"𝓘 𝓭𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓰𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓼, 𝓭𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓽𝓲𝓵𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓰𝓮, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓻𝓸𝓵𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓶𝓪𝓭𝓮 𝓶𝓮 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓸𝓵. 𝓝𝓸, 𝓘 𝓭𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾."

***

There was no way Artemisia was going to be able to fall asleep. The conversation with Kaya and Nami had been enough to make her too awake to sleep. Sleeping would be a lost cause. So she decided to head to the kitchen with Nami. The two planned to get a midnight snack, hoping it would make them sleepy enough to go to bed. What they saw when they got to the kitchen was certainly not what they expected.

On the kitchen table was Luffy. He looked to be asleep. The sight made Artemisia raise an eyebrow. Nami called out to him, "Luffy." There was no response from the boy. He remained completely still on the tabletop.

There was a faint look of something around his mouth that Artemisia saw, "He probably passed out from eating too much. It should be fine." Artemisia shrugged. She hoped that nothing was wrong at least. This was Luffy though. It was very plausible that he passed out after eating. It was something he did regularly.

Still, Nami seemed a little worried, "Maybe... I just want to be sure. Luffy." She walked over to the table. There was still no response. A look of panic took over Nami's features. Artemisia had to admit, she was starting to get anxious too.

Upon closer inspection, the stuff around his mouth was blue. There was a pot of blue soup nearby that was completely empty. It must've been Kaya's special soup he got into. A faint gurgling sound could be heard coming from Luffy's stomach. That was something that wasn't supposed to happen. Nami opened one of Luffy's eyes. He remained unresponsive.

Shifting nervously, Artemisia leaned a little closer to the boy, "Okay, I'll admit... That's a little worrying." Luffy would've definitely woken up by now. He wasn't that deep of a sleeper. He usually woke up when you called his name once or twice. He should've woken up when Nami started messing with his eyes.

"A little?" Nami inquired sarcastically. She slapped his face once to get a reaction, "Luffy!" A groaning sound was made by his. His eyelids flutter and Artemisia could see his pupils move slightly. There was still no major response. Artemisia sucked in a deep breath. Soon after, clanging could be heard from nearby. Nami turned in the direction of the sound before turning back to Artemisia, "Help me get him."

"Okay. I get the feet." Artemisia was not going to put herself through the torture of having to smell his armpits. Nami rolled her eyes at this. Artemisia grabbed his legs and Nami put her arms under his armpits. When the two tried to move him, he didn't move. 

"Oh, come on," Nami complained.

Nothing happened after trying again. Artemisia groaned, "How is he not budging? How heavy is he?" She knew he ate a lot but didn't think he would've eaten that much. Well, it made sense. The whole pot was empty. She doubted that Kaya ate that much. She was busy with them the whole night.

A new voice sounded, "Yes." It was Klahadore.

There was no way that he could catch them here. Artemisia locked eyes with Nami, "Hide now!"

Both girls let Luffy go. Leaving him on the table was the best option. They weren't able to move him and they doubted they had the time to attempt again. Artemisia's eyes flitted around to try to find a good hiding spot. She was too panicked to think clearly. She was coming up with nothing. It was unfortunate for them because she could now hear footsteps coming closer to the kitchen.

"Do you understand?" She heard Klahadore ask someone.

A female voice replied, "I understand, sir." Sham.

Footsteps could be heard from beside Artemisia. She turned to see Nami heading for a cupboard. Nami opened it and climbed inside, closing the doors behind her. Artemisia still couldn't find any other hiding places. She did the one thing she could think of. She went toward the cupboard Nami was hiding in and opened it. She was met with Nami looking at her with wide eyes, "What are you doing?" Nami waved her away. "Go!"

"There's nowhere else!" Artemisia quietly exclaimed. She didn't want to be too loud otherwise they would both get caught. After the stunt Luffy pulled at the dinner, they were already on thin ice with the staff. They would be lucky if they let Luffy eating Kaya's soup and passing out on the table slide.

Sighing, Nami conceded, "Fine." And so Artemisia climbed in.

