I hope all of you are safe and well throughout this mess—wishing the best for all of you and your families, please stay healthy, and please look after yourselves!

Thank you all so much for waiting! Your patience is extremely appreciated, you have no idea ;-; I hope you're all healthy and well during these crazy times. Please practice extreme caution and take care of yourselves and stay well—I hope all of you are just taking it easy and there isn't too much craziness going on.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I've gone back and edited scenes from the story, specifically I think it was chapter 7/8 wherever the snail heist scene took place and edited Hoku's lackluster fight scene. There's been some really good feedback and critique I've wanted to take into consideration and finally got the chance to edit. I know it doesn't change much, but I hope to move forward with more consideration to the faults in the story and how to make it even better. Another big edit is the meeting with Blackbeard—the whole chapter doesn't have to be reread but I recommend that scene because Hoku's experience with Blackbeard is much different from the first time! A big change has also occurred with the dialogue in her and Thatch's conversation before Hoku departs the Moby Dick, another is the beginning planning scene last chapter where Hoku goes over her knowledge of the OP timeline.

I've also adjusted Hoku's one piece knowledge and decided to stick to a vaguer sense of knowledge after all, since it seems wrong to have her just know certain things. Hoku does not know how Thatch dies (this scene is edited too) and only knows that he does die due to a commissioner's ranting. Hoku is not aware Blackbeard is the catalyst/addition to Ace's capture and death and is only aware somehow Ace gets himself caught and that's where he dies. Hoku also doesn't know what Crocodile looks like/who he is, just that there's some kind of alligator warlord pulling the shots, she thinks. She also does not know Robin is currently working for him or how the crew first meets Robin either!

I do not own One Piece.

Memoirs of a Suicidal Pirate

Chapter Fourteen:

Doing it right

Wow. Hoku worked furiously, moving her left hand across her sketchbook as she tried to commit the best angles to memory. Her tongue poked out of the corner of her mouth, paint brush tucked behind her ear while she worked on setting a series of sketches before picking the best one. This is quality content.

Furious war cries, gurgling hollers, and blood thirsty shrieks filled the air as bounty hunter after bounty hunter tossed themselves at Zoro. The spearmint swordsman took them all in stride, switching between swords and swings and sneering left and right as he pummeled them all into the ground—he makes these mob characters look like nothing!

She stopped for a second, frowning at the sky. Oh, but maybe that's the point?

Hoku chewed on another dried kiionohi. Her legs were folded neatly under her, perched in a cramped corner of one rooftop behind a stack of barrels. Zoro was moving on a more sporadic side, so she'd rather avoid getting any unwanted attention while she was working. The rest of the crew was sound asleep back inside the tavern, so they ought to be fine while Zoro cleaned things up out here.

Sure, a bit of this and that had seemed shady when they got here, but she had to give it to Zoro for being one step ahead over all of 'em. So reliable. He's kind of awesome. Even if he's a stingy jerk. His broad declaration against the half-waning moon and the glint of his swords...

A pleasant chill raced down her spine. Her fingers kept twitching against her pencil, moving frantically over the pages.

Shit. Hoku considered the great sketches unfolding with Zoro as their forefront. This is fun. Stupidly fun.

She held her pencil up, following Zoro as he leapt off a rooftop and sliced clean through ten burly men with strangely colored hair. The bounty hunters were coming in droves but Zoro hardly broke a sweat, leaping and lunging and grinning like he couldn't be doing anything better—she wondered if his blood was singing.

Vivi shouted something down below and Mr. Nine was running at Zoro with a glistening bat—bad taste in weapons, ugh. Hoku pointedly kept him out of the next page segment. Iggarapoi was firing off while the other muscular woman from Vivi's group tried to catch Zoro off guard.

Zoro brought her crashing down onto her knees, licking a stripe of blood off his lip from where it dribbled menacing down his head, landing between his gleaming eyes.

Man, Hoku bit down onto the top of her pencil, considering what she had so far. I can't believe I actually thought he might need a little help... I'm an idiot.

Hoku grinned.

Colors started to bleed out across her page in a collage of Zoro's blades and his swings. Hoku switched between brush and pencil, quickly detailing it all. It's been so long since I've drawn anything in action like this—really in action. Her heart started to thump a little harder in her chest and she couldn't take her eyes off Zoro, not even for a second. This is what Manu always talked about being able to draw—the things that got your heart racing.

"What'll make them say—turn. Turn the next page."

Hoku's grin widened and she threw herself onto her belly, splaying the pages out in front of her as she worked harder, moving her hand and glancing up to match Zoro's movements against Vivi and her coworkers—ah, the duck's kind of cute. The only mildly pressing issue was the fact that it was Vivi, but for all Hoku knew, maybe Zoro just needed to give her a good whack on the head and things would work themselves out.

I draw stories, not write 'em. Hoku huffed, satisfied with her progress. Zoro better thank me for making him look so amazing—

Hoku's pencil lead snapped against the page. She blinked. Her head slowly turned over her shoulder, lowering her feet to see the gathered group of bounty hunters fiercely staring her down at the ledge of the rooftop. Hoku's expression flattened out, lips pressing into a thin line as she considered them. They pointed guns and swords at her. One of them had a bat lined with nails. Hoku couldn't help her inherent contempt for that one.

"My star," Mau said against her back. "You have admirers."

Where are you picking up this sense of humor, huh? Hoku stared at the glaring bounty hunters with a frown, tapping her pencil against her bottom lip before she pointed to the opposite edge of the roof.

"I think you guys meant to go that way," Hoku said, dust clouds rising up and the rapid clang clang of metal mixed with gunshots. "'s where the good stuff's at."

"We don't know how that freaky bastard's so strong," one bounty hunter spat, raising his bat. "But if this whole operation is going to shit, we're getting something out of it!"

"Like what?" Hoku said. Twelve of them. "A little scuffle with some loser? Look at me."

"You can't fool us!" one of them said. "One of our guy's knows what's up—he said we could snag big beli on the side if we hand you over to someone else other than the marines!"

A woman smirked—oh, you're the one from the bar. "You should think twice about flaunting that pretty hair, doll."

Hoku huffed at them, looking anxiously back to her papers and then to Zoro's fight. They're gonna make me miss something good. Hoku shot them all a nasty glare and stubbornly turned back to her papers, hunching closer and drawing quickly onto the last page. "Piss off."

Some of the bounty hunters blinked. They stopped, looking over at each other. "What the hell did she just say?"

"Piss off," Hoku repeated. "I'm working."

A gunshot fired by her ankle. "You crazy bitch—we're talkin' to you! Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Forget it!" the woman hissed. "Let's get her!"

Hoku scowled, stubbornly ignoring them as she pulled her brush from behind her ear. Mau hummed against her back as their thundering footsteps charged toward her, cursing and snarling. Hoku bit the skin of her thumb, dragging it over her brush and starting to paint against the heavy clay material of the roof below her. She tugged a single cylinder free, observing it between her fingers as the bounty hunters fell upon her, raising their weapons. Hoku pressed one hand to her pages, holding them down so they didn't get blown away.

"You're going to regret messing with Baroque Works, you stupid pirate—eh?"

The bounty hunters looked up at the tiny cylinder flipping up into the air above their heads. Hoku casually raised seven fingers up.

"Times seven."

Their eyes bulged from their head as the bounty hunters shrieked, the tiny pillar promptly swelling in size with a rapid pop! It came crashing down onto the roof, just missing Hoku's toes and rolling with menace toward the bounty hunters as they shouted, running for the edge. The pillar crashed into their backs, slamming into them without mercy and sending the lot of them crashing down the side of the rooftop. A thunderous tremor shook the building and Hoku calmly got up onto her feet, holding her pages in one hand while she turned.

A single bounty hunter was left, gaping at her in disbelief. His knees shook as he desperately clung onto his weapon, raising it threateningly at her. Hoku sauntered right over to him, boots hitting the ground in a nice, even pace.

"I-I-I ain't gonna spill anything!" he spluttered, raising his weapon high over his head. Hoku scowled at the sight of it, lips curling in utter disgust. "You won't get a single word out of me—this is what you get for underestimating Baroque Works—"

Mau's blade cut clean through the wood, splintering it on contact. One chunk of the bat hurled in the opposite direction, crashing into the wall. The bounty hunter paled, looking at what was left in his hands.

"Sorry," Hoku said. "Nothing personal. I just hate bats. It's... a personal thing."

He opened his mouth to protest, but Hoku raised her foot and kicked, sending him flying off the roof with a shriek. She bitterly kicked the rest of his bat to the side with a disgusted snort, flapping her pages against her thigh and checking them for any damage. There. Now I can get back to work. Guess Zoro missed a few—

"This is fine, Miss Friday. I'm dropping it now."

Hoku blinked. She stared, wide eyed at the remains of the bat for a second before she craned her neck, looking up at the glittery sky. Huh?

Two shaded eyes stared right back at her. Hoku blinked a second time, squinting at the polka dot patterned suit and the sunflower patterned cap. The vulture and sea otter stared right back at her, unmoving aside from the steady flap flap of the vulture's wings.

A vulture... and a sea otter... huh? Huh?

Hoku stared.

"She's noticed us," the vulture said. "Problem?"

"Not at all," the sea otter responded smoothly. "We finish this here."

