BROTHER ON BOARD

UnderTakerxXxMadnesS - Yes, awkwardness abound as Sabo is forced to give Luffy the Talk. Now that he has Devil Fruit Powers that are based around eating, Sabo can finally keep up with Luffy (and Ace) during a meal.

The Patient One - Just bare the hormonal Luffy for now. It all stemmed from that kiss in chapter 19. Luffy's simple one-track mind combined with a newfound appreciation for women puts him on par with a horny thirteen year old discovering breasts for the first time. There will be a payoff for the Luffy-with-Hormones storyline eventually but it's not coming just yet. In the meantime, you can hopefully gain some enjoyment from his brothers awkwardly attempting to get him passed that stage. P.S. I snuck in a tiny reference to This Bites regarding a snail.

The Keeper of Worlds - Plus, the rifle is technically Bonnie's body. So copying Sabo and his arm would be like copying two people at once. I'm actually pushing the 'information' session with Mr. 3 back to next chapter. I altered the line when I realized that they didn't need him for that just yet.

TheREALMightyKamina - Much appreciated! They warn you never to make deals with Rumpelstiltskin. But who do you think I got that bunker surrounded by landmines from?

Lightsbane1905 - Nami's are the only ones he's seen so far. The kiss from chapter 19 'awoke' Luffy's dormant hormones much to Sabo's dismay. Luffy's one-track mind will be a major source of frustration for his brothers in this chapter.

Dr. Zenkai - New outfits are revealed in this chapter! Sabo, Ayako and Bonnie get a wardrobe change. Sabo's consists of a colored cloak like the rest of the male Straw Hats but I actually dedicated a fair bit of time to describing Bonnie's since she's the new character and is the hardest to picture. I've got plans for Mr. 2 but I'm not going to spoil them right now.

Babyuknowme13 - Of course... maybe if the Straw Hats do things differently than they did in canon that might not be an issue...

PippinSqueaks - The ASL Brothers reunite in this chapter! Enjoy!

Ranger Station Charlie - One of the big changes is going to be addressed at the beginning of this chapter. The Straw Hats are on good terms with the World Government so Smoker and Tashigi had no reason to follow them to Alabasta since they're busy tracking down Buggy's crew. We'll see what that means for the arc.

Fencer22 - Thank you!

luvBonnieAnne - I added you to the Bonnie Anne Fan Club. Since you're using luvBonnieAnne as your username on TV Tropes I'd say that counts as a username. You got the bounty bit right. Robin's taking advantage of the competitiveness between the male Straw Hats concerning their bounties. The reward she put on the heads of her officer agents is how much their bounty rise provided they defeat that agent. I'm kind of neurotic about numbers so I play around with them when I can. My favorite number is 13. I don't think it's bad luck since I was born on the thirteenth. I won't tell you which month but let's say that I find Taylor Swift slightly more annoying than most people. You'll see 13 hidden throughout the story. There are 13 scenes in this chapter, when Ace joins the Straw Hats on the Merry there will be 13 'people' on board and just to mess with you, here's a vague spoiler: Robin will be the 13th person on the Going Merry when the Straw Hats leave Alabasta.

traindheart - You're on the list. Welcome! Membership comes with a complimentary straitjacket.

Guest - You'll see who came up with that nickname in this chapter. For now, let's just say its a book they stole and then read back when they were kids which caused them to notice certain similarities between themselves and some of the characters.

Mr. 1000 - Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of Fairy Tail. There are no pirates and the main character annoys me. I doubt I'll ever write anything about that series. Plus, I don't want this story to be a full crossover. The main focus is always going to be One Piece and the changes Sabo's presence makes to the original story. The only crossover aspect here is going to be the inclusion of the Pirate 101 character Bonnie Anne.

Guest - You'll see.

A/N: The Line Break tool pissed me off. Now I'm using centered BOB's to note scene breaks.

BOB

Ace-

"KEEP PADDLING!" Zoro shouted as he, Luffy, Sabo, Usopp, Sanji and Chopper frantically paddled the Going Merry after Mr. 2 and the Swanda.

"RIGHT!" Luffy, Usopp and Chopper all chorused.

"We're closing in..." Sabo eventually announced with a grim smile.

"Do you think they've spotted us?" Sanji wondered.

Swish!

Bonnie popped out of Sabo's shoulder as the Quartermaster continued his awkward one-armed rowing. "At the rate we're closin' in on 'em? They'd have t' be blind not t' notice."

"Um… what exactly are we gonna do when we catch him?" Usopp nervously inquired.

"Same as usual!" Luffy exclaimed. "Since it turns out he's a jerk and since Sanji called dibs, he can beat up Bon-buddy while the rest of us fight his crew and sink his ship!"

"Wait… we're gonna sink the ship with all those guys still on it?" the Ship's Doctor asked.

"Most ships that size have lifeboats," Sanji pointed out.

"Chopper…" Zoro sternly addressed the human-reindeer paddling next to him, "You may have thought that guy was your friend… but he's actually an enemy. He and everyone on that ship are members of Baroque Works. They all joined an organization that's trying to destroy Vivi's country."

Vivi frowned from where she was still leaning on the railing outside the galley staring at the Swan-themed ship ahead of them. "I've been away for so long… and there's no telling how long he's been able to mimic my father. For all I know, he's already used his face to further increase the resentment of the rebellion."

Nami came over and gave the Princess a reassuring pat on the back. "Don't worry. We'll make sure he doesn't do any more damage. The guys are a pain-in-the-ass to deal with most of the time. But you've seen how strong they are. When things get serious there's no one I'd rather have fighting on my side."

"Ayako, is your uncle ready yet?" Sabo inquired. "They're gonna ask us why we were chasing them when we finally catch up. We can use Mr. 3 as bait to lure Mr. 2 over here and then Sanji can jump him while the rest of us deal with the ship and crew."

"He's all set," the Artist reported. She stood at the base of the main mast with Mr. 3 slumped against it. There was a familiar green symbol painted on her uncle's chest. "Colors Trap… Calming Green will keep him from panicking when Mr. 2 shows up."

"Not… Mister… Two…" the hypnotized wax sculptor calmly mumbled.

"Hold on…" Usopp suddenly cut in, "So your plan is for us to attack that ship… using the Going Merry?"

"We'll be countin' on ye t' work the cannons Master Gunner," Bonnie informed him.

"I guess we were due," Nami reasoned. "For normal pirates the majority of their battles actually take place at sea. A traditional pirate raid consists of pirates attacking a passenger ship or a merchant ship and stealing all their valuables or goods. And then the pirates will usually have to fight off the Marine Vessels that pursue them."

"Luffy fighting Krieg on the sinking remains of his ship doesn't really count," Zoro reasoned, "So this'll be our first naval battle."

"Actually… our very first pirate battle upon setting sail was on a ship," Sabo recalled. "The rest of you guys hadn't joined yet. Luffy probably doesn't even remember since he was in a barrel for most of it. But Bonnie and I saved a cruise ship from Iron Mace Alvida and her crew."

