercely, one could almost see lightning shooting between their eyes. Their argument would have continued, if not for a rank-and-file subordinate practically falling over himself in front of them.

“Mayor! It’s…it’s crazy!” The man panted out.

“Steady yourself, man,” Mr. Eight ordered the subordinate. “Did you search their ship like I ordered?”

“Y-yes sir!” He nodded, though his eyes were still wide in shock. “I didn’t think they’d have so much money! But what I was able to see was crazy! It had to be a few tens of millions of Beri!” He reported with a huge grin.

“T-Tens of millions?!” Miss Wednesday gaped in shock; her eyes shooting wide open at the number!

“They have that much?!” Miss Monday’s jaw was almost on the ground.

“I would never have thought that little crew would have so much money!” Mr. Nine gaped at the amount that was apparently stashed in the Going Merry.

“Only a fool judges a crew by their appearance, Miss Bunbay…” Mr. Eight coughed to clear his throat. “Mi-mi-mi! Miss Monday.”

“Holy! I'm so ashamed.” Miss Monday rubbed the back of her head ruefully.

“Get an accurate count of their money and valuables so that we can charge them appropriately for the party in the morning! We’ll be able to make a very good report to the boss!” Mr. Eight ordered the other agents.

“Yes!” five voices replied simultaneously.

Mr. Eight blinked.

Miss Wednesday’s eyes slowly moved to look to her left.

Mr. Nine went bug-eyed.

Miss Monday’s jaw dropped as she stared in shock.

The unnamed subordinate’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Luffy was standing on Miss Wednesday’s left, acting like he belonged there among them. He smiled widely at the group upon seeing their reactions.

The agents all collectively came to the same realization: They didn’t notice when Luffy had arrived and stood among them!

“Shishishishi!” Luffy laughed at their stunned faces as all five of them staggered backwards in surprise.

“So, looks like I was right this time, Cat Burglar.” Carina grinned at Nami from atop the roof of a nearby building.

“Yeah, yeah, it was the old bait-and-switch, do you want a cookie for that?” Nami rolled her eyes at Carina’s smug little grin.

“Dartbrow totally fell for the con, and Reiju’s looking after him.” Zoro was up on the roof too, grinning like the devil himself, one of his katana drawn and resting on his shoulder.

“Mr. Eight! That crew are…all…gone…” A subordinate, followed by what seemed to be the majority of the town, trailed off as he saw the said crew already there and very much awake.

“Now, now…” Mr. Eight stepped forward before clearing his throat. “Mi-mi-mi! We never said the party was free, and we do need to recoup our losses.”

“Uh huh…” Nami didn’t look convinced in the slightest. “I’m sure your appropriate price will just happen to be everything we’ve got, right?”

“It’s a nice con you’ve got going on here.” Carina waved her hand with a little smirk. “But you’re not nearly good enough to con us.”

“You treated us to a good time, so we’ll give you a bit of cash and call it even.” Luffy grinned at Mr. Eight. “No harm, no foul, right?”

“I don’t really want to give them anything, since they tried to con us.” Nami mentioned with a grin spreading across her lips. “I kinda want to take whatever Beri they have lying around instead.” She mentioned casually. “Now where could they keep their money?” She pretended to look around the town with a grin.

“Hmm, maybe in that building over there?” Carina played along with Nami as she pointed to a building at the base of one of the cactus-like mountains. “It’s built differently than the rest of the buildings in town. It has thicker walls, small windows, a metal door, and it’s built right into the mountain.” All four agents' eyes widened as Carina gave them a knowing grin. “Bingo!”

Every person down on the ground started drawing and cocking weapons, aiming right at the Straw Hats.

“Well, if that’s how it’s gonna be. Shishishishi!” Luffy chuckled at the actions of the con artist town.

“About a hundred of you guys, from the looks of it.” Zoro commented with his smirk growing. “This should be a nice test for my new swords.”

“Well, I know where I'm going.” Nami smiled at Luffy. “I’m hoping for a good haul.”

“I’ll race you there, Cat Burglar!” Carina laughed, the competitiveness between them sparking again.

