32~ We're Taking Vivi to Alabasta

Mira

And I was worried about Zoro and I taking on two Devil Fruit users. Luffy and Zoro took care of them as if they were nothing. In just one second, they had the two agents thrown into buildings. They won't be getting up any time soon.

Vivi stared in disbelief. "H-how... that's twice now!"

I let out a gust of air through my nose and smiled. "That's our captain and right hand man you're talking about. I'll admit, I was a bit worried at first, but then I remembered all the things we did to get to this point. Buggy, the revived Captain Kuro, Don Krieg, Arlong, Marine Captain Morgan, all those guys were taken down very quickly by this crew."

"N-no way..." She stared wide eyed at Zoro and Luffy as they turned to get back to their interrupted brawl. "You guys took down all of them?!"

"Yup." I nodded and popped the P. "Piece of cake."

"Amazing..." The two before us grunted and screamed at each other during the fight. I just shook my head at the two of them.

"That doesn't even begin to describe how powerful those guys alone are." I crossed my arms and relaxed, knowing this would be over soon.

Thee two fighters pulled away suddenly, their muscles bulging. I squinted a bit and tipped my head to the side. Well, that's new. Raw power and strength rolled off their bodies. It became tangible and I could see the ripples filling the space around them. They clenched their joints and muscles once more, their jaws locked.

"What strength!" Vivi tightened her hold on Karoo's reigns. I glanced over to her. She was shaking slightly.

"Hey," She glanced down at me. "There's no need to be afraid. None of this is directed at you. We're trying to save you, remember?"

"Right..." She gulped and focused back on the two. "Rescue me..."

I faced the two knuckle heads once more. I'm betting this will end in a draw.

Energy crackled in the air as the two of them let out battle cries, ready to come together once more. Yeah, it'll be a draw.

My eyes widened. Then again, maybe not.

"Knock that off!!!" The force behind the punches sent both Zoro and Luffy face first into the dirt.

I stood from my spot and dusted myself off. "Thank goodness that's over. I thought this would drag on all night."

"What the heck are you guys doing?!" Nami demanded as she placed her fists on her hips. "It's a good thing you managed to keep the girl safe! You almost let a billion berries get away from us!"

Zoro and Luffy twitched on the ground, unable to move. "Understand?!" She stood over the two and lifted them up by their collars.

"And Mira!" I stood at attention. "Why the hell didn't you stop them?!"

"I wanted to see how this would play out, Nami." I stared back at her. "I stood by Vivi the entire time and not once did anything get close to her. I knew those two could take care of the agents, so I let them duke it out."

"Honestly..." She sighed.

"What's going on here?!" We brought our focus to Vivi. "What are you talking about? Why did you save me?"

Zoro and Luffy were still glaring at each other, shaking with unbridled rage. As Nami spoke, they gave each other small kicks and punches. "Right! We were gonna talk about that! It's like this: Won't you make a contract with me?"

"It's a trap." I whispered.

"Huh?" Vivi asked me then looked back to Nami. "Contract?"

"Quit fighting!" Nami snapped and slugged the two once more. She brushed off her hands and smiled at Vivi. "Let's get somewhere a bit more private, shall we?" We nodded and followed Nami. I made sure to keep Zoro and Luffy away from each other. If they even tried to fight, I'd scratch them.

Soon, we reached a spot near the canal. As Nami explained the contract to Vivi, Zoro and I explained to Luffy what really happened while he and the others were asleep.

He thought for a moment before he tipped his head back and laughed. "Oh! You shoulda just said so, Zoro! I just figured you cut them all down 'cause they didn't make any food you liked!"

"Don't compare me to you!" I chuckled at the two. They fight like brothers. I finished putting Vivi's hair up into a high ponytail and went to sit down.

Luffy just laughed harder. "C'mon! Don't sweat it!"

"Shut it, you two!" Nami jabbed her finger at both of them. They instantly shut their mouths, afraid of what she might do next. I just leaned against a barrel and held back a giggle.

"So, there you have it." Nami smiled down to Vivi. "As compensation, I would like one billion berries. You saw how strong these guys are."

Vivi looked away, her eyes shutting a bit. "It's a pretty good offer if you ask me." Nami smirked and raised an eyebrow at her.

"I can't." She cut off Nami's next words. "I do appreciate you guys saving me. Thank you."

"Why can't you?" Nami demanded as she placed her hands on her hips. "You're a princess! One billion shouldn't be that much for you..."