Hoku looked up at them, expression blank.

"Uh," Hoku said. "Hey."

The sea otter tugged out packs of dynamite from the folds of the vulture's wings, pointing it her way.

Hoku's jaw dropped.

The sea otter's tiny paws released the dynamite, a sharp glint catching off the corner of his sunglasses.

"Oh, hell!" Hoku shouted, lunging for the other side of the roof. The dynamite crashed onto the surface, blocks of clay and cinder scattering in every direction as Hoku scrambled back to her feet. "What the fuck? Who the hell are you guys?"

"We missed," the sea otter said. "Dropping more."

More? Hoku screeched, jumping and ducking as the sea otter promptly began to assault her with dynamite, tossing the sticks in every direction as she zig zagged, avoiding crumpling potholes. The entire building below her began to give and she raced across the roof, lunging for the next one and toppling over. "Ka! Stop it! Assholes! Get down here! What the crap is this?"

"She keeps moving," the vulture said. "Perhaps we should move to close combat."

"Negative. Continue to assault with more dynamite—"

"No!" Hoku shouted at them, waving Mau dangerously their way. The vulture and sea otter snapped their heads to her, mouths parting in surprise. "No more dynamite! These babies don't burn easy but I ain't gonna risk this hard work for nothing!"

"...Miss Friday," the otter said. "Was the target capable of speech just now?"

"Yeah, that's right!" Hoku snapped at them. "I can hear ya yapping, so let's talk this out like civilized creatures, yeah?"

Fucking dynamite, tossing it around like that. Hoku quickly folded up her pages, assessing them for any burn marks or ash and she grumpily tucked them into the secure fold of her bra. Who the hell are these bastards? More Baroque Works? But it's an otter and a vulture! Animals!

Hoku cursed under her breath. "Why's it always fucking animals..."

A series of rumbling explosions shook the other side of the town. Hoku's head snapped toward the clamor, blinking at the massive dust clouds rising up into the sky, smoke mingling in. Aw, hell. Something's happening over there.

"Hey!" Hoku snapped at them, pointing to the sound of chaos. "I'm supposed to be recording that! I don't know what your problem is but—"

"It appears she is," the vulture, Miss Friday said. "This is more dangerous than we thought."

"Agreed," the otter said, raising a set of—shells? Were those shells? Shells lined with knives? Hoku gaped in disbelief. "Pirate, proceed to be eliminated."

Hoku hit the ground when the sea otter quickly flung one of the shells her way. Miss Friday let out a murderous screech, tucking her wings in and sailing right at Hoku with the sea otter on her back. Hoku squawked, rolling over as the sea otter jumped from the vulture's wings and lunged for her, swinging his shell knifes. Hoku ducked his swipe, retreating for a second in disbelief at the tiny animal making stabs at all her seemingly vital body parts—oh, you asshole!

Hoku kicked her foot out and the sea otter jumped to the side, running along the floor. Hoku's hand barely shot up to fend off the metal lined talons from the bird, blood drawing where she scratched Hoku's arm. "Ow!"

Hoku's eyes darted to the side at the sound of another rumble. An entire rooftop caved into the ground across town. Argh! Something else is going on over there! I'm missing Zoro's fight! Her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, baring her teeth at the animals with newfound annoyance. The sea otter raised his shells at her while the vulture flapped her wings behind Hoku.

"Miss Friday," the sea otter ordered. "Pincer attack!"

She thought back to her dogfights with Ace and Luffy and Sabo, playing back their mad scrambles against massive bears and snapping crocodiles. Hoku blew steam from her nose, turning to face the sea otter as he lunged for her, raising his shells. "It ends here—"

Hoku let his shells nick the sides of her cheeks, bringing her head forward between his two tiny paws and promptly opening her mouth.

She bit down on his side like a complete and utter animal, ripping into his polka dot suit and biting into his sleek, oily fur.

The sea otter let out a shriek worthy of a prey animal, shades cracking as his little paws flailed around. Hoku snarled victoriously, quickly whipping her head around as Miss Friday came to her with a vengeful screech. Hoku's free hand shot up, letting her talons scratch her arm while she promptly wrapped her fingers around the bird's thin neck. The vulture squawked, beating her massive wings and Hoku's eyes glinted sharply as she whirled her around and smashed the bird against the rooftop, breaking her goggles as well.

"M-My star—"

Hoku spat the sea otter out onto the ground, quickly pushing the sole of her foot into his stomach as he flailed on the ground, grabbing her ankle with his paws. Miss Friday tried to beat her wings but Hoku threateningly tightened her grip on her neck, hearing a satisfying squawk.

Hoku sneered down at the two of them, grinning ferociously. You two ain't got nothing on our popoki goddess. I'm not at the bottom of this stupid food chain!

"Alright, assholes," Hoku said darkly. "I might not love this job—got roped into it 'cause of some unlucky circumstances, but let me tell you, when I get assigned a commission, I always finish it unless someone kills me first."

Hoku pointed to the massive clouds of smoke rising up across town. "See that? That's my commission going up in flames right now."

She dangerously raised her free fist, glaring down at them, "And unless one of you has a devil fruit that can turn back time..."

"M-Mr. Thirteen!" Miss Friday garbled. "W-We've been compromised—"

"Don't give in, Miss Friday!" Thirteen said. "There has to be something we can do!"

"We still have the poison pills, we won't give a single thing away," Friday said furiously, throwing her beak back. Hoku frowned at both of them. "You know our orders, death before we—

"No!" Mr. Thirteen shouted, slapping his paws against the roof instead of Hoku's ankle. Hoku raised a brow. "I don't want to go out like that—I'm... I'm not dying here, Miss Friday!"

Miss Friday turned her head to Mr. Thirteen in disbelief, shaking her goggles free of her eyes. They clattered to floor with a resounding clunk, shattering the tension. Her beak opened, snapping at the sea otter. "What are you talking about? Are you crazy? You're betraying the mission—"

"We didn't want a life like this either!" Mr. Thirteen shouted. "You know it!"

"T..Thirteen..." Miss Friday squawked, stunned.

Fat tears started to roll down the sea otter's snout, staining his fur dark. Hoku's eyes went round, staring at the animal with her brows raised high into her hairline. Mr. Thirteen sniffled, rubbing at his shiny nose as he tugged his sunglasses off. He turned his head away from Miss Friday.

"We were just a bit smarter than everyone else," Mr. Thirteen said brokenly. "A little faster. A little better. They all looked at us funny for being able to do what we did... we could have looked for honest work, but we turned to this!"

"But we had to learn how to survive!" Miss Friday protested. "You know it, how else could we have survived on the Grand Line? A sea otter and a vulture a little smarter and better than the rest...With Baroque Works, we stayed out of trouble and no one even dared to bother us. We made them fear us!"

"We were just living in the Boss' shadow," Mr. Thirteen said bitterly. "He doesn't really care about us. If we messed up, he'd feed us to the bananagators! Those jerks!"

"You can't go back now," Miss Friday said. "There's nowhere else for us to turn too. Baroque Works and the boss' plan is all we have. Where else are we supposed to go? How else will we survive? You and me—we're just a couple of animals!"

...what... Hoku thought numbly, keeping her foot pressed onto the sea otter while she kept her fingers wrapped around the vulture's neck. She looked at the two Baroque Works agents, blinking rapidly. What the hell is happening right now?

Hoku stared.

"I always wanted to go to the West Blue," Mr. Thirteen said quietly, pressing his paws into his eyes to hide his tears. "I heard the music there is good... the clams are the best... that's the kind of life I wanted for us, Miss Friday. A better life. Not... not this!"

"There's nothing left for us but this," Miss Friday snapped. She tossed her head back, shaking her beak. "This is our life now, Mr. Thirteen. We talked about this—"

"It's Coco!" the sea otter snapped viciously, tears streaming into his fur as he turned to his partner. "Call me, Coco, damn it! Friday isn't your name either, you know it, Fi!"

"Stop!" Miss Friday choked, bringing her wings up to cover her eyes. "We threw those names away when we joined!"

Ah, oh goddess. Hoku felt sweat start to dribble down the side of her brow. A heavy, heavy weight of awkwardness started to settle in her gut, weighing her all the way down. She felt her throat bob, struggling to swallow the dryness in her mouth. I... yikes. Wow. Uh...

"Pirate!" Mr. Thirteen—Coco, shouted, opening his tiny paws up. "If you're going to kill us—just do it! I'd rather die by the hand of my enemy then take my own life! I'm no rat!"

"Coco!" Fi said. "Coco, you can't—"

Why the hell do I feel guilty? Hoku looked up at sky, begging the goddess for divine intervention. Anything. Ka!

"Try anything funny and you're skewers, got it?"

Hoku lifted her foot off of Coco's body, unwrapping her fingers from Fi's neck. The two animals blinked, looking at the sky and then turning to each other. Coco scrambled to his feet and Fi flapped her wings, talons clacking against the roof as they both looked at her. "W-What are you—"

Hoku pointed Mau at them, "Don't worry, this won't be for free. I'd like to make a deal with you guys."

Coco and Fi looked to each other, frowning before they watched her suspiciously. "What do you want?"

