Raya's POV

I wake up to see the rest of my nakama still sleeping peacefully. All except Vivi, who I see sitting at the windowsill, her forehead against the glass. She's smiling softly.

I silently swing my legs to the ground, vaguely aware that someone's switched my familiar clothes for a long cotton nightgown similar to the one Vivi's dressed in. I have never in my life worn a nightgown, not even as a child, and I find that it's too... breezy for my liking.

I tug at the gown's long sleeves, my nails biting into the fabric. I subtly flex my sore areas; they ache, but not to the point where I'm unable to move.

"You're up!"

Smiling, I nod in Vivi's direction. "Seems like I'm the only one," I reply, stretching my arms high above my head. I take a look at my my sleeping nakama, my smile widening. They deserve the down time, more than anyone in this shattered country. I sigh slighlty, realizing we'll never receive credit for this. It's not like I really care, seeing as how I'm a pirate, and don't particularly want to be seen as a do-gooder. But it means some random ass Marine is going to receive all the praise. Just like Bayer, so long ago, when my parents were killed.

I shake away the memory and stand, crossing the room to stand at Vivi's side. Speaking of Marines... "Hey, Vivi," I say, tapping her shoulder. She looks at me with a pleasant smile, to which I smirk slightly. "I need a favor."

"Anything," she says, nodding her head adamantly.

"I need hair dye and colored contacts."

Baffled, Vivi only stares at me, mouth agape. I thread my hair through my slender fingers, lifting it for her to see clearly. "I'm a little too recognizable," I tell her, shrugging. "And there's something I need to do that requires me to not get arrested by Marines. So, can you do it?"

Third Person POV

The city of Alurbarna is still in partial ruins, but the people's spirits are steadily rising from the ashes. People mill about the city, some helping with reconstruction, others shopping in the undamaged streets. Two Marine ships are docked at the at the coast, close to Nanohana, though there's a notable exception from their ranks: Captain Smoker.

He's returned to Alubarna for a single day to survey the recovery of the capitol. 

With two cigars clamped between his teeth, he leans back against the wall of a what used to be a restaurant. Dozens of people walk past him, not noticing the Marine symbols on his jacket, presuming him to be just another devastated citizen. One girl, though, clearly recognizes him for who he is. She smiles to herself when she spots him and hurries over.

"Captain Smoker."

The Captain looks down at the shorter-than-average girl, one eyebrow cocked. Everything about her is dark. Her hair the color of ravens, her eyes onyx, her desert clothing pitch black. Her smile, however, is radiant, and he feels he's witnessed it before.

"Who're you?" he asks gruffly, kicking one foot up against the wall and crossing his arms. She sheepishly rubs the back of her neck. "Ah, see, I can't tell you that," she says, offering a weak smile. He narrows his eyes in suspicion and she quickly continues. "It's just that, well, you would, uh, arrest me if you knew my name. So I'm just gonna keep that a secret."

And then it clicks for Smoker. That voice... it's the same one that gave him the slip in Nanohana, along with Fire Fist Ace. "Red Haired Demon, Flynn D. Raya," he says, and her eyes widen, feet instinctively backpeddling. But she swallows, and forces herself to remain standing in front of the menacing Marine. She isn't afraid of him, but she came here on friendly terms, and isn't interested in starting a fight.

To her surprise, Smoker half-smiles around his mouthful of cigars. "They told us you were a member of the Red-Haired Pirates," he says. "I see your allegience lies with Straw Hat instead."

"It's a long story," she says in response, rolling her eyes. "But that's not the point. So, you aren't going to clap me in Sea Stone cuffs and haul me off to Impel Down?" she questions dubiously. He shakes his head, grunting in frustration. 

"Not gonna happen this time, Demon," he says; her eye twitches in annoyance, but she otherwise doesn't react. "I'm not exactly in the mood to beat your ass."

Raya laughs at that. "If I remember correctly," she says, flicking him a playful glance, "you couldn't even thouch me last time we met."

"You had Fire Fist with you then. You don't now."

She opens her mouth to protest, but just as quickly shuts it. "Fair point," she mumbles.