"I remember," Luffy insisted. "That's when we first met Nami."

Nami blinked in surprise. "That's right. I had just finished robbing Alvida's crew… you guys and that kid came crashing down next to me. It's funny… that feels like such a long time ago but it's really only been a few weeks."

Sabo's eyes widened in horror, "I just realized that we never destroyed Alvida's ship! Bonnie and I took care of her and her crew… but we left without destroying her ship."

"If it's any consolation… I watched the marine battleships that showed up sink her ship," Nami supplied. "I remember being really relieved that I'd escaped with her treasure in time."

"The slippery skank ended up eatin' a Devil Fruit an' joined up with Buggy…" Bonnie growled. "She came back an' jumped us in an alley at Loguetown. Beatin' her again felt good."

"That means we crossed paths with her twice and failed to sink her ship both times," Sabo grumbled. "The Marines aren't on our crew… We didn't do it…"

"Didn't we start that tradition when we beat Buggy?" Zoro questioned.

"Yeah… but I don't like the fact that Alvida's an exception because of me…" Sabo complained.

"Buggy was in charge of that odd alliance when we fought them," Sanji pointed out. "Officer Tashigi called on the snail she gave us and told us that they escaped and were looking for us in the Grand Line. Buggy and his crew are the whole reason Captain Smoker and his marines are in the same ocean as us. But if Buggy does manage to slip away from them and track us down you can, by all means, destroy their new ship and count it as Alvida's."

"You have a Transponder Snail on this ship?" Vivi inquired.

"It's in the galley," Sanji confirmed. "I've been feeding it scraps. Something tells me a lot of people would be upset if we abused a snail. Have you really been here all this time and not noticed it?"

"You've never used it before," Vivi reminded him.

"I'm no expert on Transponder Snails," Sanji admitted. "I could barely work the candle-guy's when Mr. 0 called. But I'm pretty sure ours only calls Smoker and Officer Tashigi so it's only ever made the one call…"

Usopp suddenly let go of his paddle and stepped away from it. "I don't think we should fight that ship…"

"What's the matter, Usopp?" Ayako asked. "You're not scared, are you?"

"Yes, I… NO! This time I'm not," Usopp insisted, "At least… not for me… The Merry… she's just a caravel… she was designed so Kaya could go sailing… she may be armed with cannons but she wasn't made for naval combat." The Master Gunner turned and stared at the patchwork that he, Sabo and Zoro had done on the main mast. "I… I don't want the Going Merry to get hurt..."

"Usopp… it's just a–" Nami tried to reason with him but the Master Gunner cut her off.

"DON'T EVEN FINISH THAT SENTENCE!" Usopp snapped. "SHE'S NOT JUST A SHIP! You can't believe that! Not after everything that's happened! The Going Merry is our home! We couldn't call ourselves pirates if we didn't have a ship! And that's why we've gotta keep her safe so she can keep sailing! We're not good enough carpenters to repair any damage that enemy cannon-fire could do to her. Sabro… Bon-nee… you've got my back in this, right?"

"Usopp, I…" Sabo trailed off when he glanced over at his arm in time to see Bonnie go stiff for a couple seconds then start frantically scanning the deck. "Bonnie… you okay?"

"I heard somethin' just now…" the spectral fox reported. "It was a voice… kind o' high-pitched… It said 'Thank you Usopp'."

"I heard it too…" Luffy spoke up as he glanced over at the figurehead. He released his paddle and stepped away from it. "I don't like this plan anymore. Sabo! Make a new one!"

"Is this ship haunted?" Chopper asked warily.

"You mean aside from the riflegeist?" Nami snarked.

Bonnie flipped Nami off then turned to Chopper. "Do ye mind rephrasin' that? I resemble that remark."

"Alright… everybody stop paddling…" Sabo announced, "I'll come up with something else."

The Straw Hats released their paddles. But despite the fact that no one was paddling or manning the rudder, the Going Merry continued to follow the Swanda at near top speed. It seemed like the ship was coaxing every bit of speed out of her billowing sails.

The Swanda was faster due to its man-powered paddle wheels but the Going Merry appeared to be dead-set on keeping the enemy ship within her crew's sight.

"Thanks Merry…" Usopp whispered as the crew convened in the middle of the desk.

"I told him that we were heading to Alabasta," Sabo recalled. "So he shouldn't be too suspicious about us following him. We know he's out hunting Mr. 3 so he's probably on his way back from LIttle Garden. I'm betting that he assumed that Mr. 3 slipped passed him and now he's heading back to Alabasta to look for him there. Since Baroque Works executes agents that fail missions I doubt he'll report in that he was unsuccessful right away. So we've got a little bit of breathing room. But we still need to figure out where in Alabasta he's heading. Vivi, what's the most popular port in your country?"

"That would be Nanohana," the Princess answered. "Although, a lot of people go to Rain Base to visit Crocodile's casino Rain Dinners." Vivi frowned bitterly. "They have no idea who he is. They think he's a national hero."

"..." No one noticed the hypnotized Mr. 3's eyes narrow while he kept the same calm smile on his face.

Sabo turned to Luffy, "Your luck usually puts us in the right place at the right time. What do you think? Nanohana or Rain Base?"

"Which place has more food?" Luffy asked, thinking with his stomach. "That's where Ace'll be."

"Nanohana has a number of shops and restaurants," Vivi supplied. "It's also the first one we'd reach based on the direction we're sailing from."

"That one," Luffy decided.

"Hopefully that's where Mr. 2 is heading to search for Mr. 3," Sabo resolved. "When we get there we'll follow him and ensure that he doesn't get a chance to reveal our continued existence to Mr. 0. And, if we're extra lucky, he might lead us to some other Baroque Works Agents that we can remove from the equation to keep them from causing any more problems."

"Finding that guy in a crowded town will be like looking for a needle in a haystack," Sanji advised.

Zoro glanced around at the others, "Since we're dealing with a guy who can impersonate any one of us… I've got a plan that we can use to combat his abilities."

BOB

"Make sure to tie them real tight," Zoro instructed as he used his teeth to tie a white strip of bandages onto his left forearm.

"Not bad, mossball," Sanji remarked as he tied bandages on his own arm. "This will trump that creep's Clone Clone Powers."

"As long as we see these we can trust each other," Nami resolved as she and Vivi helped each other with their bandages.

"That okama could match our appearances and voices but he couldn't change clothing," Usopp noted as he, Chopper, Ayako and Carue sat on the deck in a group and helped each other arrange their respective bandages.

"Just don't tell my uncle that I got a tattoo…" Ayako requested as she rubbed her forearm. Mr. 3 had been moved to the anchor room so the Straw Hats could carry out Zoro's dual layered plan in private.

"You just had to pick the left arm, didn't you…" Sabo grumbled as he finished carving an 'X' in front of the scope on top of his rifle-arm. "You okay, Bonnie?"

Swish!

Bonnie popped out of Sabo's left side and then stared down at her left forearm. The elbow-length leather fingerless glove that she'd been wearing had been removed and was stuck in the waistband of her skirt. This caused the black 'X' now tattooed on her bare forearm to stand out in contrast to her blue-tinted fur.