“That settles it then.” Zoro grinned devilishly. “We’ll be your opponents tonight… Baroque Works!”

“EEEH?!” In an instant, every single bounty hunter there reared back as if Zoro had slapped them across the face with a raw fish. “Impossible! How do you know the name of our secret society?!” Several of them demanded.

“Why? You idiots tried to recruit me a while back. Naturally, I turned you down, with the stupid need for secrecy, the dumb code names, and how none of you knows what your boss even looks like, his whereabouts, or even what your real goal is...it didn’t appeal to me. I ended up having to kill your recruiter, because he didn’t want to take ‘No’ for an answer.” Zoro shrugged with a smirk.

“Unfortunate for you!” Mr. Eight declared with a glare. “Everyone who knows of our organization must perish!” They all took aim at the Straw Hats, preparing to put them down. “A few more tombstones to adorn the cactus rocks!” The group of bounty hunters all fired at once, plumes of smoke and unburned gunpowder obscuring their vision for a few moments. Mr. Eight noticed Nami and Carina leaping across the rooftops towards the treasury building, clearly racing each other. “Some of you; kill those two women! They’re going to raid the treasury!” That got almost two dozen of the bounty hunters to chase after the two thieves.

“Where’d the other two go?!” Mr. Nine cried out, not seeing a trace of Luffy or Zoro.

“You know…” Luffy was right in front of Mr. Eight now, startling everyone that they hadn’t seen him move from his previous position. “Guns aren’t for threats. They’re for actions.” He looked up at Mr. Eight from beneath the brim of his straw hat. “Now that you’ve drawn your pistols, you’re risking your lives.”

“Besides,” Zoro spoke up, the blade of Wado Ichimonji resting against Mr. Nine’s shoulder. No one had seen him move behind the agent either! “Wouldn’t you prefer dozens of new tombstones?”

“Eh?” Mr. Nine’s eyes were wide at being caught completely off guard.

“Get them!” Several bounty hunters cried out as they turned their guns on Zoro and Luffy…and both Mr. Eight and Mr. Nine by extension.

“Don’t shoot you fools!” Mr. Eight ordered his subordinates. “You’ll hit me too!” The group looked hesitant at being reminded of the obvious. “I’ll deal with this one!” The man grabbed his saxophone, aimed it at Luffy, and blew into it strongly. “Igarappa!” A blast went off and several of the bounty hunters to the left of Mr. Eight went down to a spray of pellets.

“Argh!”

“Owww!”

“Fuck!”

“Mayor…what the hell?!”

“What?!” Mr. Eight blinked, finding his saxophone turned to the left in the time it had taken him to aim it and then blow into it.

“Shishishishi!” Luffy chuckled at the confused man, having moved the instrument/weapon to the side.

“Was that a shotgun?” Zoro asked curiously. “You could hurt someone with that.” Zoro kicked Mr. Nine forward into a few more of the Baroque Works members and drew Yubashiri and Sandai Kitetsu.

“Let’s have some fun, Zoro!” Luffy slugged Mr. Eight and sent the larger man flying through a group of his subordinates, the pile of people crashed into the wall of a building several meters away.

“Hak!” Mr. Eight coughed up blood from the force of the punch that had struck him. He fell to the ground, dropping his saxophone in the process, barely able to breathe from having the wind knocked out of him. He could only watch the one-sided beating of all the bounty hunters as she struggled to get to his feet.

“Taka Nami!” Zoro slashed his swords and a wave of air blasted a dozen bounty hunters across the plaza they were in.

“Shoot! Shoot!” One man yelled.

“You guys are slow.” Luffy spun and kicked three of the men aside, and the last man was bitch slapped across the face by Luffy’s tail, sending him flying through the window of a nearby house.

“RAAAHHH!!!” Miss Minday came at Zoro from behind, swinging a wooden staircase that she’d torn from a building.

Shing

The wood split cleanly, and the muscular woman blinked at the top of the stairs flying off to crash into more of the subordinate bounty hunters.

“Huh, Sandai Kitetsu has a great edge, by a sword of this Grade should only cut when it’s master wants it to.” Zoro looked at the cursed blade. “This one’s a problem child.”