"Do you know of the kingdom of Alabasta?" Vivi looked up slowly.

I shook my head. "Never heard of it. Though, it sounds grand."

"It was..." Vivi folded her hands in front of her and spoke softly. "It's a peaceful kingdom known as a great civilization and nation. Well, it used to be, as I said."

"Used to be?" Nami and I asked at the same time. "What about now?" Nami encouraged her to give a better explanation.

"It's in the middle of a civil war." Vivi sighed. "For years now, signs of a revolution have begun to appear. The people revolted, and the kingdom fell into total chaos..." Normally I would say something, but I was left at a loss for words.

We all leaned forward a bit as she continued. "Then, one day, I heard the name of an organization."

"Baroque Works..." I barely whispered.

"Yes..." Her fists tightened at the name. "I learned that the populace was being manipulated by this group. But there was a tight lid on any other information. There was nothing I could do. That's when I asked Igaram, who always meddled in my business since childhood, for help."

"The old tube hair guy?" Luffy asked as he cupped his hands to mimic Iragam's hair.

"Tube? Oh, yeah." I guess Vivi is now seeing Luffy for his weird remarks and stupidity.

"Baroque Works." I growled the name. "Those low life bastards. Just who do they think they are?"

"Very dangerous," Vivi stated. "As you saw tonight, they are not ones to be messed with."

"But we took them down no sweat." I pointed out. "Taking them all down will be a piece of cake!"

"I thought so, too." Vvi shook her head. "I had asked Igaram if there was a way to infiltrate Baroque Works. That would let us see who was pulling the strings and let us see what their goal was."

Zoro grinned at her. "You're a pretty high-spirited princess. So, did you figure out this goal of theirs?"

She nodded.

" 'The founding of an ideal nation.' " We looked up at Nami. "That's what Igaram said, anyway. Does that mean...?"

Vivi hung her head. "Yes. The boss says it's trying to create an ideal nation, but it's an enormous lie! The true goal is to take over Alabasta Kingdom!"

A cold, hard look crossed Vivi's eyes. "I have to turn back, tell everyone, and stop the fighting! If I don't do something..." She sniffed. "If I don't do something..." She shook, fighting off tears.

"I see," Nami spoke softly. "So that's the deal. Now everything connects. There'd be no money during a civil war, huh?" Of course that's what she cares about.

"Hey," I glanced up at Luffy's serious tone. "Who is pulling the strings?" He asked with a slight smile. If I know my captain, he's gonna want to do something about all this.

Vivi gasped in horror. "The boss' identity?! You shouldn't ask that!"

"You know who it is, right?"

"Easy there, Luffy," I said in a warning tone. "We don't want to get targeted."

"She's right!" Vivi waved her arms, fear written across her face. "Don't ask me! Anything but that! Your lives will be put in danger, too!"

Nami gave a nervous laugh. "I think I'll pass on that! After all, thse guys are trying to take on an entire country! They're obviously insanely dangerous people!"

"We're already wanted by the Marines." I stood on my feet. "I'd rather not have another organization on my ass. Luffy, stop bugging her about this!"

"You guys are very wise." Vivi stated. "Baroque Works has some wickedly powerful people on their side. Much greater than Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine! As strong as you people may be, you'd never stand a chance against one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile!"

I swear my soul just left my body. In the heat of the moment fueled by fear, Vivi just blurted out the name of Baroque's boss. We all sat frozen, trying to comprehend what just happened.

But, since Luffy has no brains, he doesn't understand the dangers of what just happened. "Who?"

Vivi went as pale as fresh paper and slapped her hands over her mouth. Nami's mouth flopped open like a fish's, and I felt like I was going to pass out.

We're doomed...

Zoro looked very annoyed. "You just said it."

My head rolled back. "We're so dead... Huh? What's with the vulture and the otter in pink pajamas?" We all looked up to the roof top. Sure enough, a black and white vulture stared down at us. A tiny otter in pink and purple spotted pajamas stood beside the vulture.

Both had black shades on and the otter had a shell in its hands. The otter nodded and jumped on the vulture's back and they flew off.

"What was that bird and sea otter?!" Nami shook Vivi angrily.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry!" Vivi wailed as tears streamed down her face.

"Are they going to tell someone?!" Nami demanded as water fell from her eyes as well. She continued to scream at Vivi while Vivi just kept apologizing over and over.