"You here for a reason, Demon?" he asks, and a small smile graces her lips. "Why yes, Smokey, I am," she says. "I'm here to thank you. I just wish Tashigi were with you; she and her Marines helped us out a lot." Raya blanches, then waves her hands in a dismissive gesture. "Wait, no, I mean she didn't help us, cause we're pirates and that would be wrong but she--"

"I know all about it, Demon," he says, cutting her off, much to her relief. "She isn't in trouble, if that's what you were wondering. But why are you thanking me? Like you said, you're a pirate, I'm a Marine. We don't owe each other anything."

"In any other case, I'd agree with you, Smoker," she says, turning serious. She reaches for the sword strapped to her hip, wrapping tan fingers around the hilt. Smoker catches the action, but doesn't do anything about it. He senses no threat from the small, naturally-red-headed girl. He smirks realizing she changed her appearance for the sole purpose of remaining anonymous. Yet she couldn't do anything about her voice, and Smoker has excellent hearing.

"But," she goes on, "you're not just any Marine. I used to hate you, really I did. And while I still think nothing of your status as a Marine, as I person I have a very high opinion of you. Tashigi is you're Vice Captain, right?" He nods. "Then she learned from you, to make her own calls despite the law. I don't like you guys because she helped pirates, I lke you because she did what she knew was right to save this country, no matter the means. Even if it meant letting a ragtag group of pirates run around the city unsupervised. So, just thanks, for restoring my faith that at least some Marines have a sense of justice."

Smoker considers her words for a moment, absently chewing on his cigars. She waits patiently for a response, subtly pulling at the thin black clothes Vivi found for her. They're meant for Alabastan heat, and in that regard they do wonders, but they itch like hell.

"I'll assume you had a bad experience with Marines," Smoker guesses, and she nods without hesitation. "Dirty, back-stabbing, power-hungry Marines," she agrees, scowling at the memories pressing at her consciousness. "A man straight outta Hell: Mason Bayer."

Smoker shakes his head, eyes closed. He's heard of Bayer, how he rose quickly to the seat of Commodore, then quickly resigned after an incident at sea where he lost his ship to a fire. A certain red-headed pirate caused the damage, and Smoker almost smiles, knowing she's standing right in front of him. This was during her time with Red-Haired Shanks, or so his sources tell him. Rumors have been floating around that Red-Haired Demon Raya is really Shanks' long lost daughter. Staring in her disguised eyes, watching the determined set of her mouth, he'd doubt that. Shanks isn't known for being completely serious. But seeing the smile that's claimed her lips several times, and remembering how she acted with Fire Fist back in Nanohana... he's ready to accept that as the truth.

"Anyway, Smokey," she says, flashing a toothy grin. "That's all I wanted to say. Oh and this, I guess. Thanks for not arresting us when we escaped from under Rain Dinners, and maybe for caring about my well-being when I faced that bananadile?" 

He snorts in response, rolling his dark eyes.

She smiles anyway, shrugging. "Thought I'd give it a shot," she says pleasantly. She turns on her heel, and adds over her shoulder, "I know the next time we meet, you'll be my enemy, and you'll be after my captain's head. So just remember this: Despite my respect for you, I will not hesitate to burn your ass to cinders. Because Luffy will become King of the Pirates. I'll die to make sure that happens. Goodbye, Smokey. I'm glad you're not another Bayer."

She quickly walks off, slipping into the crowds and disappears from sight. Smoker stares after her for a moment, thoughtfully biting down on his cigars. He'll have to tell Tashigi about this. She may be horrified about her actions in assisting the Straw Hats, but he's sure she'll be interested in this conversation. And strangely, if the circumstances were different, he could see the Demon and his Vice Captain being friends. 

Dismissing the thought with a shake of his head, he pushes off the wall and starts down to the city's main gate, ready to head back to the port he'd docked in. 

Raya's POV

I feel good after that. I'm actually very pleased that Smoker is nothing like Bayer. He's a good man. Too bad we're on opposite sides of the law.

The palace guards don't recognize me at first, but I explain the situation to them, and grudgingly, they allow me to pass. I know it's been a few hours since I woke up, and something tells me most of the Straw Hats have woken as well. 