“Superhuman…” Miss Mondy had taken the brief respite to put on a pair of brass knuckles. “Brass Knuckles!” She punched Zoro straight in the forehead with all of her strength, the ground under the swordsman’s feet cracking from the force since Zoro didn’t move.

“You think you’re strong?” Zoro’s hand came up to palm Miss Monday’s head and squeeze it.

“AAAAAHHHH!!!” Miss Mindy crabbed at Zoro’s wrist, trying with all her might to remove his hand from her head.

“Want to see who’s stronger?” Zoro questioned as he tightened his grip until the muscular woman went slack, foaming at the mouth. He dropped her to the ground and turned to face some of the onlookers.

“Miss Monday?!”

“No way! Miss Monday lost in a contest of strength?!”

The Baroque Works members couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

“You guys get distracted easily, huh?” Luffy laughed, coming in with a flying kick that sent five people sprawling and bouncing along the rocky ground.

-Nami and Carina-

Flames roared and screams were heard as half a dozen bounty hunters fell to the dirt, smoking rising off their bodies.

“Gah!”

“Awk!”

“Oof!”

Carina lashed out with a chain from her right hand, swiping three of the bounty hunters aside and slamming them into the side of a building, cracking the wall. “This is good practice! Ushishi!”

“Don’t take too long, Hell Cat, or I’ll beat you there!” Nami was already running towards the treasury building with a laugh.

“Hey!” Carina rushed after her, only for another six Baroque Works members to cut off her path. “Outta my way!” She swung her left arm and from the limb dozens of chains spawned, but all of them were only about a meter long with weighted ends. The chain bolos spun threw the air and struck the bounty hunters, injuring them and tying them up at the same time. Carina just leapt over the groaning and hurt enemies as she closed the distance between her and Nami.

In her competitiveness with Nami, Carina didn’t realize that she’d used her Devil Fruit in a more complex way than she ever had before, even in practice.

“Get her!” Three bounty hunters lunged at Nami as soon as she exited an alley and into a street. A spear was thrust at her, a guy with a sword was rushing towards her, and one other hunter wearing a bandana as a mask fired a pistol at her.

The spear thrust was dodged, the bullet was off its mark, and the sword wielder hadn’t gotten close enough to swing before Nami reacted.

FWOOSH

A wave of fire blasted forward from Nami’s body, engulfing the sword user and the spear user instantly. The gunman only had a second to realize what was coming at him before he was blasted backwards by the flames, his clothes set ablaze as he hit the ground with force.

“See you there, Cat Burglar!” Carina laughed as she got ahead of Nami in their race.

“No you don’t!” Nami’s feet erupted into flames as she rocketed forward, leaving a blackened trail behind her.

“Here they come!” The last six Baroque Works members from the initial two dozen that had chased after Nami and Carina had gotten ahead and waited at the treasury building. “Blast them!”

Gunfire rang out as shot after shot was fire.

Nami easily avoided the barrage of bullets as she used her flames to launch herself upwards.

Likewise, Carina had launched a chain with a spiked tip forward into the roof of a tall building next to the treasury, then reeled herself in with it, flying through the air as the chain shortened.

“Flare Ring!” Nami targeted the area where the Baroques Works members were. A ring of flame formed in the air around the six people.

“What?!”

“Fire!”

“How?!”

“Run!”

They didn’t get the chance as the ring exploded into a pillar of flames, launching them all upwards as they burned. The six bounty hunters hit the ground hard, burned, smoking, and unconscious.

“I win!” Nami smirked as she touched the treasury buildings door.

“No fair…” Carina pouted at Nami, having swung down from the taller building on another length of chain.

“This is a pretty good door.” Nami tried the handle, but it was locked as she expected it to be.

Carina looked at the door, more specifically the locking mechanism. “A keyhole lock, huh?” She held up her index finger and focused on her Devil Fruit. A tiny chain formed from her fingertip and entered the lock. Nami blinked at the creative use of the Jara Jara no Mi as she watched the little chain wiggle around in the keyhole.

“You’re getting better at that.” Nami complimented her fellow thief.

“Yep!” Carina grinned as she worked. “I can’t let you outdo me, can I?” She smirked at Nami just as the lock clicked and the door swung open.