"A Warlord, huh?" Luffy's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Not too shabby," Zoro agreed with him.

"You guys are hopeless..." I sniffed and fell to my knees. "I thought outrunning the Marines was hard enough, but now we have an entire organization wanting our heads. It's only a matter of time before one of them finds us."

"It'll be fine." Zoro scratched behind my ears. I shut and eye at this and started to purr. "We can handle this. These guys are nothing! We can take them no problem! As you said, taking those two weirdos down was no sweat! If the rest of the agency is like this, it'll be over before you know it."

Nami suddenly let out a sob and buried her face in her hands. "Being hunted by a Warlord the moment we enter the Grande Line is too much to handle!"

"And Nami is having a mental break down." I gently moved Zoro's hand away and went to comfort her. "There, there. It'll be alright. They only saw us for a few seconds. There's no way they could describe us to their boss. They're animals! They can't speak."

She sniffed and clung on to me. "You're right! We're probably still off the hook! We can escape and pretend none of this happened!"

"We're lucky we can see him so soon!" Nami tensed under me at Zoro's words.

"I wonder what he's like!" I could feel the rage radiating off Nami. I quickly let her go and stepped back.

"Shut up, you two!" She snapped at them. She shot an icy glare at the two of them then stormed off. I peeked around the corner to watch her go. "Mira's right. There's no way they can find us. We're safe. It's been a short acquaintance, but I thank you for everything!"

"Where are you going?" Luffy called after her.

"As Mira and I said, they don't know what we look like yet!" She never stopped walking. "I'm running away! I don't want to deal with this!"

Suddenly, the otter was in front of Nami. She stopped midstep. The otter held up four pieces of paper. From this distance, I could barely make out the pictures.

"Wow!" Nami clapped. "That's so good! I guess this means there's nowhere to run now, huh?!" She screamed at the vulture and otter as they flew off once more.

From what I'm guessing, the otter drew mine, Nami's, Luffy's, and Zoro's portraits to give to their boss.

There's no where to hide now.

"I'm sorry!" Vivi squeaked out.

"She's funny." Luffy grinned.

"Where was she planning to run to, anyway?" Zoro asked.

"Maybe back home." I shrugged. "That'd be my guess. There she would be around the people she grew up with. If I had a home where people liked me, that's where I would go for comfort."

"Makes sense," Zoro sighed to himself as we watched Nami stalk back over to us. "Guess that means all four of us are now on Baroque Works' hit list."

Luffy giggled. "That's exciting for some reason!"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Only you would think that. I worry about you sometimes."

As those two talked about how great it was to be hunted by a Warlord, Nami found a corner to sulk in. Vivi was trying, but failing to comfort her. "I do have 500,000 berries in savings..."

"Fear not!" WHAT THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE'S DOING?!

We all glanced up to see Igaram. I stared, wishing I could look away and burn the image from my mind. There stood Igaram, but he wasn't in his suit. Oh no. He somehow managed to squeeze himself into Vivi's clothes. I don't know how, but they stretched over his form perfectly. He held four life sized dummies under his arms.

His hair was done up exactly like Vivi's and he had bright red lipstick on. "It's-" He cleared his throat with the ma thing he does. "It's alright! I have a plan!"

"Igaram!" Vivi stood and confronted him. "What are those clothes?!"

Luffy jumped up and examined him. "You look hilarious in those, old guy!"

"It's idiot after idiot..." Nami moped in her corner.

I think my mind just broke...

"Vivi-sama, please listen to me." Igaram stared intently at her. "Once Baroque Works' intelligence network learns of something, pursuers may come after you almost instantly. On top of that, if you know the boss' secrets, you know what happens."

My eye twitched. He's even wearing her short-shorts... To wish I could unsee it all...

"A thousand or so people will come after you." Vivi nodded. "I know."

"Therefore, I will pretend to be you." Igaram nodded slowly. "I will set sail straight to Alabasta with four dummies on board."

Luffy poked one of them. "These are us?"

"A decoy, huh?" Zoro stared him up and down. "That should work."

"While the pursuers are busy with me," Igaram continued. "All of you will head to Alabasta via the normal route."

"Hold it!" I broke off from my trance to see Nami stand. "Who said we're gonna take the princess there?! We still haven't come to an agreement, you know."

"What now?" Luffy is as dense as ever. "Take the princess where?"

"You haven't heard?" Zoro raised an eyebrow and stood. "Pops here wants us to take her home."