It ended up with her basically sitting in between Nami's legs. She closed the door once she was inside. She was grateful that both of them managed to fit in the cupboard. It was a little cramped but nothing she couldn't deal with. The two remained silent as they watched the scene play out in front of them.

Three people walked into the kitchen. Sham, Buchi, and Klahadore. The first person they could actually hear speak was Sham, "I understand, sir. I just left Miss Kaya in her room." They didn't seem to notice Luffy at first.

It wasn't until they were at the top of the small staircase did they see him. Klahadore was the first to spot him on the table. It was hard to make out his facial expression from far away. Artemisia could only see that he was looking at Buchi as he asked, "What is he doing here?" The group walked down the stairs. Sham and Buchi were the ones to investigate the scene. Klahadore stood a little ways away as he watched. Sham patted Luffy's face while Buchi lifted his arm. There was no reaction to either action. "What's wrong with him?" Now that Klahadore was closer, Artemisia could see the dark expression on his face. This wasn't the same butler they'd met earlier in the day.

A wide grin was on Buchi's face, "Little guy couldn't get enough of my latest recipe," Sham crossed her arms as she gave a stern glare to him. Buchi turned his attention to her, "I was chasing that perfect balance between bitter and savory," Leaning down, he inspected Luffy more closely, "Just wish I could've asked him," He tapped Luffy's face. Still no response. "How it tasted."

"It tasted like poison, idiot," Sham stated. The statement made both Artemisia and Nami freeze. They shared a glance at each other as they were both thinking the same thing. They'd been giving Kaya poisonous soup this whole time... And Luffy had just eaten a whole pot full of it. They were in so much trouble right now.

"Not while I'm the cook," Buchi said.

Aggression was clear in Sham's voice, "You're not a cook. I'm not a maid. We're pirates."

The conversation had not turned into a full-blown argument between the two. Buchi went to shoot his own shot at the woman, "Sell yourself short, Sham, but leave my cooking out of-" Nothing else could be said. He was cut off by someone else.

That person was Klahadore, "Enough!" It was obvious that he had enough of their fighting. The two stopped talking almost immediately, looking down at the floor. The power dynamic became clear to Artemisia. If they were a pirate crew, Klahadore was either higher up in the crew... Or he was the captain. Either way was still bad. They barely managed to take down Buggy. Who knows what kind of tricks this guy had? "I can't hear myself think over your inbred nonsense!" Sham narrowed her eyes at Buchi. "Now, how much of the soup did he eat?" Klahadore directed his attention to Buchi.

There was a moment of silence as Buchi tried to think of an answer, "Uh..," Buchi looked over at the pot just to see it was empty. A smile appeared on his face for a second. It quickly dropped as he turned to look back at Klahadore, "All of it." Buchi glanced over at Sham who only glared at him.

"How fortuitous," Klahadore commented. He looked at Buchi, who was smiling, "Go ahead and toss him in the well with the green-haired oaf." He moved his attention to Sham as well, showing that he wanted both of them to take care of the mess. Artemisia could hear Buchi agree to the order but she was focused on something else.

Green-haired oaf. She looked back at Nami and mouthed the words. Both knew exactly who that had to be. Zoro. How on Earth did he get overtaken by these three? That was a surprise in and of itself. When Artemisia focused back on the outside of the cupboard, she could see Klahadore had started to leave. That would leave Sham and Buchi, who were grabbing Luffy.

"And don't you dare track in mud all over my floors again," Sham scolded.

"Says the maid." The comment from Buchi made Sham gasp in offense.

It was now starting to feel a little uncomfortable in the tight space. Artemisia shifted slightly, trying not to make any noise. She could feel Nami's stare on her but didn't meet it. She was too focused on what the three pirates were doing. A doorbell sounded at that exact moment. All of them stopped in their tracks. Sham and Buchi even let go of Luffy, leaving him on the table.

"Who'd ring the bell at this hour?" Sham inquired.

The worry could be easily spotted in Sham's tone. Klahadore on the other hand was stonefaced as usual, "Just stay put. Understood?" Sham nodded in response while Buchi grunted. "Let's not allow the night to get the better of us." Klahadore exited the kitchen, most likely to see who was at the door. After what felt like forever, the snail phone sounded. Klahadore's voice could be heard coming from it, "Buchi, the Marines are here. They've come to collect the drunken Straw Hat Pirate," Sham and Buchi share a look. "Bring him to the front of the house at once."