I make my way through the palace, trying to locate the infirmary. The sound of snoring of epic proportions finally brings me to the right room. I push open the door, and everyone in the room freezes. 

"Ah! It's a pirate hunter this time! I know it! Where's Zoro?!"

"Usopp, calm down, I--" I'm cut off when Sanji swoops in out of nowhere and takes my hand while he gets down on one knee. "What a beautiful maiden~" he coos, hearts filling his eyes. "Why is a goddess such as yourself gracing us with your presence?" He moves to kiss my hand, but I pull it back, wiping it on my pant leg. 

"You guys are all idiots," someone says from behind me. I move to the side to allow them to enter the room. Zoro walks past me, lifting a hand in a half-assed wave. "Hey, Raya. Where'd you go earlier?"

"RAYA?!?!"

I plug my ears, hoping to drown out the cacophony of confused shouts. "Yes, it's me," I growl, one eye scrunched close in annoyance. Incidentally, it's my scarred eye, giving the illusion, once again, that I'm left with only one usable eye. "I had to do something, and I needed a disguise. Unlike Sanji and Usopp, who I know went out earlier"--I gesture to the bags of supplies sitting by both their previously occupied beds-- "I have a bounty, and Marines would definitely remember my hair and eyes. Get it now?"

They all nod obediently, and Vivi sends me a small smile from where she sits beside Chopper, who appears to be grinding herbs down for medicine. She shrugs apologetically, and I shake my head, informing her that everything's fine.

As Sanji moves away and Usopp stops cowering behind Luffy, who's still passed out in sleep, I nudge Zoro with my elbow. He's currently dressed in a long black kimono-type outfit, though he's fitted his green haramaki over it to hold his swords. His clothes, along with my own, were the bloodiest, and I guess had to be thrown away. All the others are wearing their own clothes, or at least things similiar to their usual attire.

"How'd you know it was me?" I ask, tilting my head to the side ever so slightly. He shrugs. "Just knew," he says. He then reaches over and taps Honoo's sheath. "That just confirmed it," he adds, causing me to grin. I'm unsurprised Zoro was the only one to take Honoo into account. He's sharp.

"WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! I SLEPT REALLY WELL!!!"

Luffy's awake.

"Hey, Cap'n," I greet warmly, giving him a closed eye smile. "It's great to see you're doing wel--" I duck instantly, sensing his bone-crushing punch, aimed for my head. As his arm retracts, I shoot up angrily. "Goddamn it, Luffy!" I shout. "What the hell is wrong with you?!?"

"Oh, hey Raya! Sorry, didn't recognize you like that!" he chirps happily, laughing off the misunderstanding. If I had been one second slower in dodging, it would have been lights out for me. Possibly for good.

"That's it," I growl, stalking towards the bathroom connected to this room. "I'm getting rid of this ridiculous disguise. It's done more harm than good." 

I shut the door and quickly set about removing the contacts from my eyes. When that's done, I start the arduous process of removing the dye from my hair. It's a light dye, so it shouldn't be a problem washing it out. While I rinse my hair in the sink, thinking about the first time I became aware that Shanks is my father, I listen to what's happening back in the infirmary. Zoro's being scolded by Chopper for training, despite his condition, and for taking off his bandages. Zoro's defense: They were restricting his movements. Chopper's response: They were supposed to!

Luffy also complains about sleeping for three days. Hell, we all did, but he only just woke up, so I suppose his shock is warrented. But his agitation stems from the fact that, according to him, he missed fifteen meals. That's five per day, as Usopp points out. Another voice enters the room, and I smirk. Zoro and Luffy think it's Igaram, when it's really his wife. I will admit, they look scarily similar, but she's clearly a woman. Well, sort of.

She informs my crew mates that dinner will be ready in thirty minutes. That's not so bad. I can get my hair dried and maybe change before then. I don't facy wearing this outfit for much longer. The first chance I get, I'm returning to my ripped jeans and t-shirts. Man, I wish my Marine vest hadn't been bloodied beyond washing. It had just the right, mocking touch.

Pft. Marines are stupid. Alright, I'll exclude Tashigi and Smoker from that statement. But just those two.