"Oh, that's what this is about?" He glanced at Vivi. "Sure! We'll do it!"

"Crocodile is gonna come after us, you know!" Nami raised her fist in anger, her teeth bared at Luffy.

"I'm with Nami!" I got to my feet. "As much as I would love to help, I don't wanna get caught up in this mess! Judging by his name, Crocodile sounds insanely powerful!"

"Is Crocodile really that strong?" Luffy met Igaram's gaze.

"He's one of the Seven Warlords of the Seas." Igaram stated. "He's a legally recognized pirate, and thus has no bounty on his head. However, the bounty he did have long ago was 80 million Berries." Whoa... That could have paid off Nami's debt to Arlong several times over!

"That's four times higher than Arlong's bounty!" Nami gasped out. "Say no! Please, I'm begging you, say no!"

"For the love of god and all the food in the world, please say no!" I stood by Nami on this one. Yes, I know we can do this, but I really didn't come here to fight off an entire agency. I just wanted to sail with my friends and find the One Piece, and fulfill my dream.

Though, I should have known from the very beginning when I first met Luffy, I was not going to have an easy journey with him.

Might as well accept that now.

"Will you do it?" Igaram asked Luffy once more.

I already knew the answer. "Yeah! Sounds like fun!"

I sighed. "Alright, let's gather the other two idiots. We got a kingdom to save."

"I am very grateful." Igaram bowed his head to us. "Now, let's get to my hidden boat. I have to make it seem like I'm trying to escape with you guys." We followed him to the edge of the town where a boat just a bit smaller than Merry was tethered.

Igaram set the dummies in and cleared his throat, making his voice more high pitched. "Now then, I, Vivi, will leave from here."

Luffy laughed at him. "That's agood imitation, old guy!"

"Imitation of who?" Zoro's right. That sounded nothing like Vivi.

Vivi and Igaram stared at each other. "Now then, princess. Please give me the Eternal Pose." Reluctantly, Vivi reached into her pocket and pulled out a Log Pose that was bigger than ours. It sat nestled like a globe on a stand.

With a shaky hand, she gave it to Igaram. "Eternal Pose?" Nami asked during the exchange.

"You've never heard of it?" Igaram looked to Nami. "I guess you could say it's a permanent version of a Log Pose. Whereas a Log Pose always leads ships to the next island, an Eternal Pose will never forget the magnetic energy of the island that is stored in it. Meaning, it will forever point to that island only."

"Neat." I got a closer look at it. "Why can't we have it?"

"This one is set to Alabasta," He explained. "I need it to get back there. It's the only one we have."

"Are you really gonna use it to get back to Alabasta?" Vivi asked him.

"Vivi-sama," He lowered his head a bit. "Please take the indirect island hopping route to Alabasta. I've not taken the path myself, but it should only be two or three islands if you follow the Log. It will be safer for you." He looked up and met each of our gazes.

"Please take good care of the princess." He said to each of us directly.

"Of course!" Luffy grinned.

"Igaram," He focused back to Vivi.

He smiled down at her sad, worried gaze. "I expect it will be a harsh journey. But be careful on your way."

Vivi's words were cut off by a hitch in her throat. She shook her head and was soon smiling. They two of them clasped hands. "You, too!"

And so, Igaram's journey back to the kingdom of Alabasta began. We all watched from the shore as he waved to us before going to make it look like he was sailing with the four of us. We all watched him go, small smiles on our faces.

Once he is out of sight, our next big journey will begin.

"There he goes," Luffy whispered. "He was a funny guy all the way to the end!"

I couldn't agree more.

"He's really reliable." Vivi stared after him. His boat soon got smaller and closer to the horizon. Soon, we will have to prepare our own ship for our long journey to Alabasta. Hopefully this all goes on without a hitch.

Suddenly, a light brighter than the desert sun lit up the sea and sky. Not even a second later, what looked like a massive bomb went off, engulfing the entire ship. The explosion made my ears ring and temporarily go deaf.

I stared in horror as the force of the explosion rocked the waves. There's no way he survived that...

Fire and smoke filled the sea and sky, making it impossible to see anything else. He only got to sail for about five minutes before he was blown to ashes! If that had actually been all of us, there'd be no way we could have survived that!

The job would have been done and Crocodile would be able to take over Alabasta like he wanted.

Things just got more intense.