“Hellcat.” Nami tsked as she walked through the door.

“Cat Burglar.” Carina scoffed as she followed after Nami.

The competitiveness was still very strong between them.

“Can you do anything about this?” Nami motioned to the large safe in the room.

The safe was easily a meter and a half tall as well as wide. Looking over the safe, noting the manufacturer and the model, Carina huffed. “Well, at least they protect their money well. But not well enough~” She grinned to herself. This safe would take a bit of time, but she’d cracked one very similar to it just about a month ago! “Just need a little bit of time!”

“Time is something we can’t be sure of right now.” Nami shooed Carina to the side and placed her hand on the side of the safe door where the locking mechanism was. Her hand quickly heated up as her eyes glowed yellow and her hair was filled with flames, entering her hybrid form. The metal got hot, hotter, started to faintly glow red, then red, bright red, orange, dull yellow, and then bright yellow as the metal liquified. “And done.” Nami swung the large safe door wide open with a grin.

“Show off.” Carina grinned at Nami.

“Says you.” Nami smirked right back.

Cha-Ching

Both women’s eyes turned to Beri Symbols as they beheld the gold, silver, gemstones, and stacks of Beri bills held within the large safe.

-Luffy-

“Man, these guys are kinda weak…” Luffy rubbed the back of his head, looking at all of the bounty hunters that he and Zoro had defeated. “Maybe I should’ve fought those guys?” He looked over to where Zoro was taking care of Mr. Nine and Mr. Eight. “The nine guy looks like he’d be funny to fight.” He watched the crown-wearing man leap acrobatically up a building and attack Zoro with what looked like metal bats.

“You want someone worth fighting?! That would be me! Prepare to die, Mr. Captain!” Miss Wednesday declared, making Luffy turn around to see her standing on top of a HUGE duck that was fitted with a saddle, a hat, reins, and was currently drinking from a water barrel around its neck.

“That’s a weird duck.” Luffy pointed at the large waterfowl.

“Nevermind that!” Miss Wednesday shouted at him. “Take a good look at my outfit~” She opened her jacket to show off her spaghetti-strap top with the concentric circles on the stomach and on each of her large breasts.

“Hm?” Luffy cocked his head to the side.

“Enchanting Vertigo Dance~” Miss Wednesday moved her body in a specific way, rolling her hips and showing off a rather sexy belly dance with her curvy figure. The three concentric circles of her outfit began to blur together as she moved, but Luffy just stood there watching.

“Is this one of those seduction thingies?” Luffy questioned the dancing woman, clearly not effected by her ‘technique’ in the slightest.

“No, it’s supposed to make you get vertigo!” Miss Wednesday snapped at him.

Luffy’s clueless look about the term nearly made Miss Wednesday facepalm.

“Karoo! Let’s finish him off!” Miss Wednesday dropped down onto the saddle and pulled out a small ornament on the end of a string, with a ring at the other end. She put the ring on her finger and began to spin it at high-speed.

“A peacock?” Luffy saw the optical illusion the small weapon made as it spun, resembling the tail feathers of a peacock.

Karoo, the giant duck, ran forward at Miss Wednesday’s command. “Peacock Slasher!” The agent called out, only for Karoo to have gone left instead of right, leaving her spinning weapon on the wrong side. “You went the wrong way!” Miss Wednesday slapped the back of the duck’s head as it continued to run. “Stop! We’re gonna fall!” She panicked seeing Karoo running straight off the edge of the rooftop. “Aaaahhhhh!” She cried out as she felt herself rise off the saddle as they began to fall.

Krash

Miss Wednesday blinked as she realized that only Karoo had fallen to the ground, smashing a few barrels that had been empty below. Turing her head, she blinked, seeing Luffy holding her up with one arm, his feet still on the rooftop “Uh… Thank you?”

“Shishishishi!” Luffy brought her back onto the rooftop with a chuckle. “You’re welcome.”

“Why’d you help me? We’re enemies.” Miss Wednesday was clearly confused.

“I can tell when people are lying.” Luffy grinned at the woman. “One sec.” His Ruyi Jingu Bang smacked something away from them that Miss Wednesday hadn’t even noticed.