"It's not like he could properly copy ye anyway," Bonnie mused, "But it's nice t' be included."

"Make sure you tie something over that so you match the rest of us," Zoro instructed.

"Bloody taskmaster…" Bonnie muttered as she pulled her left arm out of the sleeve of her billowy blouse then tore off the bottom half of her blouse's blue-tinted white sleeve. She tore the severed fabric in half again and then tied it over the mark on her arm so that it loosely resembled the bandages the other were wearing. "I hope ye're happy. I've got one shirt an' I just ruined the sleeve so I could go along with yer plan. It seems a bit pointless if ye ask me. He doesn't even know I exist. An' even if he did… he'd have no way or reason t' copy me."

"There is a point, Bonnie," Luffy announced as he stood up and proudly displayed the bandages tied on his left forearm. "These things on our arm aren't just tattoos and bandages. No matter what happens… these are a symbol of our friendship."

The others were suitably inspired by the Captain and all eleven of them stood in the middle of the deck with their respective bandaged left arms extended. Zoro stood at Luffy's left side with Chopper stretching his short arm up to join the circle in between him and Nami. Next to Nami was Carue with bandages around his feathered wing and then Ayako and Usopp. Sanji came next followed by Vivi with Sabo on her other side. The Quartermaster had bandages wrapped around the barrel of his rifle arm in front of the scope while Nojiko's red ribbon was still wrapped around the barrel behind it. And finally, Bonnie's spectral arm completed the circle in between Sabo and Luffy.

"Now we're ready for Arablasta!" Luffy exclaimed.

"That's Alabasta…" Vivi automatically corrected him. The Princess gave a warm smile as she gripped the bandages tied around her forearm. She'd found friends that accepted her as one of them and were not just willing to help her fight for her country's survival but actually seemed to be excited about doing it.

SHOOOOM!

Suddenly the Going Merry rocked a huge wave rose up in front of them. But then the water fell away to reveal a massive cat with fins.

"NNNYYYAAA!" the giant sea cat meowed as it stared down at the much smaller ship.

"A SEA CAT!" Vivi exclaimed.

"GAAAH! MOOONSTEEER!" Usopp screamed like a little girl.

"It's got fins… so it's a sea monster," the little girl standing next to him calmly informed him.

"SEA MONSTER!" Usopp and Chopper shrieked in terror.

"IT'S FOOOD!" Luffy cheered.

"GREAT! I'M STARVING!" Zoro exclaimed as he drew his swords.

But the sea cat didn't attack and the Going Merry sailed passed without any trouble.

"Damn… we lost sight of the swan-guy's ship…" Sabo observed.

Nami glanced down at the Eternal Pose on her wrist, "Well, we're sailing in the right direction."

"DON'T LET IT GET AWAY!" Sanji shouted as he, Luffy and Zoro ran to the rear deck.

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!"

WHA-WHA-WHOMP!

One swing from Vivi downed all three members of the Monster Trio. The sea cat dove into the water and swam away.

"Hey! What's the big idea, Vivi?" Luffy complained. "That thing was food!"

"You can't eat it," Vivi reprimanded him, "In Alabasta cats are sacred animals."

"There sure are interesting creatures in this world," Chopper remarked.

"And I'm sure it must be terrifying for kids like you two," Usopp said as he stood up on shaky legs.

"I've actually seen a sea cat before," Ayako stated. "Mr. 3 and I encountered one the last time we came to Alabasta. The fact that we ran into a sea cat means we're getting close to Alabasta."

"Yeah… and those things behind us are a pretty good sign too," Zoro pointed out.

Everyone turned to look back behind them and spotted an armada of nearly twenty ships. Each ship had the familiar winged skull of Baroque Works emblazoned on its front sail. There were enough ships to form a blockade.

"I guess we got here just in time to slip through," Sabo reasoned. He looked over at Vivi, "How many members does Baroque Works have again?'

"Well, you know there are the two Unluckies," Vivi recounted, "Fourteen Frontier Agents spanning from the Mr. 6 Pair to the Mr. 12 pair. And then there's nine Officer Agents since Mr. 2's an Okama and doesn't need a partner. That's twenty-five numbered agents plus Crocodile and Miss All Sunday which makes twenty-seven. There are two hundred Billions which are the underlings of the Officer Agents and then there are one thousand eight hundred Millions which are underlings for the Frontier Agents. Which comes to two thousand underlings."

"All those ships coming here means that Crocodile is recalling his forces," Sabo observed. "That means he's reaching the endgame of his evil plan for your country."

"That's why we can't fail," Vivi insisted, "It isn't just the lives of one million soldiers hanging in the balance but Alabasta's entire population of ten million people. We have to stop the rebellion."

"First things first though," Nami said, "We need to keep Mr. 2 from causing a problem. We'll be able to operate unhindered as long as Crocodile doesn't know we're still alive. So we need to make sure Mr. 2 can't ruin everything for us."

Swish!

Bonnie popped out of Sabo's top hat and peered off the front of the ship then pointed with her still mostly bare left arm. "I see somethin'. It's an island!"

ZZZZOOOM!

Luffy came racing across the deck and jumped up onto his seat on the figurehead. Everyone ran up to the front deck after him.

"WE DID IT!" Luffy cheered, "WE FINALLY REACHED ALABASTA!"

"That's Ala…" Vivi started to correct him but then trailed off, "Oh… you actually got it right this time."

"It only took him this entire trip," Nami muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"Let's head for Nanohana," Sabo resolved. "If we're lucky, we'll find Mr. 2 there. And if we're really lucky we'll run into Ace along the way."

BOB

"There it is… Nanohana," Vivi announced as she pointed to the large desert port town.

"It sure is a sandy island…" Chopper remarked as he eyed the sandy streets.

"Sandy Island is actually the island's name," Vivi informed him, "But the kingdom on it is Alabasta. It's a summer island. We've never so much as seen a flake of snow here. And for the last few years we haven't gotten a drop of rain either."

"HEY! I see Mr. 2's ship!" Usopp called out from up in the Crow's Nest. "That swan really stands out. It's at the very end of the dock."

Nami turned to look back at Sanji who was steering from the galley, "Sanji, there's a spot in the middle. Let's put some distance in between his ship and the Going Merry."

"Of course, Nami-swan!" the cook happily agreed.

No sooner than the Going Merry had pulled up to the shore, Luffy made to leap off the front of the ship. "I'M COMING FOOOD!"

"OH, NO YOU DON'T!" Sabo shouted as he dove after Luffy and grabbed his ankles.

Wha-whap! WHAM!

Luffy swung down and slammed into the front of the ship and Sabo quickly reeled his rubber brother back in. The Captain immediately popped back up.

"Sabo, what's the big idea?" Luffy complained, "Ace, Bon-buddy and food are all out there!"

Sabo calmly folded his arm and rifle over his chest, "Luffy… why are we chasing Mr. 2?"