I hear most of my crew get up and leave, including the recently comatose Luffy. I turn off the sink, wrinkling my nose at the black mess left behind by my exploits. Then I shrug and grab a towel, which I promptly use to run over my hair, ruffling it up in the process. I'm about to exit the bathroom when the door is roughly jerked open, and I'm pulled out just as roughly.

"Nami?" I say, blinking at her michievous smirk. I pause in my toweling and narrow my eyes at her. What has she got planned to make her smirk like that? Nothing good, I imagine. "What's going on..." My voice dies off as I notice what she holds in her hands.

"No," I say, shaking my head firmly. "Not a chance in hell." She pouts and holds the dress up, giving me a better view. It's a typical Alabastan dress that I'm assuming she borrowed from Vivi. This is actually pretty sad. That dress looks like it would fit me perfectly, and yet it has to be from when Vivi left the Kingdom two years ago, when she was just fourteen. Geeze, I'm not that small, am I?

The dress is beautiful, I'll admit. Long and flowing, with a emerald green skirt and a sparkling white bodice fitted with green gemstones around the shallow neckline. The area connecting the skirt and bodice is a darker shade of green, stamped with glittering crystals that reflect the afternoon light with stunning effect. It has gossamer sleeves that only succeed in wrapping around my arms, just below my shoulders, showing off the bare skin of both my arms and shoulders. "Hell  no," I repeat, trying to push past her. She stops me in my tracks, and forces the dress into my unwilling hands. 

"You're going to wear this, and you're going to be a girl for once," she commands, still smiling innocently. 

"Can't make me," I retort childishly.

"I'll tell Zoro you love him."

"But I don't!"

"So what? I'll still tell him that."

"You're evil, Nami."

"Thank you."

And this amazingly stupid conversation is how I end up in that dress with Nami fixing my hair so that it sweeps off one shoulder and curls around the other. As much as I hate this, I have to say, Nami has incredible skills when it comes to fashion and likes.

She too dons a spectacular Alabastan dress in hues of pink and gold, and then proceeds to lead me down to the banquet hall where the others are waiting. I would have had a harm time walking down the steps, but thankfully I convinced her to let me wear flat-soled sandals. I have never worn heels in my life, and I don't plan on starting now. Though I believe she only agreed because she realied I'd trip over my own feet, possibly break my ankle, and slam my face into the floor. And the blood from my broken nose could've ruined the dress.

Nami confidently pushes open the doors to the hall and saunters inside. Immediately Sanji is on his feet, swooning and praising, informing Nami that she is "the most beautiful and graceful creature to ever sail the seas!" I hide in the shadows just outside the hall for a moment, taking deep breaths. I shouldn't be nervous, but when you've only ever worn jeans and t-shirts your whole life, suddenly switching gears doesn't come naturally to you by any means. 

"Where's Raya?" I hear Usopp ask. And I can hear the smirk in Nami's voice when she replies, "She's just outside. Come on , Raya! Don't be shy!"

"Why would she be shy?" Zoro asks. I don't give Nami the opportunity to answer, because I'm actually afraid of what she would say to him. So I gather my courage and step into the hall, which instantly goes silent.

Great. They've all died of shock.

And Sanji's died of blood loss. Damn perverted nose bleeds.

Honoo was left upstairs, so the only thing I have to occupy my hands is the silver band Nami forced onto my upperarm. I twist it around my arm, looking at the floor while they all remain silent. Then, feeling slightly pissed off, I raise my head and glare at the table. "Screw this," I growl. "Screw you all, screw this day, screw you Nami and this goddamn dress!" I try to turn around and go back to the infirmary, by a strong hand wraps around my wrist, dragging me back towards the table. Luffy smiles at me, and this simple action allows the tightness in my chest to loosen somewhat. I sigh tiredly and drop into the chair beside a silent Zoro.

"I'm going to kill you in your sleep, Nami," I say lowly. She laughs, no doubt finding my threat to be lacking in conviction. "But you look so beautiful, Raya!" she says, in an almost teasing manner. Though I can tell she means what she says. "You should be thanking me!"

"What did I say about that word?" I mutter, flicking her an irritated glance. She simply shrugs and turns to the others.

"I think you look pretty, Raya," Luffy says with a huge, goofy, lopsided grin I've grown so used to. My lips twitch into an automatic smile that I can't hold back, and I nod my head in thanks.