What do I want from 'em? Hoku paused, tapping Mau thoughtfully against her chin. Coco and Fi warily watched their sharp reflections in the red tinted blade. These guys are weirder than I thought, and I guess I can't really do anything after that whole speech... ugh. I ought to trade my conscious in for something more useful.

"So you two work for Baroque Works," Hoku said. "That's this big organization causing us some trouble right now, right?" Coco and Fi hesitated before they nodded. "Great. What exactly did you two do then?"

"...recon and espionage," Fi said finally. "Assassins as well. We tie up the loose ends."

Well, I did say what I'm lacking is knowledge. Hoku pressed the tip of Mau's blade to her lips, thinking. "What were you two supposed to do here anyway?"

"Tie up loose ends," Fi said, scoffing at her. "Didn't you hear what I said?"

Hoku threateningly pressed Mau to her throat feathers. Fi shrank back. "W-We were supposed to dispose of anyone who was no longer useful and report back the identities of those causing trouble on Whiskey Peak!"

So all of us. That means their boss or whatever would know our faces, right? Or just our names? Descriptions? "How were you gonna do that?"

Coco raised a paw, pulling a set of papers out of Fi's backpack. He bent down and quickly drew an impressive copy of Hoku's face.

"Hey, what the hell?" Hoku took the picture from him, grinning a bit. "You're pretty good! Why didn't ya make a living out of this? An otter drawing portraits? That'd be a huge hit!"

Coco rubbed his paws together, plopping down and holding the pages. "It... never seemed possible..."

"To hell with that shit!" Hoku snapped, crossing her legs. "Anyone that tells you you can't make a living from being an artist is full of it! Do whatever the hell you want to do in this life—this world is crazy! You've got people who're saying they'll be King of the Pirates, you think you can't be a god damn artist?"

Coco flushed. He held his tail between his paws, rubbing it comfortingly. "...you think so?"

"Listen," Hoku said, hitting the top of his head with the drawing. "I know what I'm talkin' about. Trust me. From one artist from another, yeah?"

Coco sniffled. The sea otter looked up at her with tears in his eyes. Hoku awkwardly withdrew her hand and coughed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Well... anyway, I ain't letting the two of ya off the hook for free. You cost me some important work hours."

Hoku laid Mau against her shoulder, tapping Coco's papers with her finger. "You've got to report some identities back to your boss, right? Along with information about what happened here..."

I don't remember a lot of what happens before we make it to Alabasta. Hoku laid her cheek against Mau's warm blade. But I know this organization is Vivi's enemy, even if she's in cahoots with them, right? Their boss is the big bad dude messing up her country. So if there's anything we can do to take them down a few notches before we even get there... something that'll help along the way...

Hoku started muttering under her breath, tapping Mau against the side of her head. Coco and Fi shared a look. C'mon, c'mon, use your brain cells. Alabasta... Alabasta...

Cigar smoke tickled Hoku's memory. Grumpy yelling and a righteous sword with a haughty tone...

"Hah!" Hoku shouted, snapping her fingers. Coco and Fi flinched. "I got it! Holy shit, I'm a genius!"

Hoku pulled her pencil out, scribbling onto one of Coco's papers. "Alright, Coco. You and your partner are gonna need to play Baroque Works for one last mission, got it? You two use this chance to come clean and start something new."

"What are you talking about?" Coco said.

"I want you two to report what happened here," Hoku said, sliding two papers over to them. "But you're going to say it was these two who caused all the trouble. Got it?"

Coco and Fi examined the portraits on the paper, frowning before Coco quickly redrew onto his own pages in his scrawl. "...and start clean?"

"Yeah!" Hoku said. "Report back and when he sends you on your next mission—just disappear. You know how easy it is to run away from someone if you put your mind to it? I'm kind of an expert."

"You think we can run away from the boss?" Fi cawed incredulously. "You don't even know who the boss is! Boss will kill us without a second thought for even trying, and if he finds out what we did—"

"Trust me," Hoku said, amused. "I think he's gonna have his hands full. He probably won't give two shits about a couple of minions if he didn't care for ya like you said. Just go do whatever the hell you want—go to the West Blue. Start a better life."

"But," Coco started, looking at her in disbelief. "Could... Could we really? How do you even know?"

"Well, it's up to you whether you wanna believe me or not," Hoku said breezily. She calmly etched in her own blood the image she casted in her head, one of the two animals in front of her reclining on a beach, somewhere far off—and she let it spill onto the paper in front of her. Coco gingerly picked it up with his paws, Fi fell silent. "But the blood doesn't lie. If the two of you aren't gonna be causing us anymore problems, then you can scram."

"...why aren't you killing us?" Fi asked suspiciously. "For information? It doesn't matter what you know about Baroque Works, you won't stand a chance."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Hoku said. "Don't ask for make when someone gives you kiionohi."

Fi and Coco looked at each other, confused.

"Actually though," Hoku looked up, holding up Mau. Coco and Fi flinched. "One more thing; that boss of yours... can you draw him for me?"

Fi went pale, but Coco carefully took his pencil. He and his partner shared a long look before Fi finally nodded and Coco began to draw. Hoku watched, idly commenting on his skills.

In a few seconds the haunting, shadowed drawing of a ferocious looking man with a long scar etched across his face appeared onto the paper. Coco handed it to her and Hoku made a small noise in the back of her throat, rubbing her chin as she examined the slicked back hair and sly grin. Huh. I feel like I might've reblogged his face before. So this is what he looks like?

"Do you even know who that is?" Fi said in disbelief at her lack of reaction. "It's Crocodile! One of the Seven Warlords of the sea!"

Oh, yeah, that's it. Hoku nodded in understanding. Kinda coming back to me now. "Great, thanks. This will help a lot—can you also write down anything and everything you know about what this guy's been up to? Anything you can prove, at least. Stuff about Baroque Works too, but you can leave yourselves out of it. And the locations of the nearest marine base."

"...even we don't know everything," Coco said. "The Boss' plans have always been kept under tight wraps. But if it's what he's been doing at his base the past year..."

Coco quickly began to scribble down information while Fi gawked, beaks parted in horror. "Y-You—are you crazy? You're going to get us killed!"

"I'm not gonna do anything with this information for a little while longer," Hoku said. "Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to get out of here before it all goes to shit." This guy's a shichibukai, so that means he works for the marines, just like Mihawk. But if he's been up to shady shit and hasn't been caught for it...

Hoku pressed Mau to her lips. It might not end up bearing any fruit, but worth a shot, right?

"Miss Pirate, you must be pretty crazy," Coco said, handing Hoku the papers. Oh, it's miss now, huh? "You took one look at that warlord's face and didn't even blink."

"I'm just a bit biased," Hoku said, folding the paper and tucking it into her pants. "The warlord I know is scarier."

Coco and Fi looked horrified at her words. Hoku grinned at them, "Thanks for your cooperation, you two. I really appreciate it."

Hoku stood up, brushing dust off her pants as she sheathed Mau. Coco and Fi looked up at her as she shuffled through her pockets, patting her pants down before she found what she was looking for. Hoku set down three jars of murky red liquid in front of them. "These are for you two."

"Poison!" Fi screeched. "I knew it! You dirty liar—"

"This," Hoku said, glaring at the vulture. She clacked her beak together. "Is Pokian blood. It sells for good money. Use it to help the two of you get started somewhere or keep it for your art—whatever works best for you."

Coco gingerly took one of the jars, marveling at it between his paws before he looked at Hoku with wide eyes. "But why?"

You made me witness that soap opera and you're asking me why? Hoku pinched the bridge of her nose, squinting at the ground before she shrugged at them. "Just... one artist to another, alright? Get clean and start straight. Do something good or I'll kick your ass someday." Well, maybe a temp pirate shouldn't really be one to talk but...

Hoku waved to them over her shoulder, heading for the edge of the rooftop and making her way the where the chaos and smoke had died down. I feel like I'm gonna get it for some reason. Damn it. "Live good lives, ex-Baroque Works goons!"

Look at me. Hoku snorted. Telling a sea otter and a vulture how to live their lives.

"M-Miss Pirate!" Coco shouted, climbing onto Fi's back. "We won't forget this!"

Hoku pinched her fingers together in an okay sign, offering them a crooked grin before she leapt off the rooftop, running toward the faded chaos.

"I'm lookin' forward to seeing what you make someday."

I knew it. Hoku thought miserably, pencil in hand as she surveyed the broken damage of what remained of the edges of Whiskey Peak's port. I totally missed something crazy, didn't I?

Hoku gingerly examined the carnage surrounding them. The streets were a mess, broken slabs of wood and concrete littering every corner. Several houses were broken through or blown entirely to bits. Does Baroque Works got something with bombs? Sheesh. Glass crunched beneath her boots as she huffed, rubbing the back of her head with a heavy sigh. Guess I've got no choice. I'll have to get the recounting from the only person who probably witnessed it all since I got distracted...

"Hooookkkuuuu! Hoku! Hey!" Her eyes shot over to where Luffy's arms started waving wildly in the air, flapping about. Hoku raised a brow in surprise at his tousled up state. "Hoku! You're late!"

"Hey, you," Hoku said, kicking the head of a bounty hunter aside. "Had a good nap?"

"Shishishi, you missed out on all the fun!" Luffy said, slapping her back. Hoku wheezed. "Were you pooping?"