"Because he has our faces!" Luffy answered.

"And why's that bad?" Sabo queried.

"Because Crocodile and Baroque Works think we're dead," Luffy stated.

"You do recall that you and I were in the newspaper, right?" Sabo prodded. Luffy nodded. "That means after Vivi and Carue… we're the two most recognizable figures on this ship. Sir Crocodile is one of the Seven Warlords. His job is to take down pirates that arrive in his kingdom. If you go running through the middle of town dressed like that… we won't have to worry about Mr. 2 because there will a line of people rushing to Crocodile to report that they saw Straw Hat Luffy run through Nanohana."

"Oh…" Luffy said simply.

"So what do we need if we're going to search the town for Mr. 2, Ace and food?" Sabo prompted.

"..." Everyone stared silently at the Captain as he scratched his head like a monkey. Then his face suddenly lit up. "WE NEED DISGUISES!"

"HA! PAY UP!" Sabo exclaimed as he whirled around and jabbed a finger at Zoro. "I told you I could keep him from running off and causing trouble!"

The swordsman grumbled and pulled a wad of bills out from his sash. "I could've sworn he was gonna run off the second we spotted the coast and then we'd be stuck dealing with the consequences of whatever chaos he managed to cause while he was away."

"Not while I'm Quartermaster, he won't," Sabo insisted as he took Zoro's money. "Good news Luffy! Zoro's paying for our lunch!"

"YAY! FOOD!" Luffy cheered.

Nami glanced around at the others, "Luffy and Sabo have had their picture in the paper, Vivi and Carue are royalty, Ayako… there's a chance you could be recognized by Mr. 2's crew, Zoro's got a reputation as a bounty hunter and Chopper's a reindeer so he'd stand out in a desert kingdom. That leaves Usopp and Sanji to get us clothes without attracting attention.."

"What about you, Nami?" Luffy asked. "You've got most of our money anyway."

Nami smirked and casually pushed her chest up as she folded her arms, "Oh? And you don't think I'd stand out?"

Luffy's eyes drifted downward and then bugged out. He staggered backwards with a faint flush.

"Damn it Nami!" Sabo complained as he pushed passed Luffy. "It's your fault he even developed hormones in the first place! Don't flirt with him! You'll make everything worse!"

"Yeah… for you," Nami taunted him.

Sabo opened his mouth to say something unflattering but Sanji smoothly stepped in front of him and cut him off. "Leave everything to me, Nami-swan! I'll find you an outfit so beautiful that the swan on Mr. 2's ship will be jealous!"

"That'll make me stand out more," Nami pointed out. "Usopp, go with him and make sure he gets something that we can cover up with. This is a desert kingdom and I don't want my skin to burn."

"And keep an eye out for Mr. 2 while you're at it," Zoro added as Nami gave Sanji some money.

The Ship's Cook and the Master Gunner left the Going Merry and took off into the port town of Nanohana.

Swish!

Bonnie popped out of Sabo's right shoulder. "I was just thinkin'... Mr. 2 didn't have that much o' a head start on us… There's a chance he's still be on his ship. An' since we're just waitin' here… maybe someone should go over there an' scout it out?"

"That's actually a pretty good idea," Zoro admitted. He glanced at the others, "Who wants to–"

"I was hopin' I could… er we could do it…" Bonnie added as she motioned to Sabo and herself with her left hand which showed that she was wearing her fingerless leather glove again. "I was workin' as a scout before I became a rifle. An' now that I can function outside o' the rifle… I want t' contribute t' the crew beyond just shootin' people."

"Great idea, Bonnie!" Luffy announced. "As Captain, I'll make you our new Scout! So take Sabo and scout out Bon-buddy."

The fox beamed at the prospect of being useful again and fired off a salute. "As you wish, Cap'n,"

"What's the plan, Bonnie?" Sabo inquired.

Bonnie spun around so she was facing Vivi… and the duck behind her. "Carue… ye're fast on land… how are ye at swimmin'?"

"Quack!" Carue replied as he gave her a feathery thumbs up.

Sabo grinned at Vivi, "Do you mind if we borrow your duck?"

"I don't mind, I trust you," the Princess replied with a soft smile.

"Eh-HEM!" Bonnie cleared her throat a little louder than strictly necessary then turned to Ayako next, "Do ye think ye could loan us some o' that Borin' Brown paint?"

"Sure," the Artist agreed as she fished into her ever-present blue backpack for her paint.

"That'll allow us t' sneak over an' snoop around the ship without anyone noticin'," Bonnie resolved.

"We'll be back soon," Sabo assured the others. Bonnie sank back into him as he climbed onto Carue and leaned back so Ayako could paint a familiar symbol on the back of his coat.

"Colors Trap… Boring Brown…"

The paint took effect and Ayako was the only one who noticed when Carue jumped off the side of the ship and swam away.

SPLASH!

Sabo held onto Carue as the Super Spot-Billed Duck rocketed across the harbour towards Mr. 2's ship. The duck's peaceful posture belayed the fact that his feet were rapidly churning faster than any propellor below the surface.

"Why the sudden interest in being useful?" Sabo asked the fox inside him as he lightly ran his fingers over his rifle-arm. "Did someone call you useless while I wasn't paying attention? Say their name and I'll make their life miserable. I can pull rank. I've always wanted to order someone to swab the deck."

"No one said anythin'," Bonnie replied. "It's a personal decision. Back home I had a reputation for bein' helpful an' reliable. Now that I can finally be more than just a rifle… I want t' do more. Chopper, Ayako an' Usopp are callin' me Bon-nee like I'm their sister… they look up t' me… I want t' be worthy o' that honor. I want t' be the best version o' myself for 'em."

"Our crew does seem to have a way of inspiring people," Sabo remarked. "You know you'll never be just a rifle to me. And I'll help you any way that I can."

They drew close to the Swanda and Carue swam up alongside it.

"For now just climb up onto that wheel," Bonne instructed. "An' I'll snoop around an' see what's happenin' on deck."

Sabo quickly relayed Bonnie's instruction to Carue. "Carue, go over to the wheel so we can climb up."

"Quack!" Carue agreed as he floated over to the wheel.

Skish!

Sabo grabbed onto the wheel and climbed up the side using his good hand then jumped and grabbed onto the main deck and hung there.

Swish!

Bonnie popped out of Sabo's top hat and peered through the spokes of the railing to survey the deck.

"Are you sure Mr. 2's gonna be able to find Mr. 3 in the town?" one of Mr. 2's henchmen Billions asked.

"At least he agreed to change his outfit so he wouldn't stand out as much," another Billion remarked.

"We're lucky Mr. 3 doesn't know we're after him. You know none of us could handle an Officer Agent."

"Mr. 2 can handle Mr. 3. Our job is to make sure he doesn't escape again like he did at Little Garden. There's no sign of his ship anywhere but we've still gotta gotta patrol the harbor and keep our eyes peeled for him and his partner Miss Goldenweek. We can't let either of them leave the town."