BOOM

The explosion that went off a fraction of a second later when it hit the neighboring building was impossible to miss though.

“Where did that staff come from?” Miss Wednesday was now confused on multiple levels. Luffy didn’t have a weapon on him a second ago. But now he suddenly had a staff in hand. There was also the unnoticed explosive that he’d deflected, having seemingly seen it coming…somehow.

“Were you attacking me or her?” Luffy questioned the two figures down on the street, pointing to himself and Miss Wednesday in turn.

One of the figures was a tall black man with short, spikey dreadlocks. He wore a zipped up, brown trench coat, a pink cravat, and sunglasses. On the coat was a white ‘5’ encased in a square.

The other figure was a young, platinum-blonde haired woman with bright green eyes. It seemed she really liked lemons, because her earrings were shaped like them and her yellow sundress had images of them as the pattern of the fabric. She also carried a bright green parasol with blue stripes.

The guy’s sunglasses and the woman’s parasol confused Luffy a bit; considering the fact that it was the middle of the night. Both items were either no longer useful, the parasol, or an outright detriment, the sunglasses.

“Mr. Five?! Miss Valentine?!” Miss Wednesday recognized these two as Officer Agents of Baroque Works.

“Hello, Miss Wednesday. Kyahahaha!” Miss Valentine laughed at the bluenette.

“A-Are you here…koff…to help us?” Mr. Eight staggered down the street, blood staining the front of his shirt from a sword wound.

“Help you?” Mr. Five scoffed at the idea. “Why would we be dispatched to this crummy little outpost to clean up your mess?”

“Kyahahaha! What would you expect from someone of his rank?” Miss Valentine laughed to herself, eyeing the injured Mr. Eight.

“Th-Then why are you h-here?” Mr. Eight questioned the two Officer Agents, breathing heavily. “Did you just come to laugh at us?”

“No, that’s just a bonus.” Mr. Five replied with a shrug.

“We’re here on official business, of course. Kyahahaha!” Miss Valentine did indeed laugh at Mr. Eight’s injured state.

“What…official business?” Mr. Eight held his bleeding chest, sweat beginning to run down his face from the pain, stress, and now a growing pit of fear in his stomach.

“Don’t you get it?” Mr. Five snorted derisively. “Why would the boss send the two of us?” He barely waited for an answer that never came before continuing. “The boss’s exact words where ‘My secret is out.’; of course I don’t know what the secret is.” He tilted his head as he stared at Mr. Eight from behind his sunglasses. “Our organization’s motto is ‘Mystery’, we never reveal the identity of any of our people; especially not the boss’s.”

“In our investigation, we discovered that agents of a certain Monarchy have infiltrated Baroque Works.” Miss Valentine smiled.

“The spy is someone that’s gone missing from the Kingdom of Alabasta!” Mr. Five continued with a knowing smirk.

“Die!” Mr. Eight suddenly roared, pulling on the two ends of his string tie, revealing six large caliber gun barrels hidden in his hair rolls. “Igarappappa!” He pulled on the end of the bow of his string tie and all six guns fired explosive shells at Mr. Five and Miss Valentine.

“Igaram!” Miss Wednesday yelled down to the large man.

“Run for it! Please!” Igaram thundered to Miss Wednesday. ‘I won’t let you touch her! I swear it on my honor as the captain of the royal guard of Alabasta!’ He fired a second salvo at the two Officer Agents.

“It’s no use! Kyahahaha!” Miss Valentine laughed as she came down from the air, aiming to kick Miss Wednesday in the head. “GUH!!!”

Before she could do that, Luffy’s staff suddenly extended at absurd speeds and slammed the blonde woman into the wall of a building across the street. The end of the staff pinned Miss Valentine to the wall against her stomach. Luffy looked somewhat interested in the goings on now.

“What in the world…?” Miss Wednesday could only gape at seeing the staff suddenly grow to at least twenty-five meters long.

BOOM

Igaram flew backwards and slammed into the ground as an explosion hit him dead on.

“Igaram!” Miss Wednesday cried out to the downed man, trying to find a way to get down from the rooftop safely so that she could go to him. “Igaram!”