"Marines," Buchi was now starting to sound panicked. "What are we gonna do?"

"Nothing."

There was a moment when Buchi opened and closed his mouth, trying to find the words to say. He looked down at Luffy, "But what if the Straw Hat talks?" Yeah, Artemisia doubted that he was ever going to wake up. She hated to say it. If he hadn't woken up already, she didn't believe there was a possibility he ever would.

And Sham seemed to be thinking the same thing. She let out a scoff and grabbed a rag from nearby, "He drank enough of that soup to kill a sea beast," She wiped the leftover soup from Luffy's mouth. She then looked up at Buchi with a stern glare, "Stick to the captain's plan." She gestured for Buchi to help her move Luffy.

They did the same as Artemisia and Nami. Sham grabbed his legs while Buchi grabbed the top part of his body. Unlike the girls, they were actually able to get him off the table. Both wrapped one arm around their shoulders once his feet were on the ground. "Come on, sweetheart," Buchi grumbled out. The two dragged him out of the kitchen.

It was now only Nami and Artemisia. Neither made a move to get out. They remained completely still. They were right to do so. Sham came back not even a moment later. She was starting to clean the table, most likely to clear any evidence of the soup. She headed to the sink to wash the dishes. Sham wiped the top of the lid clean and placed it back onto the pot. She picked it up and started heading in a direction. Their direction.

Okay, that was it. They needed to do something. But what? Nami tapped Artemisia on the shoulder. Artemisia looked back at her to see Nami point at one of the pans. Artemisia gave the girl a look of confusion. What was she doing? Nami rolled her eyes. She mimicked hitting and pointed to the pan. That's when Artemisia finally understood. She wanted to take down Sham now.

Reaching for the pan, Artemisia tried to stay quiet. She carefully took it off the hook it was on and handed it over to Nami. Nami refused to take it. She instead pointed at Artemisia, saying without saying that Artemisia had to be the one to do it. Artemisia gave her a look asking why. Nami pointed out their positioning. An inaudible sigh came from Artemisia. Still, she got herself ready to do what was needed.

Thankfully, Sham didn't actually come to the cupboard. She placed the pot on the counter. Her back was to the cupboard which allowed Artemisia to open the door. As soon as Artemisia stepped out of the cupboard, Sham turned around. Sham didn't have enough time to comprehend what was happening. Artemisia had already hit her across the face with the pan, making the pirate fall to the ground, unconscious. Artemisia sighed, "I'm so glad that worked."

A look was shot at her by Nami, "Of course it did. Now let's go." Yeah, you didn't need to tell her twice. The two of them got out of there as fast as they could. Not wanting to stick around for when Sham inevitably woke up. They headed to the first place that came to mind. Kaya's room. They needed to warn her.

While on the way there, the power flickered. Shutters closed from the outside of the house. They were stuck in the house with dangerous pirates. Exactly what they needed right now! The two continued on their way to Kaya's room. As soon as Kaya's bedroom door was in view, they rushed toward it. Nami tried to open it but wasn't able to. Eventually, the door opened. Kaya and Usopp were in the room, both looking alarmed.

"Thank God you're still alive," Nami said with relief in her voice.

"Why wouldn't we be alive?" Kaya questioned.

"With everything going on," Artemisia took a deep breath, "I'm surprised we're not all dead yet."

That didn't exactly explain everything so Nami explained everything they've heard up until now. The whole conversation they'd heard in the kitchen with Sham, Buchi, and Klahadore was being aired out. They spared no detail, wanting to make sure that the two understood just how much danger they were all in. At the end of the story, Kaya still seemed confused by what was said, "Poison? What are you talking about?"

"We overheard them in the kitchen," Nami replied. "It's been going on for years."

Instead of reacting how they expected, Kaya looked back at Usopp, "Did Usopp put you up to this?" She turned her attention back to the two girls in front of her.

The question made Artemisia raise an eyebrow, "Why would Usopp put us up to this? This is serious. We're not joking." From the short time they'd known Usopp, she'd figured out that he liked to tell tall tales but she doubted that he would lie about something like this.

