"(Y/)– Blue." Killer almost slipped up as he called you from the group. He frowned at himself but you smiled.

"What were you calling her? Is that some kind of gross pet name?" Kid asked.

They were walking over with Luffy and Law in tow.

"No." You giggled. "He was going for my real name."

"Blue's not your real name?" Kid looked offended, Law smirked, and Luffy laughed. It was amusing knowing he prided himself enough to think you would've given him your real name from the get go.

"Nope."

"You told him your name but not me?"

"Well yeah. I'm not dating you Kid."

He glared at Killer like he was at fault somehow. "How come you didn't tell me?"

"She didn't want me to." He shrugged and tugged you away from the group of people huddled around you.

"It's (Y/n)." You said with a smile. The idea of telling people bothered you before but after dealing with blowing your cover as the dragon with Killer, you'd gotten used to the thought and didn't think twice about giving out your last real secret.

"That explains why you were hard to pinpoint." Law said. "Its difficult when the object of interest is going by an alias."

You assumed he meant "the dragon" as opposed to Blue. Using your nickname did a great job of keeping your real identity hidden without you even thinking about it. That was probably the only reason you weren't found out earlier than you were.

"Well I'm still calling you Blue." Kid said with plenty of attitude.

"Wouldn't expect anything less."

"Now shall we get to the point Killer-ya?" Law asked impatiently. 

"He wants to make sure we aren't lying about your devil fruit (Y/n)." Killer said, your name slipping of his tongue easy now that you weren't hiding it. You loved how he said it, like it was something to be said in the privacy of a bedroom.

"Gotcha. Need me to do a full transformation then?"

"If you don't mind." Law gave you a polite nod.

"Can I get a ride then?" Luffy asked hopefully.

"Sorry, I don't give out rides." You shook your head firmly.

He pouted and grumbled to himself but didn't argue.

"Can I get some space?"

The rest of his crew was still hovering close by, listening in shamelessly. At your request, they moved away until you had enough room to change without squishing someone underfoot.

The transformation was as fast as always, really only taking a few seconds. It felt like it took longer though. Your skin prickled with energy, feathers broke through skin, wings unfurled elegantly, your tail wrapped around your taloned feet to avoid hitting someone, and you towered above every single person present. For added effect, you pushed out your chest feathers and made your crown stand on end. It took a lot of skill and practice to make the change seem so fluid and pretty. It used to be a bit of a harsh sight in the same way it was for most other zoan fruit users.

"That's amazing!" Luffy cheered.

"Dragon indeed." Law said to himself, no longer doubting you.

Others moved in to check you out and you were constantly looking in every direction to make sure you wouldn't step on anyone.

"There we go, she's proved herself." Kid said smugly. "What's your answer then?"

"Power like that opens up possibilities." Law mused. "An alliance would allow for us to make some serious progress in the city, remove other pesky challengers. But what about when there's no one left but us to claim the city?"

"We'll figure that out when we get there." Kid brushed him off. "So gimme a yes or a no."

"Alright." Law answered as he stared up at you, watching as you huffed out a small jet of blue fire. "I'll take you up on the offer. Just know that doesn't mean I trust you Eustass-ya."

"The feeling's mutual."

"That settles it." Killer said happily. "Luffy already agreed and now we have ourselves an alliance."

You took that as him saying you could shift back and stop being such a spectacle. That worked since you could see Luffy edging around the side of you quietly in hopes that you wouldn't see him moving closer to clamber up your back. As soon as you were featherless and back on two feet, he had launched himself at you and went sailing over your head. You'd heard about his rubber abilities but seeing them in action was completely different. It was crazy how much they enhanced his normal abilities.

"I told you no Luffy." You shrugged when he landed face first in the sand. There was a round of laughter from all three crews that signaled it was time for the fun for the day to begin.

----

The cooks of the gangs got started on food almost immediately. You say almost because Killer paused to strip off your shirt and take it with him so you'd be just in your swimsuit. Those from the newly formed alliance were surprised to find that the dragon that they found so intimidating was really just a very modest young woman with a bit of a mouth on her. They didn't expect you to hurl threats of shaking Killer like a ragdoll or dropping him from precarious hights for taking the piece of clothing away. It scared some while others laughed. Killer just smiled and took a picture of you with your hands on your hips, face dusted pink with embarrassment. He was having entirely too much fun with it.

You got over it quickly though, noticing out of all the women present, you were the most covered. The two in Luffy's group, Robin and Nami, were almost scandalously clad. There was one woman on Law's crew called Ikkaku but she seemed more interested in sticking around with the rest of her group. A lot of Law's gang was actually up for that, not quite as friendly as Luffy's small group. But they had no problem enjoying the beach and food. On the occasions you bumped into one of them, they were actually pretty friendly.

For the most part, you bounced around spending time with your own crew or some of the Strawhats, getting to know them. Sanji, the blonde that kept Zoro from a rematch, was helping cook and you said hi to him when you went to check on Killer. He was very flirtatious until he knew you were taken. Zoro seemed intent on sleeping through the day under the sun since you weren't going to fight him. On the occasion you saw him awake, he was drinking. A lot.