"Yeah, you look great!" Usopp adds. 

Sanji only gapes, drool dribbling from the corner of his mouth. Nami scowls at him and shoves a napkin into his face, somewhat snapping him from his daze. 

"I agree with Luffy!" Chopper says brightly, sitting across from me. "Really pretty, Raya!"

"Zoro?" Nami promps with a self-satisfied smirk. "What do you think of Raya tonight?"

I don't even look at him, too upset with Nami to see if he's taken the bait. But when Nami giggles, I can't help it. I shift my eyes just enough to see him, and they widen in surprise. He's blushing again. He's actually really cute when he blushes...

Thankfully, a distraction comes in through the door just at that moment, in the form of King Cobra, Vivi, and a group of royal guards who position themselves along one wall. I suppose they're there to keep us safe, but I find the whole idea of people watching us eat more than just a little creepy.

Vivi starts when she sees me, then breaks into a stunning smile. She waves amd takes a seat at our side's head of the table, while her father takes the opposite seat. King Cobra gives a little welcoming speech, and gives a hearty thank you to us Straw Hats. And then the food's brought out, and all hell breaks loose.

My anxiety over the dress is instantly forgotten as I laugh at the scene in front of me. Luffy attacks his food, shoveling morsel after morsel into his blackhole of a stomach, tearing into meat chunks and devouring rice balls with a vengeance. And all the while he has this ridiculously blank and calm expression on his face that totally clashes with the swelling of his ever expanding cheeks.

Soon the others are just as ferocious, starting with Usopp. He hops up from his seat and plants one foot on the table, glaring at Luffy with his sharp teeth appearing in full force. "Hey Luffy! You just took from my plate!" he shouts, just as Luffy's arm snaps back to his side and stuffs more food into his face. 

"Come on!" he attempts to shout, succeeding in showering the table with spittle and chewed food. "I want more!"

"Don't spit food everywhere!!" Nami admonishes, an irk mark appearing on her forehead as she snaps at Luffy.

"Whoa, whoa, why are you eating so fast?" Sanji asks Chopper, who I think is trying to copy our captain. He too is shoveling food into his mouth at an unbelievable rate, though I suspect he may lose more than half of it by the night's end. "There's still a lot," Vivi says, offering a plate to Chopper. She sweat drops as he continues attacking the poor food.

Zoro is no different, seeming to believe that this is just another one of his training excercises. Though my attention is mostly captured by Usopp. I watch curiously as he rips open a pack from his pocket and spills the contents onto a rice ball. "Take this Luffy," I hear him chuckle. "This is my super hot chili!"

I splutter with laughter when Luffy immediately snags the rice ball and consumes it, only to find out about the chili. He spits fire towards the ceiling from his puffed up cheeks, shouting incomprehensible words of surprise. 

"You're really stupid!" Usopp snickers, alongside Eyelash.

Wait. What the hell?

"Huh!?!" Usopp practically chokes on his laughter as he notices Eyelash as well. "When did you?!?!" Eyelash only laughs (I think) harder and eats the food off a plate beside Usopp. Using a knife and fork.

Damn, camel's got skills.

I force myself to stop laughing long enough to eat what's on my plate. Despite being knocked out for three days, I'm not all that hungry. Well, that's a lie. I'm starved. But not to the point where I'll act like Zoro, Luffy and Chopper. 

"Can I have more sake?" Zoro shouts to the cooks racing in and out of the hall, and I raise my hand in agreement. "I want water!!" Sanji shouts, pounding on Chopper's back as he fight to swallow everything in his mouth, his hoof slamming down repeatedly on the table. I choke back a laugh watching him as he finally manages to swallow, and puffs out a ragged breath. 

A kind-looking older man sets the bottle of sake in front of me, and a youngish woman does the same for Zoro. I get a weird look from the man, while the woman bats her eyes seductively at Zoro. I press a hand over my mouth to hold back my howls of laughter when he completely ignores her and gulps down half the bottle of alcohol in one go. She visibly deflates and shuffles away from the table, throwing me a murderous glance before she's gone. I shrug questioningly in her direction before turning back to the table.