“The enemy agents are Igaram, captain of the royal guard from the Kingdom of Alabasta!” Mr. Five emerged from the smoke completely unscathed from the multiple explosive shells. “And the princess of Alabasta, Nefertari Vivi.” The Officer Agent held up a picture of Miss Wednesday, though she looked a couple of years younger.

“You bastard.” The now named Vivi grit her teeth and glared at Mr. Five.

“P-Ple-Please…” Igaram coughed out, looking up at Vivi and Luffy, his wide eyes focused on Luffy in desperation. “Straw Hat… You’re strong…please, listen to my humble request…” Igaram hacked out another cough, blood on the corners of his mouth. “Please, protect the princess!”

“Hm? Her?” Luffy pointed his thumb at Vivi.

“PLEASE!!! ESCORT MY PRINCESS TO ALBASTA, A GREAT KINGDOM IN THE EAST!!!” Igaram forced himself upright despite his injuries. “You shall be handsomely rewarded! Please, save her!”

“Just how handsomely are we talking?” Nami asked, drawing all eyes to her and Carina, the two women standing behind where Igaram was on the unpaved street. Both thieves winked at Igaram, pointing at the injured man.

“We’ll do it for one-billion Beri!” Carina grinned widely at Igaram

“Nami! Carina! All done?” Luffy smiled at his nakama, spotting a large sack over each of the women’s shoulders.

“Yep!” Nami winked at him, sticking her tongue out playfully.

“A B-Billion…” Igaram coughed, this time not from his injuries. “I’m only a soldier…I cannot guarantee such a sum!”

“Are you saying that your princess isn’t worth it?” Carina pouted at Igaram.

“Well, if you don’t pay, it looks like your princess might die.” Nami grinned down at the man. “So, are you gonna pay us one-billion or not?”

“If you take the princess to Alabasta…” Igaram breathed heavily, trying to talk quickly before Mr. Five decided to act again. The constant interruptions seemed to have thrown the bomb man off his game. “Then you can negotiate with her father, the king, for your reward!”

“You want us to do all the work before getting paid?” Carina and Nami both looked at Igaram like he was nuts. “Pay up.”

“Are you done ignoring me?!” Mr. Five’s patience was clearly at an end. He picked his nose and then flicked the booger towards Igaram, Nami, and Carina.

“Gross!” The booger exploded prematurely as Nami’s eyes glowed golden and the ‘nose gold’ was surrounded in fire.

“So, you have a Devil Fruit too?!” Mr. Five clicked his teeth. “Miss Valentine! Get down here!” He shot his gaze up to his partner, who was still pinned to the wall by Luffy’s Ruyi Jingu Bang.

“I’m…trying…” Miss Valentine gritted her teeth, increasing her weight to try and drag the staff down with her.

“Hey,” Luffy looked at Vivi. “Would taking you back home be a fun adventure, filled with treasure and excitement?”

“I…well, possibly.” Vivi blinked at the odd question.

“Good enough for me!” Luffy smiled at her brightly. “I’m Monkey D. Luffy.” He held his free hand out to Vivi.

“Nefertari Vivi.” Vivi couldn’t help but return the smile as she shook his hand.

The Ruyi Jingu Bang shrank back to its normal length, unceremoniously dropping Miss Valentine who crashed through the second-story roof of the building that she’d been pinned against. Luffy leapt down to the ground with a grin as he spun the staff around with his right hand.

“You little!” Mr. Five pulled a revolver (made in the South Blue) from the pocket of his coat and flicked the chamber open. He blew into it and then snapped it close. “You’re in my way!” He pulled the trigger. “Breeze Breath Bomb!”

Luffy held up his hand and made a sign with his fingers. His body glowed a dull red for a fraction of a second, just before he exploded.

BOOM

“Luffy?!” Carina cried out in shock at seeing her Captain explode.

Nami placed her hand on Carina’s shoulder reassuringly. “He’s fine.”

True to Nami’s words, Luffy walked out of the smoke from the explosion barely looking ruffled.