Speaking of Usopp, he was lost in his own world, "I didn't even know," He was staring at the teapot that sat on the table in the room. He looked devastated by the revelation, "I gave you that tea." Artemisia pursed her lips. She couldn't imagine how horribly both Kaya and Usopp were feeling.

"Think about it, Kaya," Nami called the girl's attention back to her. "When did you start getting sick? Was it around the time Kuro started working here?" That was another thing. They'd figured out that Klahadore was actually Kuro, the captain of the Black Cat Pirates. That's why he looked so familiar to Zoro and Artemisia. They'd both seen his wanted poster before. Kaya looked scared. Nami took notice of this, "Listen to me," The two locked eyes, "If we stay here, we die. We have to leave now," For a moment, Kaya was stuck in disbelief. She shook her head in shock before she glanced back at Usopp. She looked at Artemisia for a second before finally looking at Nami, slowly nodding. The four jumped into action. Kaya led them to a secret passage and they walked through it with Usopp leading the way with a lantern. Kaya and Artemisia were in the middle of the group while Nami was in the back. Speaking of Nami, "Where are we going?"

"Away hopefully," Artemisia replied.

"Well, I know that."

"We gotta get out of the house," Usopp told them.

None of the answers Nami was getting were helping. Thankfully, Kaya gave them the answer they needed, "There's another crank that can open the shutters. It's in my parents' bedroom in the east wing."

"Are you sure?" Usopp asked her. "Maybe there's another way."

"This is the only option," Kaya insisted. "We have to go-" She was cut off.

A coughing fit was brought on. Artemisia's eyes widened. Kaya was trying to cough quietly but it was doing nothing. They were going to get caught at this rate. At that exact moment, three metal claws burst through the wall between Kaya and Usopp. Kaya gasped while Artemisia jumped. The claws retracted a moment later.

The group was frozen. None of them said anything until Artemisia whispered loud enough for them all to hear, "Okay, let's just calm down and...  Go the other way." She was hoping that Kuro hadn't heard her say that.

The four turned to go the other way. They were immediately met with claws. They stabbed from behind Nami. The claws retracted and stabbed in front of Usopp. Artemisia could faintly hear Kuro speaking from the other side of the wall, "It's your birthday. It's time to celebrate!"

Once again, the claws retracted. They stabbed through the wall again, this time they were on either side of Kaya. She gasped and screamed as she was slashed in the shoulder. Usopp moved her to start running again once the claws were gone. They continued their venture deeper into the tunnels. It wasn't long until they reached a door. Usopp was the one to open it. On the other side of the door revealed a dark room with sheets covering the furniture. They filed in one after the other. Nami entered last so she closed the door behind them. Kaya went up to a panel in the wall and opened it. It revealed a lever.

Meanwhile, Usopp was taking a look around the room, "Oh. Okay," He switched the arm that held the lantern. "Big, creepy room. No problem," Kaya switched the lights back on. After blinking a few times, they were finally able to make out their surroundings better. Kaya stared at the cut on her arm to make sure it wasn't serious. It didn't look bad enough to need stitches so that was good. Usopp shut off the lantern by blowing out the flame. He set it down next to a scary-looking animal figure. He shuddered before he started to freak out. Artemisia's eyes darted over to him, trying to see what was wrong. He wiped his hand against his clothes, "It was a spider."

The brunette crossed her arms, "Seriously? You're worried about a spider right now?" Nami shook her head at him. Both girls felt like they had a lot more to worry about than a spider. A pirate captain with huge claws seemed like a huge deal at the moment.

"We treated him like family," Artemisia turned to see Kaya with tears in her eyes. Nami walked over to her. "How did I not see it? How did I not see him?"

"It's not your fault," Nami placed her hands on Kaya's shoulders. Artemisia could tell it was an attempt to comfort her. "He took advantage of you. Now, I need you to be strong so we can get out of here." Kaya nodded silently at Nami's statement.