Bonnie frowned and sank back down into Sabo, "Well that's not good. Mr. 2's already gone… an' he's in disguise. It's gonna be really tricky t' find 'im in that crowded town."

"All we can do now is relay the bad news to the others," Sabo resolved as he dropped down onto Carue.

BOB

"These new clothes feel really thick…" Luffy commented as he donned the dark red cloak that Sanji and Usopp and brought back for him.

"They're meant to be," Usopp informed him, "The desert sun is deadly. You've gotta keep your skin covered." Usopp held up a thick, pale blue sash. "Here… you can tie this over your hat, Luffy."

Luffy tied the sash over his head then eyed Usopp's outfit which consisted of a pale green, long-sleeved one-piece cloak and a mustard yellow headdress. "Why are you wearing a dress?"

"It's not a dress!" Usopp exclaimed. "The salesman said it would be extra comfortable and that there was zero chance of me getting sunburned since none of my skin is exposed."

"We also saw some people wearing turbans," Sanji stated as he handed a long black sash to Sabo. "I figured you could tie this around your top hat so it doesn't stand out as much.

The Ship's Cook was in a pale blue cloak with red sun designs on the sleeves and a dark blue headdress that was currently hanging around his neck like a hood.

Sabo's new outfit consisted of a dark blue coat that was lined in a black. The sleeves were big and loose enough that he had been able to fit his rifle arm through the left one and now it partially concealed most of the deadly weapon that he'd made his forearm. Sabo quickly wrapped the black sash around his top hat so it resembled a turban. A bit of the black fabric hung down under the top hat's brim to shield the back of his neck from the desert sun.

Swish!

Bonnie popped out of Sabo's right shoulder and smiled as she gave her boyfriend the once over. "It's not very steampunk… but ye won't stand out now." The fox turned and spotted Chopper with his hooves clamped over his nose. "Are ye alright there, Chopper?"

Chopper had on a thick white shirt with a green collar that hung down low and almost completely hid his maroon shorts. Over that he wore an indigo cloak that was lined in purple. "The air smells funny... it hurts my nose."

"It's perfume," Bonnie informed him. "Loads of it. I don't actually breathe as a rifle but I can still smell it. Yer nose is extra sensitive so it's hurtin' from smellin' it all at once. Try breathin' through yer mouth while we're here."

Chopper nodded and his mouth hung open as he took a series of deep open-mouthed breaths. "Oh… that does feel better. Thanks Bon-nee!"

Bonnie smiled and flashed him a thumbs up before she sank back down into Sabo's shoulder.

"LADIES! Are you ready yet?" Sanji eagerly called out towards the storage room. "I know all your measurements by heart, so everything should fit just right!"

"Pervy-cook…" Zoro muttered. He was in a black and white cloak with an orange headdress hanging around his neck like a hood.

"WE'RE ALL SET!" Nami's voice sounded through the storage room door.

KREEK!

"What do you think, boys?" Nami called out as she stepped out and struck an alluring pose. She was in a dancer outfit that consisted of a halter top that was more of a bikini with the two dark blue triangles with a purple wave design held together with a simple clip that served to show off the Navigator's large bust and impressive cleavage. Nami had a gold band on her left arm just below her tattoo and a pale pink cape hung from the back of her top and reached her long white skirt which had a matching blue waistband and was also low cut to show off a bit more of her pelvis.

"NAMI-SWAN! YOU'RE AN ANGEL!" Sanji gushed. "You look even more beautiful that I imagined in that dancer outfit!"

"A dancer outfit?" Luffy repeated, "That sounds fun! Nami! Do a dance!"

Nami turned to survey Luffy with a raised eyebrow, "How much money do you have?"

"I don't have any money," Luffy admitted.

"Then no dance," Nami stated emphatically.

"Sanji… we're supposed to be blending in…" Vivi pointed out as she emerged from the storage room and stood beside Nami in her own dancer outfit. Vivi's purple top was more conservative than Nami's and actually looked more like a proper halter top with a pink outline. A white cape hung from the back and met her long pale blue skirt. The bottoms were also more conservative than Nami's and had a straight waistband with a purple and pink tunic-like flap hanging down in the front.

"But Vivi-hime, dancers are common!" Sanji insisted. "You're the most beautiful dancers in Alabasta!"

"But we'll be traveling through the desert!" Vivi protested.

"We will?" Sabo questioned.

"Well… I wanted to try and talk down the rebel army…" Vivi replied as she clasped her hands together at her waist. "Their leader's an old friend of mine…" The Princess was only slightly disappointed to see that Sabo's eyes were locked on hers. Although, there may have been someone else behind that.

"That's right… keep those eyes up, mister."

"Don't worry…" a slightly flushed Usopp interrupted as he held up a stack of different colored shrouds. "I made sure to get something you can cover up with like Nami asked."

"Good… because I don't think I have the body for an outfit like this…" a beet-red Ayako piped up as she peeked out from behind Vivi. The Artist was still wearing her pink hat but also a dancer outfit of her own. Her top was red in color with a pale pink outline and was actually more conservative than Vivi's and looked like a cropped tank top. A pale purple cape hung down from the back and met her pale pink skirt which like Vivi's had a straight waistband and a red and pink tunic-like flap hanging down in front.

Ayako self-consciously wrapped her arms around her still developing chest as she eyed the older, better endowed girls standing next to her.

Swish!

Bonnie popped out of Sabo's chest and then hung there so she was eye-level with Ayako.

"Listen t' me… big boobs don't make ye a woman," Bonnie informed her. "You an' Chopper are the living embodiment that great things come in small packages. Ye're still young but ye're so insanely talented that ye can still hang with the rest o' us. Ye've got nothin' t' be embarrassed about."

"Really?" Ayako asked uncertainly.

"Sure as shootin'," the fox agreed.

"Heh…" Sabo let out a quiet chuckle at Bonnie's gun-related comment. "Adorable…"

"An' if havin' a big rack means so much t' ye… just wait a couple years," Bonnie instructed. "There's clearly somethin' in the water here that causes the girls t' grow big melons. Give it two years an' ye'll have a chest that'll rival Vivi's."

The Princess in question flushed and hugged her arms over her own chest. But then the corner of her mouth quirked up when she noticed Sabo trying and failing to avert his eyes after hearing his girlfriend's blunt comment.

"Now hold yer head up high an' give us a smile," Bonnie prompted.

Ayako lowered her arms and beamed. "Thanks, Bon-nee!"

The spectral fox winked at her and then started to sink back into Sabo.

"Bonnie-channe, I got an outfit for you too!" Sanji called out.

Bonnie froze and turned to look at the Ship's Cook. "Did ye really?"

"I remember that you were upset about having to tear your sleeve for Zoro's plan," Sanji recalled. "So I made a point to get you a new outfit to make up for it."

"Thank you, Mr. Prince," Bonnie said with a soft shake of her head. "But I'm a ghost… there's a reason I've been stuck wearin' the same outfit for over two years… I don't think I can change clothes…"

"That's just because you've never tried," Sanji reassured her. "You were able to taste that smoothie when Sabo drank it. I thought that if Sabo ate the outfit you might be able to wear it."