A hand suddenly gripped my arm. I gasped and looked up so see Zoro moving his lips, but no words were coming out of his mouth. I glanced around and saw the others running off. It all clicked and I nodded.

We have to leave now. I bet whoever set that explosion off will soon realize we weren't on the ship with Igaram. They'll be after us sooner than we could imagine.

As we ran from the shore, my hearing was starting to come back "Go wake the other two up!" Zoro shouted to Luffy. He nodded and raced back to the town. "Mira, help me get the ship ready! We have to get out of here now!" We broke off into two directions and I lead Zoro back to the ship. Knowing his sense of direction, we'd end up on the other side of the island.

We didn't even bother to use the ramp to get on board. We jumped right onto the railing and began to unfurl the sails and raise the anchor. I scrambled and climbed the mast, determination filling me as I quickly worked over the ship.

"Luffy should already be here with the other two!" I shouted down to Zoro as he looped the anchor in place. "Where the hell is he?!"

"There!" I followed his finger. "I see him!" He was dragging Usopp by his nose and Sanji by his ankle. Vivi and Nami weren't far behind him.

"Quickly, quickly!" I waved them on board as I tied the last of the sails in place. "We gotta move now, people!" Luffy dragged an unconscious Usopp and Sanji on board. They looked pretty banged up. I bet Luffy didn't even bother to wake them up. He probably just grabbed and ran.

"We have to find him!" I suddenly heard Vivi shout.

"We don't have time to search for him!" Nami waved her arms frantically. "We gotta leave now!"

"Oi!" Zoro called down to them. "What's the problem?"

"She says her duck is missing!" Nami called up to us. "He won't come when we whistle for him!"

I glanced around and spotted him. "Zoro!"

He glanced back, then faced the girls again. "Is this him?" The duck got up and stood beside Zoro. He saluted Vivi.

"That's where he was?!" They shouted at the same time.

"He was here before Mira and I." Zoro shrugged.

"Never mind!" Vivi grabbed the rope ladder and climbed up. "There's a tributary just past the river! We can use it to get out to sea faster!"

"Alright!" Luffy said as I unfurled the main sail. "Let's go!" I grabbed a rope and swung down to meet everyone down below on deck. The wind instantly caught the sail and we began to move. I raced around to make sure everything was exactly the way it should be. I also made sure no one was following us.

If so, I would quickly freeze time around the ship so we could get away faster.

"Wait! Let's stay one more night!" Oh yeah... I forgot Sanji and Usopp don't know the danger we're in...

"This town is great and the girls are cute!"

"They love my stories! There's no telling when we'll have this much fun again!"

"We'll have fun once we're no longer in so much danger!" I snapped to them as I fastened a rope to its pull. "So shut up and help us get moving!"

"Let's just take it easy! We are pirates! We're always in danger!"

"Plus it's not even morning yet!"

I took a deep breath and walked to stand beside Zoro. "They have some nerve. They don't even know anything..." Nami quickly ended their bickering with several knocks to their heads.

"Hey! Did you explain it to them?" Zoro called up to Nami as she walked up to the railing on the second deck.

"Yup! Already did!" She grinned.

"That was fast," Zoro and I muttered at the same time.

"Yeah, I left out the complicated parts." In other words, she just knocked them out cold until they calmed down.

I stepped away from the group and rested my hands on the main sail. I slowly let my gaze wander. If something doesn't look right, I'm gonna freeze time and get us out of here. I want to get as far away from here as possible.

If I thought this place was bad before we set foot on it, I can only imagine what it'll be like once we hit the waters beyond here.

Wait, something doesn't feel right. A sharp chill ran up my spine as a fog rolled in. I focused back to the ship and slowly turned around.

A woman wearing a very revealing front stitched purple corset, leather shorts, and knee high boots sat on the railing above us. A purple and black cowboy hat sat on her head, a shadow covering most of her face. All I could see was a wicked smirk and she stared down at us.

Just how did she get on the ship without me knowing?!

"Who're you?!" Zoro demanded as he readied his katanas.

"You're...!" Vivi gasped out and shook in fear.

The mystery woman lifted her head a bit and chuckled softly, her blue eyes staring into our souls. "I ran into Mr. 8 a short while ago, Miss, Wednesday."

Vivi's face twisted into a snarl. "You killed Igaram!"

"What are you doing on this ship?!" Luffy shouted up to the woman. "Who are you?!"

"What are you doing here, Miss All Sunday?!" All Sunday? That's an odd code name. Was Sunday already taken, or did she want every Sunday for herself?