Nami, Franky, and Usopp spent a lot of time in the water. You assumed Chopper and Robin stayed out for the same reason you did. Despite his inability to swim, Luffy had strapped on some floaties and managed to go out to water, still able to have a blast even though it had to be exhausting being in so much water. Kid refused to do the same, even when Luffy said he had extras. He stuck to kicking up sand at the water's edge and bugging Heat and Wire. He was fine with the beach before everyone had packed into the place, now he just seemed grumpy.

Eventually you flopped over in the sand by yourself and took a moment to soak in the day. It was great out, though you heard a few people complain it was too hot if they weren't in the water. You thought the temperature was perfect but that was the dragon in you talking probably. People were chatting and playing all around you and it made it hard to think about the fact that they were all technically dangerous. It all felt almost too normal to believe that. You were curious how things would go after today but that would be something the gang leaders would have to figure out. You assumed anyone who was second in command would be involved in the planning process which meant Killer would be busy a lot from now on.

A pair of furry legs stepped into view, pulling you from your thoughts.

"Usopp and I are building a sand castle. Did you want to join?" Chopper asked sweetly. He was a little spooked around you for a bit after you took on your dragon form but he apparently had taken a liking to you.

You looked over to the side to see Usopp had indeed begun working on making something out of sand.

"I've never done that before." You admitted. "I don't know if I'll be any good."

"No worries! I, the great Usopp, will show you how it's done!" Usopp proclaimed with a wink.

You giggled. He had entirely too much confidence but it made for a good laugh. "Okay."

Chopper hopped around you as you got up and walked over to join them. True to his word, Usopp started showing you how to make it structurally sound enough to build and carve fun designs in. Chopper wanted to add a moat as well and your talons came in handy for all of it. You changed one hand enough that you could use to tips of your nails for carving delicate details and help out the little reindeer by digging up the more stubborn sand for him. They found your skills much less intimidating now that they could see you using them for more than just destruction. It was amazing how many people thought that's all your abilities were good for.

Through it all, both of them started asking you friendly enough questions. What made you want to join a gang? What'd you do before that? What hobbies you had or things you did for fun? It all led to some interesting conversation with you asking similar things and actually deciding you liked them. By the time you'd finished the castle, it was easily as big as you with a cute dragon even included, wrapping around it's base. You were pretty impressed with Usopp's artistic skills.

"That's impressive." Killer came by and started inspecting what the three of you made.

"Usopp did a lot of it." You said with a smile, still proud of the help you gave in making it. At the mention of his name, Usopp puffed up happily. He enjoyed the praise.

Killer nodded. "How about we go for a dip?" He asked you.

"You know I can't swim."

"I brought you something you can use."

"There's no way I'm wearing floaties like Luffy."

He chuckled quietly. "That'd be funny to see but no, that's not what I had in mind either."

You were about to ask how the hell he planned on making it so you could join him in the water when he pointed to a little body board a short distance off.

"I couldn't find you anything bigger but I think it'll work."

That'd let you get in the water without making you look like a fool. You couldn't pass that up. You got up to go with Killer, giving Chopper and Usopp a wave goodbye, and headed to the water. As soon as you stepped in, you felt it's draining effects. But it wasn't impossible to work with. After a couple failed attempts and with Killer's help, you managed to sit up on the board and got to hang out with your lover while he swam. Your legs dangled in the water so you were a little tired but it wasn't enough to ruin your time in the ocean.

Killer swam around like there was nothing more natural, sometimes tugging your board along to keep you from getting swept out to sea. After a short while, you realized you and him had drifted off to the far side of the beach, away from everyone else. He had too and decided to stop, getting you to a place where his feet hit sand but his body was still submerged in the water. He leaned onto your board, careful not to tip you over.

"You're getting along well with the Strawhats." He noted.

"Yeah, they're actually pretty nice people."

While you smiled, he frowned. "This alliance won't be permanent (Y/n). I think it's great for you to make friends but please don't let it be them. We're going to have to take them down as soon as everyone else around us is finished."

That was it. He moved you away so you could talk without any interruptions or anyone listening in.

"I know. I don't plan on being friends with them, I've just been spending time with them is all. It's supposed to be a fun get together anyway, right?"

His lips curled up into a sweet smile. "Right. Just...be careful. I don't want them taking advantage of you and I don't want to see you get hurt when it comes time to cut things off with them."

"I'll be fine." You bent down far enough for him to meet you halfway for a kiss. You don't know if it was the action or your words, but one of them seemed to calm his worries.

"Just keep that in mind." He murmured as he pulled you closer so he could brush his lips to yours again. "I don't want to see you hurt again."

The first time was because of him but he wanted to keep that as the only time you ever felt so bad. It was hard enough seeing the mess that made you, even if it was for a short period of time. He wasn't keen on going through that again. For yours and his sake, and you could appreciate that.

"Don't worry." You squished his cheeks between your hands and giggled as all his seriousness melted away. "I've got this."