"Hey, Nami, Zoro," I call, catching both their attentions. "Want a rematch?" I ask, tipping my bottle from side to side, letting the sake slosh around audibly. "You passed out last time," Zoro points out, taking another swig. I grin. "So what?" I ask. "It won't happen again. You don't live on a ship with Benn Beckman, Yasopp, and Red-Haired Shanks without building a decent tolerance to alcohol. So are you guys in?"

Nami shrugs, agreeing. And Zoro smirks at me, to which I smirk back. I raise my bottle, and he taps his against it. "Let the games begin!"

Eleven bottles of sake later, and I am insanely, ridiculously drunk. "I'm tapping out," I giggle, even though nothing's funny, waving my hand vaguely at Nami and Zoro. Actually, Nami dropped out at bottle seven, saying she didn't want to appear unladylike in front of the King. 

Zoro swigs down the last of his thirteenth bottle and sets it down on the table. "I won anyway," he says, smirking down at me, as my head is currently dropped onto the table beside my plate. I clumsily slap his arm in an attempt to appear angry, but the emotion just doesn't come. I can't be angry when I'm drunk. I'm all smiles and giggles and weird, random shit spouting from my mouth. Or so Shanks told me. I don't really remember a lot of my drunken past.

"You are"--hiccup--"inhuman," I tell him, breaking into a fit of half giggles and half hiccups. He laughs too, though I suspect he's at least partially drunk and otherwise wouldn't find this funny.

"Are you alright, Raya?" Vivi asks me. I can tell she's worried, but I can also hear the laughter in her voice. I shoot up into a sitting position and beam at her. "Just dandy!" I say, without a hint of sarcasm. "I'm on cloud nine! Whoa, wouldn't it be so cool to be a cloud?! Just... awesome!" I laugh, receiving several strange glances from the sober members of our group. Including Chaka.

And then the hiccupping giggles sends me out of my chair and onto the floor, where I continue to laugh as though nothing's wrong. Cause it's true! We beat Crocodile's ass and saved the day! Everything's perfect!

"She wasn't like this last time," Nami comments. I can't see her but that's cool. Doesn't really matter. Ooh, Vivi's wearing really pretty shoes.

"She doubled the amount of sake she can hold," Zoro adds. He sounds almost... proud? Dunno. That'd be weird. "There's bound to be some... interesting side effects."

"Wanna know what else is interesting?" I ask, popping up off the floor and getting in Zoro's face. He blinks at me several times, then slightly inclines his head, telling me to go on. "You, my dear Swordsman, have three swords! Three! Amazing!"

"She's funny like this," Luffy laughs, patting his greatly expanded belly contentedly. "She's disturbing like this," Nami corrects. Usopp and Chopper nod their agreement. Sanji just sighs and says, "Even drunk, she's still heavenly!"

I make a face and stick my tongue out at Sanji. "Pervert," I say seriously, then dissolve into another fit of giggles. Everyone, including Vivi, Cobra and Chaka laugh at that and I smile, swaying slightly on my feet. 

"I've got an idea," Vivi says, directing everyone's attention to her. "How about we all go to the bath houses to relax after such a big meal?" she suggest. Everyone nods and smiles. I just laugh at something I can't remember.

"She'll drown if we let her near the bath," Zoro says, jerking a thumb at me. I pout and swipe his hand away. "Meanie," I mumble. He smirks at me.

"Well, she stinks like the rest of you, so she's going to get a bath one way or the other," Nami says in a tone that suggests there is no arguing her point.

"You're all meanies," I say, sitting back in my chair with my arms folded across my chest. And then, thank Kami, I have a brief moment of sobriety. I blink, rubbing my dry eyes, and turn to Zoro. "Slap me," I order. He flinches back, then narrows his eyes at me. The other, non-drunk people, all raise eyebrows. "Just"--hiccup--"do it. It'll"--hiccup--"help." I pick up Zoro's hand and tap it against my cheek. "Seriously," I say, my words beginning to slur together again. "Yasopp and Benn did it to me all the time on Red Force. It helps. Please," I beg.

Zoro rolls his eyes. "Fine," he says, sounding slightly more sober himself. "But it won't be my fault if you get upset afterwards."