Focus, Mira!

"Miss All Sunday?!" Nami asked Vivi. "What number is she partnered with?!"

I have a feeling I won't like the answer. "She's the partner to Mr. 0, the boss!" Yup, we're screwed.

I drew out my katana and turned from the mast. The familiar warmth filled my hand and slowly traveled up my arm. "Whoever she is, she doesn't belong on our ship! Get off, or face the consequences!"

She chuckled. "My, aren't you a talkative kitty."

I hissed up at her. "Why you...!"

"Is she bad?" Luffy asked from beside me. Gee, I don't know, Luffy! She did just blow up Igaram!

"She's the only one who knew the boss' identity," Vivi explained. "We found out who he is by following her!"

"More accurately, I allowed you to follow me." Sunday's grin widened.

"Oh, so she's good." Luffy, I swear to god...

"I know that, Miss All Sunday!" Vivi snapped. "You're also the one who told him we discovered his identity, right?!"

"Correct."

"So she is bad!" Luffy, if you don't stop talking...

"Pipe down, idiot!" Zoro beat me to it.

I ignored Luffy and adjusted my hold on my katana. "What exactly is it you're trying to do?!" Vivi demanded.

All Sunday gently shut her eyes. "Good question. You were all so intent and serious that I found myself helping out. The idea of a princess trying her hardest to save her kingdom while making herself an enemy of Baroque Works," She slowly shook her head. "It was just so ridiculous, you see."

"Don't you mock me!" Vivi flew into a wild rage as each of us quickly advanced on All Sunday. Zoro and I got our blades ready, Usopp had his slingshot pointed at her head, Sanji cocked his gun, and Nami grabbed her pole.

"Hey, Sanji," Usopp called over to him. "You do realize what you're doing, right?!"

"No, not really." He said calmly, his hand never shaking. "I just sensed that my beloved Miss Wednesday is in danger." I wonder how much of that those two actually heard.

All Sunday sighed, irritated. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't point such dangerous objects at me." Wait, are they flying?! Nami gasped as her pole suddenly fell from her hands. She had a tight grip on that! I cried out in pain as something yanked on my tail.

"Wait!" I heard Zoro shout. "You don't mean...?!"

"A Devil Fruit!" Zoro's katana was smacked from his hands and I was thrown into the side of the ship. I hissed in pain and sat up.

"Which one?!" Nami panicked as Sanji and Usopp fell to the deck below. "What's her power?!"

I groaned when hearts suddenly appeared in Sanji's eyes. "Whoa! Upon closer inspection, you're actually a beautiful lady!"

"Now is not the time, Sanji!" I shouted at him.

All Sunday chuckled at turned her head. "Now, now. Don't be so hasty. I haven't been given any orders yet. I have no reason to fight." I opened my mouth in a silent gasp as Luffy's hat was suddenly plucked off his head. It flew for All Sunday and she grabbed it.

Oh, she just messed up, now.

"So you're the straw hat captain I've heard so much about." She carelessly spun his hat on her finger. "Monkey D. Luffy."

Now it was Luffy's turn to go off in a fit of rage. "Hey, you! Gimme back my hat! Are you trying to start a fight?!"

"I deem you an enemy!" I smacked my forehead as Usopp hid behind the center mast. "Leave this instant!"

I looked back up to see All Sunday place Luffy's hat on top of hers. "How unlucky you are. You people picked up a princess Baroque Works is out to kill. And this princess is being protected by a mere handful of pirates. But what's even more unlucky is the course your Log Pose indicates." I quickly got to my feet and grabbed Nami's arm to stare at the Pose.

Are we off course? No. We're following it exactly.

"The name of the next island is Little Garden." That name doesn't sound awful. Then again, anything could be possible on the Grande Line.

"We don't even have to do anything," I looked back to All Sunday. "You'll be wiped out long before you can even reach Alabasta." Something tells me this next island isn't "little."

"Will not!" Luffy jabbed a finger at her. "Gimme my hat back!"

"You wish, you big dummy!" Usopp shouted at her. "We won't be beaten that easily!" Says the guys who's knees are shaking...

All Sunday smirked down at us. "Don't you think letting yourself get wiped out is a bit foolish?" She tossed a small object at Vivi and gave Luffy back his hat.

She gave Vivi the Eternal Pose. "You can skip Little Garden with that." Why is she giving it to us? "It points to an island just before Alabasta. It's called Nothing At All Island. None of our employees know that course, so no one will chase you."