"Hoku!" Nami said, looking up at her approach. "Where have you been? You look like you got into a fight with some kind of animal!"

"Yeah, well, something like that," Hoku said, giving them a half-hearted wave. "Sorry for missing all the fun. Got a... bit caught up too."

"Heh, finally got tired of watching?" Zoro said, tilting his head back against a crate. Hoku grimaced. He smirked, "Or did you fall off the roof?"

Ah, so he noticed. Hoku felt her body shake as Luffy started shaking her around by her shoulders, half-listening to him prattle about how they'd beaten up some losers and he and Zoro had a good old tousle for the hell of it. Damn it. Well, not like I was watching him specifically.

Hoku eyed his swords with a dreamy look on her face.

All of them were gathered by the broken slab of a house. Luffy seated himself on a barrel while Nami stood beside Vivi—oh, you look a bit beat up too. Vivi watched Hoku with uncertain eyes, glancing between all of them and back to Hoku from where she sat. Zoro eyed her over his crossed arms, swords tucked neatly by his side. Crusted blood plastered itself to his forehead while his arms showed off an array of scrapes. Hoku felt her lips purse nervously, turning her eyes sideways. I'll ask him later... ugh, please don't give me a hard time about it.

"Were you fighting too?" Luffy said, poking her arm. Hoku sighed through her nose. "How many? Was it a good fight? Whatcha do?"

"More of a counseling session than a fight," Hoku said. "But I dealt with some guys too. Just a handful though."

Luffy scratched his chin. "Seasoning?"

"Counseling."

Zoro smirked, tipping his head back. "And how many did I deal with again? Practically each day of the week. You sure must've had some trouble."

"It's a long story," Hoku said glumly. "But it looks like things were busy over here too..."

"Glad you noticed!" Nami said, gesturing to the chaos. "Do you know how much trouble I had stopping these two from fighting?"

"You two fought?" Hoku turned to Luffy and Zoro in surprise, blinking. "Who won?"

"I did," Zoro and Luffy said at the same time. Both of them snapped their heads to each other, lips pulling into a scowl. "No, I did."

"Damn it, Luffy, you're the one who attacked me in the first place!" Zoro snapped.

"You're the one who beat up all the nice people!"

"They were out to get us!"

"Oh, yeah! That's right. Shishi, but I still won—"

"I won!" Nami snapped, smacking both of their heads. Hoku winced, turning the other way as Nami quickly swung a finger to her. "And listen here, we need to catch you up to speed about what's going on now."

"Up to speed, huh?" Hoku took a seat on Luffy's barrel, squishing their shoulders together. Her eyes swung over all of them before landing on the one person who stuck out of their bunch. Just for now. Vivi stiffened under her stare and Hoku grinned, playing dumb, "We takin' a hostage?"

Looks like something good happened after all.

"I-I'm no longer your enemy!" Vivi said quickly, placing a hand to her chest. "I... I'm sorry for before, but I was doing what I had to do. Baroque Works is my enemy as well, and your comrades just saved my life."

"Sort of," Nami said. Vivi gasped at her. "See, we just got offered a very handsome reward for helping this little princess here with some business. I've decided our crew is taking up the offer!"

"On your own," Zoro grunted. Nami kicked him in the side. "Witch!"

"Oh," Hoku said as casually as possible, propping her chin on her hand as she faced Vivi. "So you're with us now?"

"I wouldn't go lumping her with us like that," Zoro said.

"Yup!" Luffy said loudly, grinning. Vivi looked stunned before she quickly schooled her expression into a more neutral one, a bit wary. "She isn't Wednesday anymore, she's Vivi!"

"T-That's not exactly the case," Vivi said, holding up a firm hand. "I'm not becoming a pirate or joining your crew. In fact, we were discussing our situation right now—"

"Don't care if you're not with us then." Hoku said boredly, kicking her feet out and leaning back against Luffy. Vivi blinked. "What's the situation, Nami?"

"E-Excuse me!" Vivi said, standing up. "You don't need to be so—"

Is this where Vivi asks for help? It is, right? This has gotta be it. Hoku rubbed her chin, frowning. Should I be careful about what I say? Is it all gonna work out okay? Should I even care?

"Well," Nami sighed, raising a hand. "It seemed simple enough. For one billion beli, we help Princess Vivi over here escape safely, but it seems the princess doesn't want the help of some unruly pirates."

"It's not that!' Vivi protested. She gripped the edge of her shorts, "I'm very grateful to you for saving my life, but the situation is bigger than you realize... How much do all of you know about Alabasta?"

"Never heard of it," Nami said.

"Can you eat it?" Luffy said.

Zoro said nothing, examining his swords. Hoku watched him enviously.

"Alabasta was once the most civilized nation on the Grand Line," Vivi explained carefully. "But... the citizens of Alabasta have grown rebellious over the years. Riots and uprisings have thrown the kingdom into turmoil."

Vivi's eyes hardened, big doe eyes facing them evenly. Hoku watched over the top of her fingers, keeping a hand pressed to the lower half of her face. "Then one day I learned of a secret organization called Baroque Works. The rumor was that agents of Baroque Works had been stirring up the citizens. But try as I might, I couldn't uncover information that would help us fight these criminals."

Hoku instantly perked up, touching the back waistband of her pants where she'd safely tucked aside the papers Coco had written out for her. Vivi's eyes lowered to the ground, "So I went to Igaram, who has looked after me since I was a child..."

"He's the guy with the big rollers," Luffy said to Hoku, motioning to his own head. Hoku nodded.

"I know."

"I hoped to find the source of the rumors and infiltrate Baroque Works," Vivi said. "I was then able to find out who was pulling the strings and learn his true intentions..."

Ah, so she knows already, perfect. Hoku tapped a finger to her chin. Then it paid off asking them for the information after all. If Crocodile's been doing exactly what Coco said he was in the info, there might not be a way to prove it, but it could cause some doubt...

"You're pretty brave for a princess," Zoro said, leaning back against the crates. Vivi shook her head.

"But isn't the goal of Baroque Works to create an ideal country?" Nami said. "So why would..."

"The boss deceives his minions with talk of an ideal country," Vivi said fiercely. "The true aim of Baroque Works... is the conquest of Alabasta! I've got to return to my land and stop the rebellion before my people throw themselves into Baroque Works' clutches."

"So, that's how it is," Nami said. "I'm starting to get the big picture now. With your country in chaos, there's no money to be made either..."

Basically, Hoku thumbed her opposite hand, stroking the back of it. You're about to lose your home. Her stomach twisted a bit, cinching in the corner. Hoku smoothed a hand down her leg.

"But who's the one pulling the strings?" Luffy said loudly. Vivi flinched, looking up in terror. "Sounds like we just need to kick this guy's butt, right?"

This works out perfect! Great job, Hoku, that'll show them! Hoku reached into her waistband, tugging out the folder paper.

"I-I-I can't tell you that!" Vivi said hurriedly, waving her hands. "What a question! Don't ask me that! I can't! I can't tell you! If I did, they'd hunt you down too!"

"Haha, it's okay!" Nami said graciously. "If he wants to take over a whole country, he's got to be one scary guy! No need to tell us!"

"Scaredy cat," Zoro said.

"He is," Vivi said quickly. "You're very strong, but you're no match for him. No way at all. It's impossible—"

"Here," Hoku said, holding up Crocodile's portrait for them to see. "It's this guy. I thought it was alligator, but it's actually Crocodile. He's a shichibukai."

...

...

...

"Wow, Hoku!" Luffy took the paper from her hands. "Did ya draw this?"

"Nah, not my work. This guy's got some talent though."

"Well, would you look at that," Zoro rubbed his chin, eyeing the drawing. "How'd you find out?"

"Well, their boss is a guy named Mr. Zero, and Zero's just Crocodile—" Vivi slapped her hands over Hoku's mouth, fearful tears in her eyes.

"S-Stop! You can't say it out loud! Do you know what will happen?"

Nami gasped, going pale in terror as she clutched her arms. "A... A warlord..."

"Sure," Hoku said, pulling Vivi's hands down. Luffy grinned impishly beside her. "We're gonna go get this guy, right?"

Exactly!" Luffy said, clapping Hoku on the back. She wheezed, nearly falling off the barrel. Luffy snickered, teetering back and forth, "Doesn't that sound kind of exciting? Another warlord, huh?"

"This could be fun," Zoro smirked.

Vivi's expression was broken, jaw dropped in disbelief as she gaped at them. The princess fell over the bundle of hay she was sitting on, pointing a trembling finger at Hoku. "H-H-How did you know? No, wait! You can't say that out loud! Baroque Works has eyes and ears everywhere! They'll know you know and hunt you down—"

Vivi broke off in a terrified gasp, quickly whipping her head around. Her fluffy ponytail smacked Hoku in the face, causing her to spit out strands of pale blue hair. "T-The Unluckies! They were just here—oh, no! They'll have seen your faces and then—"

"Unluckies?" Nami cried. "Who are they? What do you mean about seeing our faces?"

"An otter and a vulture!" Vivi said desperately. "They're known as the Unluckies, Mr. Zero's private assassins and messengers!"

"Oh," Hoku said, raising a hand. "They won't be doing that."