Bonnie glanced at Sabo and shrugged, "It's worth a shot."

Sanji grinned and rushed off to grab the final dancer girl outfit that he'd brought back.

Sabo smirked at the word 'shot' but then frowned when he had a sudden realization. "That's the second time Sanji's thought of something new I could do for you with my powers."

"Don't worry, hon," Bonnie reassured him, "Ye spent a year datin' a rifle. You an' I are still caught up in enjoyin' the freedom that comes with this new stage o' our relationship. Sanji's not as involved so he's free t' think beyond it."

The Ship's Cook returned with another dancer outfit and happily presented it to Bonnie Anne. "I wanted to focus on that fact that you're still alive… even if you are a ghost. So I went with colors that would compliment the natural reddish orange color of your fur."

"That's sweet," Bonnie remarked as she eyed the revealing green and brown outfit with amusement. "Not t' sound ungrateful but are ye really tryin' t' dress a Fox in green? Do ye think I'm Robin Hood?"

"I thought Robin Hood was a human…" Usopp spoke up.

Bonnie looked perplexed, "Robin Hood was a Fox. What version o' the story were you readin'?"

Nami cut in before Usopp could answer, "I'm hearing a lot of excuses but so far I'm seeing no action. What's the matter, foxy? After all that talk about boobs not making the woman are you scared that you don't measure up?"

"Bite me!" Bonnie growled at Nami. She turned and shot Ayako a quick smile then faced Sabo again. "Eat the outfit." The fox sank back into her human boyfriend and disappeared.

Sabo took the dancer outfit from Sanji and balled it up, "Even with as crazy as the Grand Line is… this definitely wasn't something I thought I'd be doing today." Sabo opened his mouth wide and tossed the balled up outfit inside then swallowed it down.

Gulp!

Sabo closed his eyes and concentrated. Bonnie was in the rifle. The rifle was his arm. That made Bonnie a part of him. He pictured Bonnie and her usual outfit. Then he pictured the green and brown dancer outfit. And then he pictured Bonnie in the dancer outfit before he intoned… "Munch Munch Shock… Bonnie Dancer!"

"YIP!"

Sabo's eyes shot open in alarm. "Bonnie? You okay?"

"Aye… er… that felt weird. Somethin' definitely changed. I'm comin' out… hold yer left arm an' leg out t' the side."

Sabo pulled up his left sleeve to fully expose his rifle-forearm and then followed Bonnie's instruction and held it out over his extended left leg.

Swish!

Bonnie's head and hands popped out of Sabo's extended left foot. But then her head sank back in while her hands remained out.

SWISH!

Bonnie came shooting back out of the top of Sabo's foot and grabbed onto the barrel of her rifle. The fox then proceeded to do a chin up as she dragged her tail, legs and feet out of Sabo's foot. Bonnie squeezed her legs together and curled them up to her chest as Sabo swung his arm to the side and allowed Bonnie to drop down onto the deck in front of him.

"Yeah Bonnie!" Luffy and Usopp cheered and applauded Bonnie's successful exit.

Bonnie Anne stood on the deck completely free from Sabo's body. She turned to the side and struck a pose with her left leg forward and her right leg back, her left arm out with her thumb and index finger extended like a handgun then winked at the gathered crew. "Well… what do ye think?"

Bonnie was now wearing the dancer outfit Sanji had gotten her but the green and brown on the outfit had faded into blue-scale like the rest of the fox ghost's clothing. Bonnie was still wearing her dark bandana and her formerly brown fingerless leather gloves and leather boots which would have matched perfectly with the brown outline on her dancer outfit's halter top.

Bonnie's dancer outfit appeared to be a cross between Nami's and Vivi's. The formerly green top was outlined in what used to be brown and consisted of more material like Vivi's halter top. But the neckline had a more provocative angled cut like Nami's which revealed a good amount of the white fur on Bonnie's chest and a healthy bit of her modest cleavage. A bit of extra material hung down below the chest in a point which combined with the angled cut of the neckline made the top look like a 'V'.

A formerly pale yellow cape hung down from the back of Bonnie's top and met her once mint green skirt. Bonnie's skirt was a dead ringer for Nami's with the angled cut of the waistband along with the green design at the waist which again resembled a 'V'. The gap between the halter top and skirt exposed the white fur on Bonnie's toned stomach which was further enhanced by the darker 'blue' fur on her sides. The back of the bottoms had the same angled cut which made it easy for the fox's tail to come out as it swung down and curled around her right leg.

"Wow…" Sabo whispered as he stared transfixed at his vixen girlfriend.

THUD!

"AAAH!" Chopper yelped and fell over in surprise. He was a reindeer. He wasn't interested in humans. So seeing Nami, Vivi and Ayako's dancer girl outfits hadn't affected him. But suddenly seeing the older fox in her revealing dancer girl outfit caused the reindeer to fall over and then scramble across the deck so he could duck behind Carue and peek out shyly from the other side while the spot-billed duck continued to stare at the fox with his beak hanging open.

"Bonnie-channe!" Sanji swooned, "You. Look. Stunning."

"She looks like a dancer… but also like she could kick someone's ass…" Usopp remarked.

"You look great, Bon-nee!" Ayako gushed. The revealing tops of their dancer outfits showed that Bonnie's more modest chest was smaller than Vivi's and especially Nami's. But the fox was a good five centimeters taller than the Navigator and stood with a confidence that showed she didn't give a damn about the gap between their bust sizes.

Bonnie's outfit caused Sabo to remember something and he suddenly started laughing, "Hahahahaha!"

The fox scowled and folded her arms across her chest, "Not exactly the reaction I was hopin' for…"

"It's not that," Sabo reassured her, "Remember when Nojiko and I were on that magic djinn thing? I asked her what she'd wish for if she had a magic djinn, she decided I was the magic djinn and wanted three wishes to go with polishing my rifle three times?"

"DAMN IT SABO!" Nami complained as she clapped her hands over her ears. "There are children present! No one needs to hear about my sister polishing your rifle! Least of all me!"

"Polishing… OH MY!" Vivi's eyes flew open in surprise while she blushed beet red.

"The point…" Sabo calmly continued. "...is that Nojiko and I were saying that I was the magic djinn… but your new outfit made me finally realize the truth… you were the magic djinn the whole time." Sabo grinned widely. "And there is not a day that goes by where I am not eternally grateful for the magical force responsible for someone as amazing as you into my life."

Bonnie smiled fondly at Sabo then looked over at Luffy, "And that Luffy is how ye earn yerself a dance."

Sabo blinked, "Really?"

"Later. In private," Bonnie replied, "Like Nami said… there are kids present. Now… there's this annoyin' naggin' force pullin' on my back that's tellin' me I need t' go back in the rifle." Bonnie turned so she was facing away from Sabo and made a point to flip Nami off with both hands before she spread her arms and jumped backwards into Sabo and vanished once more.