“That’s a weird Devil Fruit you’ve got there.” Luffy pointed his staff at Mr. Five. The staff shot forward like a bullet and slammed into the Officer Agent’s chest and then drove him through three buildings, one after another, before retracting back to its normal length.

“Y-you…” Mr. Five hacked out some blood as he staggered through the damaged buildings to get back to Luffy. He raised his revolver unsteadily once he caught sight of Luffy again. “Breeze Breath Bomb!” He pulled the trigger five times in quickly succession.

Luffy drew a circle on the ground around him, one wide enough to shield the people behind him too.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

The explosions rocked the invisible wall, but couldn’t pass it.

“Does this guy have a bounty?” Nami asked Igaram, who was watching the fight wide-eyed. “He seems a little too quick to resort to murder to be a regular civilian or bounty hunter.” Bounties did lose thirty percent of their value if they were brought in dead, after all. Most bounty hunters wanted the full reward, if at all possible.

“Y-Yes…for ten-million Beri, if I recall correctly.” Igaram answered after a moment to think about it.

“Hm, but he’d probably be hard to transport until we could turn him in, what with his ability to explode like that.” Nami grimaced at Mr. Five. “Luffy!”

“Yeah?” Luffy looked over his shoulder at Nami.

“He’s got a bounty of ten-million Beri on his head.” Nami informed her Captain. “Let’s at least get seven-million for him.”

“Right!” Luffy turned back to face Mr. Five. “How’re you a bounty hunter if you have a bounty yourself?”

“You don’t need to worry about that…” Mr. Five rubbed the blood from the side of his mouth. “Because I’m going to blow you, and this whole town to nothing!” He rushed at Luffy as his body glowed. “Full Body Bomb!”

Luffy’s fist crushed Mr. Five’s chest a split second before anyone realized that he’d even moved. Where Luffy had been standing were two perfect imprints of his sandals…in solid rock.

The Officer Agent flew through seven buildings this time, clearing the actual town of Whiskey Peak, only for a massive explosion to go off near the beach. The shockwave rippled through town, along with the deafening boom. Igaram covered his face with one arm, while Nami and Carina did the same. Vivi covered her face as her long blue hair flew behind her in the gale.

Luffy shot off into the air with a golden cloud under his feet to check on Mr. Five.

‘Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck! I have to get out of here!’ Miss Valentine panicked from her spot inside of the building that she’d fallen into. ‘I didn’t even see him move!’ There was no way in hell that she could fight someone that strong! She lowered her weight and sped through back alleys and between buildings, trying to keep as low a profile as possible as she raced for the ship that she and Mr. Five had arrived at Cactus island in. It could be manned by one person if they were experienced with sailing the Grand Line. ‘If they’re protecting the princess, then Baroque Works is finished! I’m gonna lay low and just disappear! It’s way better than dying!’ If she found some small, out of the way island and kept her head down, a mere seven-point-five-million bounty like hers should be forgotten about after enough time had passed. She’d use the Eternal Pose that was on the small ship to navigate to an island on a different path through the Grand Line too, just to be safe!

-Beach-

“Yep.” Luffy looked at Mr. Five’s body, lying in a massive crater on the rocky beach. “That’s dead.” He nudged the body with his foot again. Mr. Five’s chest was noticeably concave, the strength that Luffy had punched him with had shattered the sternum, ribcage, and crushed both the man’s heart and lungs. “Better take this guy back so Zoro can take off the head.”

It had been a fun first island, that was for sure. And now Luffy and crew even had a new Adventure out of it too!

“I hope there’s time for a treasure hunt!” Luffy chuckled as he flew back towards the others on a Somersault Cloud, Mr. Five’s body held in one hand.

-End Chapter-

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Here’s an idea: DON’T fuck with the Straw Hats and try to swindle them!

Double Don’t: Pull weapons on them and threaten their lives!

It’s just not a good idea…

Well, Whiskey Peak is beaten down, Mr. Five is dead, Miss Valentine is running for her damn life and is going to disappear until she feels safe.

Quite a different outcome from Canon, huh?

Now, the Straw Hats will be escorting Vivi home to Alabasta. Who will they meet along the way and what kinds of islands will they visit?

Keep reading to find out!

Until next time, later!