Kaya walked to, what Artemisia assumed, was a painting covered by a sheet. The other three joined her, standing behind her. Kaya grabbed the sheet and pulled it off. Under the sheet was in fact a painting. It was a painting of a man and a woman. The woman had a child sitting on her lap. Kaya stared at the painting with despair in her eyes, "What would they think of me?" She shook her head. "They'd be so disappointed."

"Don't say that," Artemisia told her. Kaya glanced back to see the determined expression on Artemisia's face. It wasn't a pitying one. It was an expression that showed they had something to deal with and could get through it if they worked together. "No one in your position would know something like this would happen."

"They'd want you to survive," Nami added. "And that is exactly what we are going to do," Kaya nodded at this. She grabbed the painting and opened it to reveal a crank behind it. She pulled the crank out of the wall with the help of Nami. The four grabbed the crank. Nami gave them one order, "Pull."

And so they did. They pulled as hard as they could. They were only able to turn it the slightest bit. It didn't go past an inch. They were struggling to budge it. Nothing was happening. 

"God, this thing needs some oil," Usopp commented.

"No," Nami corrected him. "It just needs a little elbow grease."

Artemisia gave her a look, "We're giving it elbow grease, nothing is happening!"

It was then they heard the voice they hoped not to hear again, "Kaya," Kuro. The four froze and turned in the direction of the door. They could hear his footsteps getting closer. "Oh, Miss Kaya," Nami was the first to walk away from the crank. Usopp put it back, closing the painting to hide it once more. Nami ran back to Kaya and grabbed her. They all ran to find a place to hide. "Sounds like we have a bigger rat problem than I thought," Kaya, Artemisia, and Nami hid under a desk. They placed the sheet back on it to hide themselves further. Artemisia and Nami sat on one side while Kaya sat on the other. Artemisia had no idea where Usopp hid but she hoped he wouldn't get caught. "Maybe we need a cat in the house," Artemisia heard the doors open. "Now, now, Kaya, I know you're in here," They stayed quiet. Kaya was looking at the girls with panic in her eyes. "Come out. There's no point in hiding who we are anymore," The thinness of the sheet allowed Artemisia to see Kuro run his claws along a harp. "Isn't it exhausting putting on airs, pretending we're better than we are?!" Kuro was now out of sight. Artemisia could hear the sound of a sheet being torn. Kaya was shaking with tears in her eyes. "You've had every opportunity this world has to offer," The sound of something stone breaking hit their ears. "What have you done with your life?" Kaya flinched at this. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing!" Nami glanced at Kaya. "You are a pathetic," Kuro stopped in front of the sheet on the desk they were hiding under. Artemisia felt her blood freeze along with the rest of her body. "Spoiled, sniveling little brat!" He grunted as he shoved the claws into the desk. He almost hit Kaya but missed. Artemisia's eyes widened. They continued to be silent. He pulled the claws back out. "Oh, come now, Kaya," He walked away from the desk. "Let's not make this more difficult than it need be, hmm? Just consider this payback for all those years spent listening to your incessant whining," Artemisia heard the ruffling of a sheet. There must've been no one under it because he moved on quickly, ""Bring my blanky, Klahadore." "Make my tea. Brush my hair,"" The sound of a mirror breaking made Artemisia flinch. ""Oh, Klahadore..,"" Artemisia was able to see Kuro stop in front of the painting of Kaya's parents. His back was turned to the girls, ""I miss my mommy and my daddy." When all I wanted to do was rip your tongue out!" He put three scratches into the painting. Kaya closed her eyes in despair before becoming angry. She reached up onto the desk and pulled down a sharp object. Nami shook her head at the girl. Kuro turned, adjusting his glasses, "Where to look next? Well, you always were Daddy's little girl, even if he didn't have enough time for you, hmm?"

There was nothing either girl could do. Kaya looked like she already made up her mind. Nami still tried. She gave the blonde a stern look and whispered, "Don't."

"I'm stronger than you think," Kaya whispered back.

"Against him?" Artemisia also whispered.

No response was given to her question. Both Kaya and Nami came out from under the desk. With nothing left to do, Artemisia sighed and came out as well.

~~~

Hey! Another chapter for you! I felt in the mood so I gave you two. I might do another one too. It depends on how bored I am. I hope you guys liked this chapter!