"If we're done fooling around… can we get back to the matter at hand?" Zoro requested. "We've got an okama to catch. Our scouting team reported that he was already in town and that he's in disguise so our best chance at finding him will be splitting up into groups so we can cover more ground."

"Bonnie and I should go with Luffy," Sabo decided, "That way we can try to find Ace along the way."

Zoro nodded, "Then I'll go with Nami once she puts some actual clothes on… and the cook can go with Usopp and Chopper."

"Hey! How come you get to go with Nami-swan!" Sanji protested.

"Because I won't let her distract me, love-cook," the Boatswain retorted, "That leaves leaves Ayako, Vivi and Carue here on the ship with candle-guy." Zoro turned to face Ayako, "Ship's Guard, you've got three important jobs while the rest of us are searching for Mr. 2."

Zoro grinned as he held up his three swords and once again used them to count, "Wado ichimonji, guard the ship. That's your job so that one's a given. Yubashiri, make sure no one recognizes Vivi and Carue. News of the Princess of Alabasta returning will reach Crocodile even faster than any rumors of Straw Hat Luffy running through town. And Sandai Kitetsu, make sure Mr. 2's men don't recognize you. Their target is your uncle… but creeps like them wouldn't be against using you to find him. Stay hidden, got that?"

"Yes sir," Ayako agreed with a salute.

"Here, you can put these on now…" Usopp offered as he came over with his stack of shrouds.

A moment later, Nami was clad in a white shroud, Vivi midnight purple and Ayako sky blue. The Artist had finally agreed to remove her pink hat so she could further hide her face and remain unnoticed.

The Straw Hats split up and disappeared into Nanohana.

BOB

Sanji and Usopp once again worked their way through Nanohana. Only this time they had Chopper walking along with them in his reindeer form.

"Could he be Mr. 2?" Usopp questioned as he pointed at a tall, muscular man with a panda head.

"No... I think that's Pandaman..." Sanji informed him.

"How 'bout that guy?" Chopper asked as he pointed to a brown haired man with glasses, blue jeans, a red and white striped shirt and a red and white beany. "He looks suspicious!"

"You just found Waldo…" Sanji answered.

"Well then how're we supposed to find this guy?" Usopp demanded. "He could be anyone!"

A thoughtful expression crossed Sanji's face as he glanced back towards the harbor, "Maybe we could get some help…"

BOB

"I smell food this way!" Luffy exclaimed. "That's where Ace'll be!"

Sabo nodded as he followed Luffy and carefully scanned the crowds for anyone acting like they were searching for someone. Mr. 2 could look like anyone and it was a crowded town. He could be anywhere.

"Er… Sabo… while we're here… would ye mind stoppin' off t' get somethin' else for me t' wear?"

"You mean you don't like your outfit?"

"No! No! I love it! I'm so happy t' finally be able t' wear somethin' else for a change. I especially like how ye managed t' keep my shootin' gloves, boots an' bandana."

"Thanks. I sort of just pictured both outfits and switched them."

"Yeah, I figured. But that's just the thing… while ye were picturin' my old outfit… ye weren't thinking about anythin' I might've been wearin' underneath it…"

Sabo stumbled. "Wha…"

"This is embarrasin'... but I need ye t' eat a new pair o' knickers for me."

Sabo stopped in his tracks, "You mean… right now… you're–"

"Goin' commando? Aye! I mean, it's not a pressin' issue since this is a long skirt an' it's not like I can feel a breeze or anythin'... but ye know… before we leave the marketplace..."

"Hey Sabo, why's your face red?" Luffy asked.

"No reason!" Sabo squeaked in a voice that was two octaves higher than normal.

"And why's your nose bleeding?" Luffy pressed.

"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Sabo snapped as he rubbed his nose. He quickly sought to change the subject. "Uh… what's with that crowd over there?"

"I dunno, something about a dead guy," Luffy replied.

"Let's see what we can find out then," Sabo resolved. He walked up to a random man gawking straight ahead and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey… sorry to bug you… what's all the commotion about?"

"Some guy just dropped dead in the middle of the Spice Bean," the villager answered. "He was in the middle of a meal and in mid-conversation with the cook. The most common theory is that he ate a Desert Strawberry which is a poisonous spider with venom that's lethal but only after a few days."

"You don't say," Sabo remarked as he turned and shared a wide grin with Luffy. "That sounds like something worth investigating."

Luffy and Sabo worked their way through the crowd and eventually managed to slip inside the Spice Bean Restaurant. Both Luffy and Sabo's faces stretched due to their wide grins when they instantly recognized the source of all the commotion.

Ace was sitting on a stool at the counter. He had a fork and knife clutched in his hands but was currently face-down in the food he was eating. The uninformed observers were all convinced he was dead.

"Two years later… an' he still hasn't put a shirt on. The tattoo's new though."

"That's not just any tattoo," Sabo informed her as he eyed the large manji tattoo with a white crescent beard that covered most of Ace's bare back. "That's the mark of Whitebeard. He's the strongest pirate in the world."

"Er… I should probably warn ye… the last time Ace an' I met… it didn't exactly go well…"

"I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding," Sabo reassured her. "I'll clear it up."

"Who's the guy in the turban talking to?" one of the gawking bystanders wondered. "Is he crazy?"

"Oops…" Sabo mumbled. He casually shrugged then crossed the room and sat down on the stool on Ace's left side and casually slid the tall stack of empty plates from Ace's meal aside. He turned to the cook and called out, "I'll have what he's having."

SPROING!

Luffy sprang across the room and landed on the stool on Ace's other side. He knocked the empty plates out of the way and then picked up a spare fork and knife and banged them on the counter while chanting. "FOOD! FOOD! FOOD! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!"

"Uh… are you sure?" the nervous cook asked. "The guy was eating a lot… and he just dropped dead."

Sabo grinned as he sensed an opportunity. "I thought you'd want to clear your reputation."

"What do you mean by that?" the cook questioned.

"A guy dropped dead eating food you made him," Sabo pointed out. "It might be a coincidence but how long before people start to wonder whether or not your food was what caused it?" The cook went pale. "Do you want word of that to get back to his Captain?" The cook started shaking at the prospect of angering Whitebeard. "If you serve us the same thing and we eat it without croaking… you'll be able to prove that you had nothing to do with it."

"I… right… good idea," the cook realized. "I'll get started right away! Your meal's on the house!"

The cook rushed off to start cooking.

"Yeah! Free food!" Luffy cheered. "Hey Sabo, since you don't need the money from Zoro... can I have it?"

"No."

"What? Why not?"

"Because I know what you plan on spending it on."

"But Nami said I needed money for a–"

"Exactly," Sabo cut him off. "You don't want what she's selling."

BOB

"AH-CHOO!" Nami suddenly sneezed as she snuck through Nanohana with Zoro. "Either all this perfume is getting to me… or someone's talking about me. I bet it's Bonnie. That furry bitch had better watch herself!"

"Shut up!" Zoro suddenly hissed. He stepped in front of Nami then grabbed her wrist to turn her slightly to the side.