Vivi gaped at Hoku in disbelief, fisting the front of her top and shaking her back and forth. Hoku grunted. "W-What do you mean they won't? They absolutely will! I've been working besides those monsters this entire time and they're ruthless—"

"I'm gonna throw up," Hoku announced. Vivi dropped her and Hoku squawked, head hitting the floor. "Ka! I said they won't! They're the ones I got into a scuffle with. They ain't tattling on anyone."

"You..." Vivi's eyes went wide, touching her mouth. "Did you..."

"We had... a heart to heart discussion," Hoku said, sitting up on her elbows. "Mr. Thirteen—his name's Coco, by the way—apparently he's never really been a fan of this line of work. We talked it out and made a deal. They gave me some great information on your little organization and I asked them to do a favor for us."

Hoku offered them a thumbs up, "So don't worry—they ain't gonna be after our heads. Crocodile won't even know it was us."

"Nice, so we'll be able to meet him soon," Zoro said.

"I wonder what Crocodile's like," Luffy said.

"Stop saying his name!" Nami shrieked. "I feel like he'll show up just from saying it!"

"H-How could you be so certain?" Vivi said desperately, "They could turn on you! They're merciless assassins, what if they tricked you?"

"I threatened to skewer 'em," Hoku said. "But aside from that, the damn guy just really seemed like he wanted to do something else than work for your boss. Fi—the vulture on the other hand, I'm not so sure about. I think she's got it in for the sea otter though so she'll probably stick by him. I was trying to figure out if it was platonic or not but I guess it doesn't really matter in the end, she might find her own passion—"

"That's not what I'm worried about!" Vivi cried. "And how do you know their whole life story—actually, wait, how could you communicate with them! They don't talk!"

"Hoku's always talking to things," Luffy said.

"She's a crazy klutz," Zoro added.

Hoku shrugged.

Vivi sank to her knees in disbelief, soul floating out of her body.

"We just made it to the Grand Line and now a warlord will be out to get us..." Nami whimpered.

"Listen, princess," Hoku said, patting Vivi on the shoulder. "Even if they did decide to betray us, they only saw my face. They never got anyone else's. I actually asked them to report back two other people instead to make it even less fishy."

Vivi rubbed her eyes, looking hopelessly at Hoku. Hoku jumped when Vivi grabbed her hand, clutching it tightly. Hoku stared at their joined hands, blinking. "How can you be so sure?"

Hoku rubbed her chin in thought. "...to be honest, he didn't really strike me as a liar. I'm kinda looking forward to seeing if he ever makes anything after all."

Vivi looked hopelessly unconvinced, gripping Hoku's hand harder. She winced, waving the princess down. "B-But bottom line is—if ya asked for my captain's help, then you asked for his help. He's a lot more reliable than he looks."

Hoku pointed to Zoro, "And this guy even gave you a run for your money, right? Don't worry too much. You've got some crazy guys helping you get home now."

Vivi's hand was surprisingly small in her own. Hoku felt the tiny callouses building on the tips of her fingers. You weren't the type too work too much before all this, huh? Makes sense since you were a princess after all...

Vivi should keep it that way—smooth hands were nicer.

"Even if Hoku's made sure they don't know it was us who know about him now," Zoro said, standing up. "Those minions we beat up do. We shouldn't stay here if we want to keep the advantage."

"This is kinda exciting!" Luffy cheered, thrusting his hands into the air. "Let's take down a warlord!"

"Don't say scary things like that!" Nami cried.

"Aw, come on, Nami! Buck up!"

"Shut up, Luffy! We don't even have money it for us now!"

"If... If they don't know our faces after all, aside from my own," Vivi said slowly, letting Hoku's hand go. "We... we do have a small advantage. It means we'll be able to sneak into Alabasta easier without getting caught... But we'll have to find a way to leave here right away, before anyone else comes to!"

"Fear not, princess!" Vivi quickly whirled around, "Mi mi mi—ahem! Everything is under control, I have a plan!"

"That's him," Luffy reminded Hoku, pointing to Igaram. "The one with the rolls."

"I know."

The mayor—Igaram looked a bit worse for wear. His battle with Zoro seemed to have left him on the rougher side, coupled with the burns peeking out on his skin. Hoku frowned, staring at his hypnotic outfit and turning quickly to Vivi and then back to him, raising a brow.

"Igaram!" Vivi said, quickly standing up. "Why are you dressed like that?"

"And what are those supposed to be?" Hoku asked, pointing to the stuffed dolls with human written over them.

"All of you," Igaram said simply. "Don't they resemble you lot?"

"...do you want me to... draw on them?" Hoku offered helpfully. Igaram politely declined her offer, leaving Hoku to look unhappily at the dolls.

"You look great, mister!" Luffy laughed. Nami sulked in the corner, refusing to budge. "It suits you!"

"Is that a compliment or an insult?" Zoro muttered.

Igaram smiled, accentuating his lipstick. "What the princess said was right. Baroque Works may not know your faces, but they'll be sending people soon to come investigate Whiskey Peak. If what Miss Pirate says is true, you might be able to buy some time with whoever it is they'll be trying to hunt down first."

Igaram set a doll down beside him. "The biggest problem is Mr. Five and his partner's defeat—they won't be forgetting your faces anytime soon, and once the information comes to a conflict, your advantage won't last long."

"Who cares about that?" Luffy said. "We'll just beat them up again!"

"If you continue to show such fortitude, I will feel much easier leaving the princess with you," Igaram said, smiling back at them. "But there's something else you should know—right now, no bounty exists on the boss' head."

Hoku held up Crocodile's portrait and Igaram grimaced. "But Sir Crocodile once had a bounty of eighty million beli on his head. Do not underestimate him. And about taking Princess Vivi to Alabasta..."

"Oh! So we're going through with it after all?" Luffy said.

"Looks like it," Zoro said.

"Hoku, how do ya feel about that?" Luffy turned to Hoku. She blinked at him in disgruntled surprise. "Sounds fun, right?"

"Dunno about fun," Hoku said. "But the call's yours to make, captain."

Luffy's grin turned wide, quickly turning back to Igaram. "Sounds good then!"

Dumbass. Hoku rubbed her arm, huffing as she looked away. You didn't need to ask me.

"Hold on a second!" Nami cried. "That bounty is four times Arlong! I don't want to do this anymore! I refuse!"

"I will have the money sent to you as soon as you arrive in Alabasta."

"Hurry up, guys! We need to get out of here!"

"And princess," Igaram turned to Vivi. "Please give me the eternal pose of Alabasta."

Vivi hesitated a moment before reaching into her jacket pocket. She gently set down the eternal pose into Igaram's hand, meeting her retainer's reassuring smile.

Nami looked up through her tears, in the middle of drawing beli figures on the ground. "Huh? What's that?"

"It's a permanent log pose," Igaram explained. "A normal pose guides you from one island to the next along the Grand Line. But eternal poses remember one location forever. No matter where you go, it always points to the same island. This one is ours. The coordinates to Alabasta are recorded within it."

Igaram flipped his locks, tugging on his tightened ponytail. "Princess, I've disguised myself as you. I'm going to set out for Alabasta with dummies of you four. While I divert any attention from potential pursuers, you must go with these people on their ship and return to Alabasta by the usual route."

"Igaram, are you certain?" Vivi said, following at the man's heels as he hefted up the dummies and made his way to the boat docked by the shambled port. Hoku helped him lift another one while Luffy grabbed the feet of another. "We could continue together—if Baroque Works will be going after someone else instead of us—"

"We have to make certain all our bases are covered," Igaram said, offering Vivi a reassuring smile as he set the dummies down onto the ship. "While I set sail, you must make it back to Alabasta safely—it should only be two or three log pose stops from here."

"...alright," Vivi said quietly. Hoku glanced her way before looking back to her boots. "Then we meet back home... no matter what!"

"Of course, princess," Igaram said proudly, turning to the lot of them instead. "Please, take care of the princess. She's risking her life for this."

"Igaram!" Vivi exclaimed. "You shouldn't—"

"...we'll do our best," Hoku said. Vivi turned to her. "She won't lose a life before she makes it home."

"...miss pirate," Vivi murmured, staring at Hoku with wide eyes.

But I might. Hoku's eyes sharpened at the prospect. Igaram turned to Vivi with a reassuring smile, clasping her hand with his. "Princess, it may be a difficult journey. Please be careful."

"You as well, Igaram," Vivi said. "Take care!"

Igaram unfurled the sails to the ship, waving once more to all of them. The wind caught the sails, propelling the ship and dragging it out of the harbor and back onto the sea. Vivi stayed close to the edge of the rock port, watching the ship grow smaller. Luffy and Nami turned, Zoro sliding his hands into his pockets as Hoku waited for a second, staring at Vivi's back. I guess... it can really work out. Things went so much smoother than I thought, is this really how it all goes? Would it have made a difference if I didn't run into Coco and Fi?

"...Princess," Hoku said, touching her brush. Not like I did much. In the end, it's thanks to the crew that Vivi's able to turn to them. "C'mon, let's go—"

A thundering explosion shook the air, erupting over across the waves. Heat flared outwards, crashing into them this close to the shoreline.

Hoku turned, staring out into the burning ocean, watching the plumes of smoke rise up into the sky. Igaram's ship crackled amidst the flames, the mast post falling over and crashing into the water.

"The princess is risking her life for this!"