"That's too suspicious." I narrowed my eyes at her. "Since you have it, you know the course! You could easily send someone after us, or you'll follow us and kill us off before we even reach Alabasta!"

She snickered. "We don't know. We just have to see how the chips fall, kitten."

That struck a nerve. I growled low in my throat at her. "No one calls me that."

"Who cares about this Pose?!" Luffy snatched it from Vivi's grasp. In less than a second, it shattered in his fist.

Just as he was about to threaten All Sunday, Nami sent a kick right to his chin. "Are you an idiot?!"

"What kind of question is that?!" I rounded on Nami. "You know this guy! He's the very definition of an idiot!"

"I know that!" She focused back on Luffy. "But that doesn't change the fact that she went out of her way to show us a nicer course!"

"We don't even know if that island is real!" I got into her face. "It could be fake for all we know! Nothing At All Island sounds like a bogus name she just made up and carved onto the Pose! It could be pointing to an island where we'll meet up with every single Baroque Works agent!"

"But there's still a chance it really could have been safe!" She glared at me.

"She's our enemy!" I waved a hand in All Sunday's direction. "She killed Igaram! She works with the boss as his right hand man! We don't know anything about her! We can't trust what she gives us, even if it seems like the easy way out!"

"She's not the one who decides the course of this ship." I glanced down to Luffy.

"See?" I gestured to Luffy and helped him up. "Even though he's an idiot, he understands." Nami just scoffed.

"I see," All Sunday chuckled to herself. "That's too bad."

"Why did you do that?!" Nami glared at him, her hands on her hips.

"She blew up the old tube hair guy, so I hate her!" He stated simply as he fixed his hat.

I glanced up as All Sunday got off our railing. "I don't hate high-spirited people. If you survive, let's meet again." She glanced over her shoulder at us before she jumped off the ship onto her own boat.

"No!" Luffy shouted to her as she sped off.

"Let's go, Bunchi!" I guess it's not a boat but some weird turtle thing.

"What is that?!" Zoro leaned over the railing.

"Don't tell me it's a Sea King!" Usopp's voice broke a few times as he joined Zoro at the railing.

"It's a turtle!" Everyone but me yelled in disbelief. I just watched her go with my arms crossed.

Something tells me we'll be seeing her again soon...

------------------

Third Person Point of View

Kira took in a sharp breath and stumbled away from her crystal ball. The image faded away as she slowly shook her head. "No... It can't be..."

The front door to their new hut opened and Josten quickly closed it to keep out the blizzard. "I'm home, Kira. What's Mira gotten herself into this time? More dragons? Another whale? Did she find Buggy again?"

He paused in his rambling when he caught sight of his wife. She was shaking like a leaf, fear surrounding her body.

He instantly dropped the groceries and was at her side in a second. "Kira, what's going on? What happened? What happened to Mira?! Who is she going up against! Tell me our baby girl is going to be okay!"

Kira slowly looked up into his eyes. She swallowed. "Josten... Mira... Mira is wanted by Baroque Works."

Josten flinched, his eyes bugging wide. "No... then, that means..."

"Yes..." Kira nodded slowly. "That means she'll be facing your greatest enemy."

A dark look crossed Josten's eyes. "Crocodile." He turned from Kira and shrugged into his coat.

"Where are you going?!" Kira demanded, grabbing his arm. "The last time you went after him, I almost couldn't bring you back!"

"That was over a decade ago!" He snarled as he pulled from her grip. "Your magic has gotten stronger and so has your potions! I have to be there to help Mira. She can't fight him alone!"

"Josten, just listen to me!" A burst of energy filled Kira. In less than a second, she has Josten back in the hut and pinned to the wall. "You are no longer fit to do this anymore! You. Can't. Do. This! It's out of your hands now!"

She slowly released him, but quickly brought him into a loving embrace. "We have to trust Mira. She can do this. Besides, she's not alone. She has her crew. They'll be with her every step of the way. And so will I. I'll keep close tabs on her and make sure nothing happens to her."

Josten let out a heavy sigh and held Kira close to him. "You're right. The world is changing and it needs new people to fight the corrupted. Mira can handle this. After all, she is our daughter. She can handle anything."

After standing in the middle of the room for a few moments, Josten and Kira went back to the crystal ball. Kira focsued back on Mira. Together, the two of them watched over their daughter.