"Oh just stop whining, Swordsman. I won't--"

SLAP

My head whips to the side, a stinging pain erupting from my cheek. I blink, and the world comes back into focus. Phew, it worked. That definitely cleared the slurring thoughts from my head. I rub my cheek, knowing there's a perfect red mark in the shape of Zoro's large hand there, and grin at the Swordsman. "Thanks," I say brightly, and everyone visibly relaxes. Except Sanji, who has to be held back by both Chopper and Nami.

"How dare you, you shitty marimo!" he shouts, struggling to get at Zoro, to leap at him and exact his "worthy" revenge. "How could you harm such a lovely goddess?!"

"Shut it, ero-cook! She asked to be slapped!" Zoro growls, standing from his chair to face the perverted chef. I roll my eyes and drag Zoro back into his seat. "C'mon, Dartboard Brow," I say, glaring at Sanji. "Are you that hard of hearing? I did ask Zoro to slap me. I needed it, otherwise I probably would've drowned in the baths." Stumbling onto my first coherent thought of the night, I turn to Luffy. He grins at me. 

"Hey, Cap'n," I say, feeling slightly embarrassed about what I'm going to ask. "I was wondering... can, uh, can Devil Fruit users even take baths?"

He blinks at the question, clearly confused, so I try to explain. "Well, I mean, we get all weak in water, and I know it isn't just salt water. And I just... I really don't want to drown in a bath. That has to be the dumbest way to die I've ever heard of for a pirate."

His grin returns and he nods vigorously. "Yep!" he says. "We can take baths! No problem!"

One corner of my mouth tips up in a smile, and I nod in acknowledgement. "That's good," I sigh, rising to my feet. "Well, then that's where I'm heading. You guys coming?" I ask, looking from Vivi to Nami. Vivi smiles softly and also stands. Nami nods, pushing away from the table and following Vivi and I out the door. She leads us to the baths, after I grab a set of spare clothes to change into, and we quickly strip down and wrap ourselves in towels.

A group of soldiers spots us walking to the baths, and turn into Sanjis. 

"Gross," I mutter, shuffling along after Vivi. Nami, however, slightly unwraps her towel and informs the soldiers that to look at her naked, they'll have to pay one hundred thousand berries each. I sigh in exasperation, and am only too happy when we finally reach the baths and sink into the steaming water.

Nami leans back against the side of the pool, resting her arms on the edge. I get a good look at the strange tattoo on her arm, and I remember her telling me that it symbolizes her adopted mother, sister, and a man who acted almost like her father back on her home island. It was originally a tattoo showing her affiliation with the Arlong Pirates, but since Luffy rescued her and her village from him, she changed the mark.

I sigh quietly to myself. I missed so much...

"We're thinking of leaving here today," Nami says, speaking to Vivi, even though this is the first I've heard of it. They were probably discussing it while I was out today. 

"Huh?!" Vivi says, clearly shocked. "Really?!"

"We don't have any reason to stay here anymore because Luffy has recovered," Nami explains, lifting a hand slightly in an explanatory gesture. I watch as Vivi's eyes go wide, and the sadness that fills them. "The Marines are guarding the coast, and our ship is in danger," Nami adds.

I nod, catching on. "She's right, Vivi," I say as gently as I can. "I was asking around today. Most of the Marines has pulled back to the port in Nanohana. They'll definitely get wind of where our ship is located, and we can't let them capture it, or else we're next. It makes sense to leave tonight. I'm sure the others will agree."

She bows her head, accepting my words. But she looks so lost... and conflicted. She's a Straw Hat, through and through. But she's also Princess of Alabasta. She wants to come, but she feels she needs to stay. I'm glad I don't have that pull, tugging me in two different directions. Even with Shanks captaining another boat in the New World, I don't feel the need to be by his side. I know exactly where I belong, and that's with Luffy and the others.

If they offer her the chance to come with us, I hope she makes the right choice. For herself, and for her country.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, that was kinda boring. I'm sorry! But I predict we'll have one, maybe two more Alabasta related chapters, and then I'll be able to move on with a clear conscience. So, yeah. That's about it. Hope you keep reading my story, and I hope you enjoy the chapters to come!