Ah, Hoku. She blinked, turning her eyes down to the tip of her boots. The wind blew smoke toward them, stinging her eyes. You're such an idiot.

"I-It can't be!" Nami shouted, eyes wide in horror. "They got to him already?"

Luffy's expression was stony, staring out into the crackling flames across the ocean. His lips pulled roughly into a scowl, eyes turning ferocious as he whirled around. "I liked that guy!"

The fire outlined Vivi's silent silhouette as Zoro scowled, quickly turning to Nami. "Nami! The log pose?"

"I-It's all set!" Nami said quickly. "We're ready!"

"Then bring it! We're setting sail!" Zoro ordered, rushing forward. "We need to get out of here!"

"Princess Vivi!" Nami shouted, coming to stand beside Vivi's still form. "Hurry! If they find us, we're goners—"

A line of crimson appeared on Vivi's lip, dribbling down her chin. Hoku stopped, looking back at her.

"He's taken care of me since I was a child—"

"It's alright!" Nami said fiercely, cradling Vivi's head into her shoulder. "We'll get you to Alabasta! We promise!"

Vivi's shoulders started to tremble as Nami held her tighter, "Those four saved the East Blue—all by themselves! And this one—this crazy one? She's burned down marine bases and gambled with sea kings!"

Nami met Hoku's eyes, fierce over the crown of Vivi's head. "The Seven Warlords of the Sea? No problem!"

Hoku's hand shot outwards, wrapping around Vivi's wrist. The princess lifted her head, turning strained red eyes over from Nami's shoulder toward Hoku. Hoku stepped forward, swiping at Vivi's lip with her thumb.

"C'mon, princess," Hoku said. "Let's get you home."

A single tear rolled down the corner of Vivi's cheek. She quickly wiped it aside, meeting Nami and Hoku's gaze with a single, resolute nod.

"Please," Vivi said. "And thank you."

Nami and Hoku grinned, pulling her with them.

"Karoo!" Vivi cried, pressing her fingers together and whistling. "Karoo!"

"Princess Vivi, we have to hurry!" Nami said, trying to pull Vivi up the plank as Zoro and Luffy hurried on deck, tugging the sail and hauling the anchor out of the water. Hoku groaned, hauling Sanji and Usopp's limp bodies up onto the deck.

"I can't leave without him!" Vivi said desperately, turning her head as she let out another whistle. Hoku tried to listen, searching across the ruined remains of Whiskey Peak as she pressed herself up against the rail of the ship. "Karoo!"

"What's going on?" Zoro shouted.

"Her duck, Karoo is missing!" Nami said. "He's supposed to come when she whistles!"

C'mon, animals are easier than people. Hoku frowned, listening intently as she shut her eyes. He's gotta be saying something if his owner is calling for him—

"Vivi, I'm hungry!"

"Luffy, now ain't the time to be asking someone for food—" Hoku stopped, whirling around.

Big, wide eyes blinked right back at her. A massive, gilded orange beak met the tip of her nose as the giant duck stared at Hoku and she stared back.

"Funny face!" Karoo quacked at her.

Hoku shrieked in surprise, nearly toppling over the deck railing. Luffy's hands shot out, grabbing her by her armpits and smacking her back into place with a thwack. The duck quacked, waddling up to the railing and standing beside Hoku's dizzy form.

"He's here!" Zoro shouted. "On board when I got here."

"There you are!" Vivi snapped. Nami sighed in relief, ushering the princess up the plank as they scrambled onto the deck. Zoro gave the sails a final tug and wind pressed up against them, unfurling as the Merry creaked out a satisfying groan. The deck shifted beneath their feet. "Sail the ship upriver! We can catch the current a little farther up. That'll put us on course faster, at least!"

"Let's go!" Luffy shouted, hauling Hoku upright by the back of her shirt. Hoku hissed, rubbing her sore head and making a swipe at Luffy's face. "On your feet, Hoku! We're escaping so you gotta draw this too!"

"I know that!" Hoku snapped, rubbing her head. "I can finish that other page in a second once things settle down." But I'm gonna need Zoro's help. "Let's focus on just getting out of here first."

And pray nothing crazy comes next. Hoku lowered her hand onto the railing, unfolding the papers Coco and Fi had given her. I've got to look out for anything risky happening like what happened just now. I need to time it right too so this gets to who it needs to get to when we need it the most...

"Hey!" Luffy said, throwing an arm over her shoulder. "You think they'll send a ton of agents after us?"

"I don't know," Vivi said, looking up with concerned brows. "Baroque Works has about two thousand members. And I've heard there are other towns like Whiskey Peak all over these waters... but if what Miss Hoku said is true and the Unluckies did what she asked... the main militia that make up those forces won't be coming for us. We'll need to look out for the top number agents and their partners, like Mr. Five."

"Oh, thank god!" Nami said, pressing a hand to her chest. "Wait—no, doesn't that mean the stronger guys might still be after us?"

"It's possible," Vivi said. She quickly turned to where Hoku was frowning over the railing, eyeing the papers in her hands. "Miss Hoku, who did you send the Unluckies after?"

Hoku blinked, looking up. Luffy turned to her curiously. Zoro and Nami paused as well, looking over. "That's right! Hoku, whose picture did you give to the agents?"

"Oh, that," Hoku rifled through her papers and tugged out two, showing the portraits to her crew.

Zoro snorted, clapping a hand over his mouth to hold back his laughter. Luffy snickered loudly beside her, taking the papers and waving them around while Nami blinked in disbelief, raising a hand to her mouth. "I don't know if that idea... is good or... bad."

"They were the first two who came to mind," Hoku said simply. "Who knows if they're anywhere near here?" Though they definitely probably are if they're headed right for Alabasta too. "This way, the Croc can't just move carelessly and we also keep them busy, right?"

"W-What if something happens to them?" Vivi said. "This will be hundreds of enemies coming for them—"

The entire crew snorted, save for an unconscious Usopp and Sanji. Vivi blinked, puzzled. Nami simply waved a hand, throwing her worries aside, "Don't worry. These guys have the man power to spare."

"Looks like you did something useful after all, klutz," Zoro said. Hoku scowled at him.

Vivi's brows creased in confusion, looking at all of them. "I don't understand, who are they? Enemies? Allies? Are you sending Baroque Works into a trap?"

"Ah, well," Hoku rubbed the back of her neck before she shrugged. "Something like all of the above?"

"Pardon?"

"I just... had the craziest dream..." Hoku glanced down to where Usopp was starting to rouse, rubbing his eyes with a yawn as he sat up. Beside him Sanji mumbled something in his sleep, rubbing at the giant bruise on his head—huh, where'd he get that? "That Luffy was trying to rip my nose off and..."

Usopp blinked. He turned his head, quickly looking around. "Huh? The Merry? Wait, what are we doing back on ship? What's going on?"

Usopp's hand flailed out, smacking into Sanji's face. The blonde groaned, rolling over onto his side and blinking wearily. Hoku watched in amusement as he sat up as well, rubbing the growing welt on the side of his face. "What's happening? Did the girls come back to cuddle or..."

Sanji trailed off, eyes landing on Hoku's waiting face. His smiley grew dopey and he quickly extended his arms, wiggling his fingers at her as he opened up his legs and body to embrace her. "Hoku Honey! Is this a dream? Ah, if it is, then please, come into my arms—"

Karoo promptly took a seat between Sanji's legs, getting comfortable as he ruffled his feathers. Vivi let out a gasp of surprise, touching a hand to her mouth. "Karoo!"

"Hoku Honey, you're plumper than I expected, but I love that about you too—a duck?" Sanji squawked, eyes bulging at the sight of the creature sitting in his lap. Karoo quacked. "Get outta here! I'm making a roast out of you—"

Hoku absently pinched her skin showing across her bare abdomen, playing with it between her fingers. He said plump-er...

"Wait a minute, what's going on?" Usopp shouted, jumping to his feet. "Why'd we set sail? Why're we leaving?"

"Leaving?" Sanji said, shoving Karoo off his lap and looking around hastily. "Back on the ship...what happened? Can't we stay one more night! It's a fun town and the girls were really cute!"

"Yeah, who knows when we'll get to unwind!" Usopp complained, "Let's relax and have fun! We're pirates, that's all that matters to us after all—"

"Explain things to those guys," Zoro said, looking at Hoku.

Hoku simply pointed to where Nami's fist made clean contact with both Sanji and Usopp's faces, sending them back into the realm of unconscious on the deck.

"There's fog up ahead," Vivi said, warily pulling Karoo closer to her side after the debacle she just witnessed. She came to stand beside Hoku, who flashed her a curious look until Karoo started pecking at her boots. Hoku hissed at the duck, kicking back at him. "Once we pass the mouth, we'll be back onto the sea."

"It's almost morning," Nami said, looking up toward the brightening sky. "We should be alright for now..."

"...hey," Hoku said, lightly touching Vivi's elbow as she hopped out of the way of Karoo's beak. Vivi turned to her, "You... you want to get some sleep?"

Vivi's eyes cleared in understanding. Hoku grimaced, turning away from the wide brown eyes as she shoved Karoo's curious face away from her. Don't take it the wrong way. You got your ass handed to you by Zoro and you've had it rough tonight. I'm just giving you and out.

"...no," Vivi said softly. Her eyes turned downwards and then she met Hoku's gaze, firmer, more determined. "No, I'll be alright. Thank you, Miss Hoku."

Hoku offered her half a shrug, "Don't—"

"Be careful not to run up those rocks on your way out. I'm glad you managed to escape."

"Who the hell is that?" Zoro snapped, unsheathing his sword. Nami and Vivi whirled around, Luffy turning curiously to the lone, slender figure gazing down at them from the upper deck railing.

Her long, tanned legs swung outwards in an easy, gentle sway. The dark violet of her outfit contrasted like blooming flowers against her skin, leading all the way up to the smooth column of her neck. The sharp, defined curve of her jaw was cupped by silk black hair, also framing glittering, bright blue eyes—intelligent eyes.

"Nice ship," she said smoothly.

Hoku's eyes went round. A soft, prickling whisper tugged at the back of her head, bleeding outwards and into the forefront of her conscious. Her lips parted in surprise as a sea breeze tugged at her hair, unfurling the silver strands and sending it out against the wind behind her.

The woman who'd invaded their ship smiled, letting it crinkle the corner of her eyes, ever so slightly.

Oh. Hoku thought. A quiet sort of peace fell over her. You're...

Manu stretched his arms wide, showing off the collection of books in the small study of their home. He grinned, proud—"Look at this, maka! What the people of Ohara did—it's amazing!"

Hoku felt a chill race down her spine, contradicting the thump thump resounding quickly in her chest. I think... I've really wanted to meet you... especially...

The only survivor of Ohara... the future archaeologist of the Straw Hat pirates...

Nico Robin.

Nico Robin fixed them with an icy, mischievous smile. "I met your friend Mr. Eight earlier... Miss Wednesday."

Vivi's face darkened beside Hoku. Hoku's eyes went wide, snapping quickly to Vivi, "Did you... kill Igaram?"

"Forget about that!" Luffy shouted. "How'd you get on our ship?"

"What do you think you're doing here—" Vivi shouted. "Miss All Sunday?"

Miss... Hoku's eyes widened in disbelief, hurriedly darting back to Robin. Wait. Robin? Robin has a name like that... so she's working with Baroque Works? Wait, wait, huh? Huh? This can't be—this is how they first meet Robin? Working for the bad guys? I thought somewhere they just met and she joined or... Robin's working with the bad guys?

Hoku felt a small part of her brain fizzle out and turn to ash. She balked. Robin's our enemy?

"What now?" Nami said, turning frantically to Vivi. "She's Mr. What's-his-number's partner?"

"She's Mr. Zero's partner!" Vivi said. "She was the only one who knew the boss' identity, so we followed her... and found out who it was!"

"So it seems you all know Mr. Zero's real identity," Robin mused, tilting her head to side at them. "I'm glad I listened to my little hunch."

Vivi clapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide in horror. Robin smiled, "And by the way... I let you follow me."

"That was nice," Luffy muttered.

"We knew that!" Vivi snapped. "But then you told the boss that we'd learned his identity!"

"Well, that's not nice," Luffy huffed, crossing his arms stubbornly over his chest.

Hoku reassuringly grabbed Vivi's elbow, lowering her hands down. Shit. I didn't know we'd be up against Robin. What should I do? If she's in cahoots with Crocodile, she can easily report to him who we really are! Ka! I hope Coco and Fi didn't get caught—

"I'm curious though," Robin tapped her foot against her ankle, "we now have an interesting case of miscommunication with our dear Mr. Zero, who went ahead and dispatched quite the number of our members to go after the two marines the Unluckies communicated back to us... But I haven't seen a single marine ship in sight."

Hoku urked, feeling an object lodged in her throat. Robin hummed, letting her eyes scan over them with a frighteningly gentle smile. Goddess, I already figured you didn't want to be on the bad side of someone like her, but this is stupidly nerve wracking.

"So it would seem," Robin said smoothly. "We've been misinformed."

"So what?" Luffy said loudly. "Isn't that your fault for being dumb?"

Vivi and Nami gaped at Luffy. Hoku kept the constipated expression on her face, trying to figure out the best way to go about this.

Robin chuckled, a sound like velvet, "Of course it is. Now a grand number of our forces are chasing after some marines. I should even congratulate you. I never imagined it would be that easy to sway the Unluckies into pulling such a stunt. It seems they've even disappeared right off the map."

Oh, thank the goddess! Hoku pressed a hand to her chest, wheezing out an exhale. And it wasn't me, Coco was swayed by the whispers of the heart!

Hoku warily turned her eyes upwards and flinched, freezing in place.

Robin's glacier eyes regarded her coolly, peering down below the shadowed rim of her hat. Hoku hesitantly shifted to the side and winced when she realized—ah, yeah, she's looking at me.

"Just what do you want?" Vivi snapped, flinging a hand out. "Saying it like that—it doesn't seem to matter to you that you've just sent your forces into a trap!"

"I'm just curious," Robin said simply. "You seemed so earnest... I just had to help you."

Robin's lips pulled upwards into an amused smile, "A princess declaring war on Baroque Works to save her country... how pathetic."

Vivi's teeth pulled back into a snarl beside her. Hoku stared up at Robin in surprise, stomach churning at her harsh words as Vivi snapped beside her, "Don't underestimate us!"

Robin... you...

Click.

Sanji kept a finger on the trigger of the pistol, grimacing as he pointed it at Robin's head. Usopp's knees shook on the other side of her, holding his sling shot out. "H-Hey... you know what you're doing, right?"

"Not really," Sanji grunted. "But it looked like my beloved Miss Wednesday was in danger!"

Robin never took her eyes off Hoku, letting out a soft sigh as she rested her chin against the palm of one hand. "Really... don't point those dangerous things at me."

Sanji and Usopp's eyes widened, bodies flying over the second railing of the deck. Hoku and Karoo shot forward, Hoku sliding right under Sanji and wheezing when he landed on top of her while Karoo quacked, Usopp's crashing down on him.

Zoro pulled his sword forward, eyes widening when his blade roughly clattered to the ground with a resounding smack! Nami yelped, her staff falling to the floor.

"She must have devil fruit powers!" Vivi said.

"Devil fruit?" Zoro snapped.

"What kind of power was that?" Nami said incredulously.

"You okay?" Hoku said, lifting Sanji's head off of her. His eyes quickly turned, landing on her face and Sanji swooned, collapsing his weight onto her. "Oh, Hoku Honey—hurk!"

Hoku blinked when a hand popped out from Sanji's chest, pushing his head sideways and sending him toppling back onto the deck. She quickly shot to her feet, hand shooting for Mau.

Cool fingers wrapped around Hoku's wrist. Hoku froze, her hand curled over Mau's hilt while the foreign fingers kept her hand in place, holding it behind her back. Not enough to hurt—but the message was clear.

Hoku frowned, looking up at Robin.

Robin met their gazes with a simple smile. "Don't get excited. I'm not on an assignment, so I have no reason to fight you."

Luffy blinked, his hat sailing off his head and upwards. It coasted toward the second deck and Robin gently picked it up. "So you're the captain of the Straw Hat pirates, hmm? Monkey D. Luffy..."

"Hey!" Luffy shouted, fuming as he stomped his foot. "Give me back my hat! That's picking a fight! You're our enemy! Now get lost!"

"I have to say though," Robin hummed. "You've got quite an interesting crew assembled... including..."

Hoku stiffened, eyes darting to the side. Vivi jumped beside her, eyes growing wide as slender fingers extended from the hand that'd appeared off Hoku's shoulder, lightly stroking her hair back to show her mark off to the world.

Robin's gaze became unreadable, staring down at Hoku as Hoku looked silently back at her, letting Robin's fingers lightly trace the pattern over her eye.

"You're a long way from home," Robin said, soft, almost breezy. "What's someone like you doing with a strange little group of pirates?"

...so you feel something toward Pokians too. Hoku couldn't help the trickle of relief that flickered through her heart, winding up like a string. You don't think nothing when you see someone like me—Papa's words weren't wrong. Ohara and Artopoki weren't strangers after all...

"Or perhaps," Robin tilted her head to the side, smile cutting sharper than a knife. "You were roped into this?"

"...I wasn't," Hoku said, reaching up and touching Robin's fingers. Robin's expression gave nothing away. "...this is my crew."

"I see," Robin's finger rested below Hoku's eye, settled on the smeared curve of her heart. "But then again... you don't exactly have a home to return to, do you, Miss Pokian?"

"I asked you what do you want from us?" Vivi snapped at Robin, whirling on her. "If you're not here for a mission, what's your goal—"

"What do you do on this ship, Miss Pokian?" Robin inquired. "Playing pirate?"

Usopp gawked. "S-She's ignoring us!"

"...I draw," Hoku said loudly. Her chest swelled and she met Robin's gaze evenly, holding onto her fingers. "I'm an illustrator."

Robin's eyes flickered. Her smile was playful, "...draw you say?"

"Hoku's gonna illustrate the greatest story ever told!" Luffy shouted, clenching his hands into fists. Robin blinked once, slow, thoughtful. "That's our story—Hoku's ours!"

Luffy's hand shot out, roughly smacking Robin's hand away from Hoku's face. It disappeared in a flurry of petals. Hoku blinked in wide-eyed surprise, turning to Luffy as he huffed angrily, glaring at Robin, "And I said give me back my hat and get lost!"

"That's an interesting proposition, Miss Pokian," Robin said. Hoku frowned at her, brows knitted in thought. "Running with a band of pirates just to draw... is it that hard to deny your blood?"

"'course it is," Hoku said roughly, "the blood never lies."

Robin let her fingers rest against the side of her cheek, staring at Hoku in silence.

So, Robin... Hoku felt her fingers twitch at her sides. There was so much she wanted to ask her. So much she wanted to learn from her—to see if she knew, if she felt... What's your blood telling you right now?

"My," Robin set Luffy's hat down on top of her head. "What rotten luck. You're soon to be hunted by Baroque Works just because you befriended a princess. And you, princess, your only protection is a bunch of pirates. But the worst luck of all... is where your log pose is sending you."

Nami looked up as Robin smiled, "You're headed for a place called Little Garden. I guess we needn't bother killing you after all. You'll never reach Alabasta... or see Sir Crocodile in person."

"We'll show you!" Luffy shouted furiously. "Now give me back my hat! You—you dumbhead!"

"Wow, you really told her," Zoro muttered.

"Anyone can stand around and yell," Robin flicked Luffy's hat, sending it sailing through the air. It landed with a soft thump against the crown of Luffy's head. "But to sail knowingly into mortal danger is just silly."

Vivi's eyes widened and she quickly caught the object Robin tossed their way. She turned the pose in her hands, "It's... an eternal pose!"

"You'll be able to bypass difficulty that way," Robin said simply. "It points to the Island of Nothing, which is one stop before Alabasta. It's a route that even our agents don't know about, so no one will follow you."

"Wait! Is she one of the good guys?" Nami said in disbelief.

"Why would you give us this?" Vivi snapped, eyes narrowed in distrust.

Zoro leaned back, regarding Robin coolly. "It's probably a trap."

"Who knows?" Robin said lightly. Her eyes slid back to Hoku, remaining on her as she added, "You ought to have a little more sense for self-preservation."

"...you know, have we met somewhere before?" Hoku said idly, keeping her eyes level with Robin's. "You seem like you know a bit about Pokians... and you just seem awfully familiar."

Robin's eyes closed down on her like a pair of dark shutters. She simply smiled at Hoku, silent.

"... this pose—" Vivi started. "You—"

"Who needs that thing anyway?"

Vivi's eyes went wide as Luffy grabbed the log pose from her hands, holding it in his grip. Without even blinking, Luffy promptly crushed it between his fingers, glass and wood clattering to a mess against the floor.

Hoku felt a chill run down her spine, sending electricity running through her veins.

Nami's foot smacked Luffy's face sideways. "Are you crazy? She just gave us an easy route! What if she was really trying to help us?"

"She's not deciding what course we take!" Luffy declared, voice thundering over all of them. Hoku felt her fingers twitch.

"...I see," Robin said. "That's too bad."

"I don't like her!" Luffy huffed. "She blew up the guy with rollers—and she keeps touching Hoku!"

"To be honest, I don't have a problem with men like you," Robin said, standing up from the railing and making her way to the side of the ship, boots clacking evenly against the wood.

Robin set a hand on the curved wall of the Merry. She offered them all one last, lingering smile, letting her eyes trail individually over all of them before resting on Hoku. She turned away from them, waving one carefree hand over her shoulder.

"We'll meet again if you survive."

With that—Robin easily leapt off their ship.

Luffy rushed over to the other side, letting out a grunt at the sight of the massive turtle carting Robin away in ease, softly making his way through the sea. "I sure hope not!"

...she's gone. Hoku stared after the empty spot where Robin was and reached up, touching her mark. That... I guess that could've gone worse. It doesn't seem like she hates me for no reason, or wants me dead or anything like that either... but I don't know what's going on in her head right now.

Ohara and Artopoki. Hoku stared at her fingers in a slight daze. I want... to talk to her more.

Luffy roughly turned on his heel, sandals slapping the floor. Hoku blinked from the middle of her daze, turning over to him the same instant Luffy's palm came up and practically smacked into the left side of her face, "Ka! Luffy! What the hell was that—"

Luffy's thumb started rubbing rough circles into her face. Hoku swatted at his arms, smacking his head with hers and grunting at the rubbery pain. "Damn it—what do ya want?"

"Go wash your face—you've got germs all over you!"

"No! You go take a shower then—you stink like booze and food!"

"Fine! Then together!"

"Excuse me!" Sanji shouted, barreling through both of them and spreading his arms and legs as far apart as he could to push them away from each other. "I don't think so!"

Vivi collapsed to her knees, cradling her head in her hands. "Argh! I wish I knew what her game was... or even just her name!"

"There's no use in worrying about," Nami assured her, setting a gentle hand on Vivi's back. "Let's just keep going, okay?"

"We're used to scheming women around here," Zoro said flatly. Nami shot him a dangerous look and he huffed, turning away.

"Can someone explain what's going on?" Usopp cried. "I'm confused? What's happening?"

"I... Maybe it isn't right if I stay with all of you," Vivi said, frowning at the ground below her. "You'll only be put in danger because of—"

"Oh, quit it," Nami said, shoving her finger into Vivi's forehead. "We're in the mess because of you, so you're sticking it out with us, got it?"

"I-I said I was sorry—"

"Right, Luffy?" Nami said.

"Sanji! I'm hungry! Breakfast! Hoku—breakfast!"

Vivi felt sweat trickle down the side of her brow, clutching onto Karoo's feathers for comfort. The duck quacked. "Vivi, I'm hungry!"

"Hey," Hoku looked over to where Zoro leaned against the mast post beside her, watching her with an almost lazy gaze. The sharpness of his irises betrayed him. "You know that woman?"

"...no, not really," Hoku said, reaching up and thumbing her braid. She pulled her hair around, staring at the blank white strands.

But I'd like to, just a bit.

"...hey, Zoro?"

Zoro grunted in response.

Hoku grimaced, getting onto her knees. Her crew blinked at her while Luffy simply tossed his hands behind his head. Vivi blinked as well. Hoku shuffled on her knees and faced Zoro, her face turning constipated for a moment before she promptly thrusted her head to the ground, forehead smacking the floorboards of the deck.

"Please!" Hoku shouted. "Can I get some of your blood?"

Vivi's jaw hit the floor, eyes round in terror.

Zoro blinked once, finally registering her question. His face cleared in understanding and a lazy smirk crawled over his lips, tugging Wado Ichimonji out from his side. He tapped the side of the pearly white sheath against her head and Hoku eyed in longingly. "Sure. If I get a free coating out of it with your blood."

Hoku felt blood rush to her nose, quickly cupping a hand over it as a gentle trickle promptly fell over her lip. "D-D-Deal! Deal!"

"Not this one. Only the other two."

"Argh—gah! Fine! Fine, you stingy bastard! I'll take what I can get—"

Vivi fainted, collapsing onto Karoo.

If you lose your way tonight, that's how you know the magic's right. Doing it right, everybody will be dancing and we'll feeling it right.

Fun Fact: Hoku keeps important things tucked in her bra while she puts things she feels less attached too into her pants. (Ex: Mihawk's vivre card versus Crocodile's portrait)

GOD, FINALLY, I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG SAHIFJERWIOFGNRIWGNFRTNGRTGKT. CANNOT THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND YOUR SUPPORT AND FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO AND BRING TO THIS STORY, I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH, SHIT.

Somehow? Somehow, by the grace of your hands, this story has reached over 1,000 reviews. I don't know where to start and I don't even know how to continue—but sincerely and utterly, thank you so much. Thank you for enjoying and for reading this story so far, even though we're not even in the thick of everything yet. Thank you so much for your support, for your comments and critiques and your feedback and in-depth analysis and your FRIGGIN ADORABLE COMMENTS, LIKE GOD DAMN. It's literally stupid how much I don't deserve you guys, this is just fun for me to write, so thank you for even taking time out of your day to enjoy it. Thank you so, so much.

THE EDITS. I know the edits don't make everything perfect and they surely don't make this story amazingly better, but I hope they helped a bit. I intend to go back and do just a little more tweaking with some lines of dialogue and inner thoughts that can completely shift the mood/thought process during a scene to give it a different vibe and stance moving forward. I really appreciate all the thought and time you guys take into your kind words, so thank you so much for all your support.

ROOOOBBBIIINNNNNN. I've been dying to introduce her and she's finally here! I wanted to extend to conversation and do more, but it didn't feel right with me to have Robin be too chatty on the first meeting—we can work our way there. Hopefully it was a fun encounter to read and Mr. Thirteen and Miss Friday will hopefully go on to lead nice, successful lives. We'll see what happens. Hoku really said "yeet, gg Smoker" in this one.

TUMBLR. If you haven't already heard, I have a tumblr alkhale and lately, we have been fed some INSANELY AMAZING FANART FOR HOKU. Please head on over and check them out and show some love to these artists and fellow readers! All the art is literally so good, I'm crying in the bathtub. There's also some more questions being answered and some little extras over there!

Thank you all so, so much again for all your support. Please be safe during all of this craziness, look after yourselves and stay healthy!

THANKS FOR READING!

Marshmellow-

-OUT!