"What's the big idea!" Nami growled.

"Look over my right shoulder," Zoro quietly instructed. "Do you see the black haired man that looks like he's a good half a meter taller than everyone else?"

Nami blinked and looked in the indicated direction and spotted a tall man in a navy blue suit with a colorful high collar poking out from under the suit jacket. He had short black hair and a plain-looking face. The man seemed to be scanning the shops and stalls but notably wasn't looking at the merchandise.

"The man in the suit… I see him," Nami confirmed. "You think that's him?"

"Look at his feet," Zoro advised.

Nami glanced down and saw that the man was wearing white… slippers? There was a notable high-step in his stride that made it look like the man was walking on a cloud. "He's light on his feet."

"I think we've found our okama," Zoro announced.

"How'd you notice all that so fast?" Nami wondered.

"Spend a few years as a Pirate Hunter and you pick up a few things," Zoro replied.

"Well… go get him!" Nami prompted.

"No way," Zoro refused.

"What? Why not?" Nami questioned.

"The cook claimed him," Zoro insisted.

"Damn it… why does everything come back to your di…" Nami trailed off when she realized how things had gone the last time she'd used this particular phrase and quickly changed track. "Uh… bounty game?"

"There's a one million berri difference between the cook's bounty and mine," Zoro stated, "And two million berries between mine and the gun-nut's. If I take down this guy… then that'll leave Mr. 1 open for one of them and they'll end up with a higher bounty than me."

"If we don't do something he'll get away!" Nami exclaimed.

"Then what would you suggest?" Zoro countered.

"FOLLOW HIM!" Nami growled in exasperation.

The Pirate Hunter and the Pirate Thief began following the man that they'd identified as Mr. 2.

BOB

"DISH ISH WEALLY GOOT MISHER!" Luffy exclaimed as he and Sabo shoveled down food. Their rapidly growing piles of empty plates were beginning to resemble the ones that Ace had left.

"Are you two really just going to just sit there and stuff yourselves next to dead man!?" a random bystander demanded.

Sabo paused and glanced back at the man who had spoken then turned to look at Ace. "Did any of you think to try waking him up?" He reached out with his right hand and slapped Ace on the back.

WHAP!

"URK!" Ace let out a grunt and finally pulled his face out of his plate.

"HE'S ALIVE!" the entire restaurant shouted.

"Huh… I must've dozed off…" Ace mumbled.

"HE WAS SLEEPING!?" everyone roared.

"I see that your narcolepsy is still a thing," Sabo remarked.

Ace blinked and then grinned when he noticed the duo sitting at his sides. "Luffy! Sabo! You made it!"

"We god urr muthage in Duhm!" Luffy mumbled around a mouthful of food.

"It was actually really lucky," Sabo added, "We were only there because our Navigator got sick. But we were already heading here so maybe we would've run into you anyway."

Ace watched his brothers finish off their food with a content smile but was surprised when he realized that Sabo had matched 'Rubber Stomach' Luffy plate-for-plate. "Hey… how'd you keep up with Luffy?"

"Devil Fruit," Sabo answered simply.

"Oh, that explains it," Ace said.

"Thanks for the food, mister!" Luffy gushed, "It was yummy!"

"On the house, right?" Sabo clarified.

"..." the cook nodded dumbly. He and everyone else were still staring at Ace in shock.

The reunited ASL Brothers stood up and walked out of the restaurant.

"What's with them?" Ace wondered as he glanced at the shocked crowd.

"They thought you were dead," Sabo explained, "You face-planted in mid-conversation."

Back in the restaurant, the cook had a sudden realization. "HEY! THAT DEAD GUY DIDN'T PAY!"

"Oops…" Ace mumbled.

"DAMN IT, ACE!" Sabo snapped.

"SHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed as he and his brothers took off running. Just like old times.

BOB

"So what are we gonna do with this guy?" Usopp asked as he, Sanji and Chopper stood over Akumai, one of Mr. 2's Billions, in a deserted alley. His black hair was styled to look like a pair of wings while his arms were tied behind his back with his scarf.

"We're going to interrogate him for information that'll help us find Mr. 2," Sanji answered. "He might be able to tell us what the Okama looked like when he left his ship or which direction he went."

"Oh, good idea," Usopp remarked. "How are we gonna do this?"

"Let's go with the classic Good Cop Bad Cop," Sanji suggested. "You act like his new best friend and I'll show him what'll happen to him if he doesn't comply."

"What do I do?" Chopper questioned. "I wanna help too!"

"You can be another Bad Cop," Sanji decided. "Turn into a yeti and try to look intimidating."

"Right!" Chopper agreed. His new outfit stretched as he transformed into his burly Heavy Point form. Chopper pounded his fist together and growled. "Grr… I'm a tough pirate!"

"He's waking up!" Usopp warned them as he knelt down in front of the Baroque Works Agent. "Places!"

Sanji leaned back against the far wall and crossed his arms over his chest as he smoked his cigarette. Chopper looked over at Sanji and copied the cook's intimidating pose.

"Uugghh… okay who's the wise guy that jumped me from behind?" Akumai demanded.

"Those guys did it!" Usopp immediately blurted out as he motioned to Sanji and Chopper behind him. "They wanted to beat you up but I convinced them to give you a chance. We're trying to find Mr. 2. If you help us I'll make sure my crew doesn't hurt you."

"Who's Mr. 2?" Akumai asked with a fake grin. "I have no idea what you're talking about! Now hurry up and untie me, you long-nosed jerk!"

"Long-nosed?" Usopp gasped. "I got this nose from my mother!"

Akumai scoffed, "Well, you've got another thing coming if you think I'm gonna talk just 'cause I got cornered by a mama's boy and some thugs!"

THWHAM!

Sanji spun and drove foot through the wall with a well-placed kick.

"HAH! You think that intimidates me?" the Billion scoffed as he glanced at the hole Sanji's foot at left behind in the wall. "Mr. 2 can kick a wall with just his toes and leave a perfectly round hole."

"So you do know Mr. 2..." Sanji noted.

Akumai glared at him, "Maybe I do. But I ain't tellin' you punks nothin'!"

"Come on, guy!" Usopp prodded their captive, "I'm trying to help you out here! Those two are bad news!"

"Grrr..." Chopper chimed in.

"Bah!" Akumai snorted, "Mr. 2's the only Officer Agent who would bother sticking his neck out for his Billions. You've got another thing coming if you think I'll rat on him."

"We're not gonna hurt him," Usopp reassured the Baroque Works Agent. "Mr. 2's a friend of ours. We uh… just wanna talk with him."

Akumai smirked, "Oh, in that case I'll tell you everything."

"Really?" Usopp asked with a hopeful grin. For a moment he actually believed that his lie had worked.

But that hope was dashed by Akumai's next statement. "Mr. 2… IS OFF NAILING YOUR MAMA!"

Usopp reeled back in shock then lunged at the Officer Agent, "WHY YOU LITTLE–"

"USOPP NO!" Chopper shrieked as he grabbed the enraged sniper and dragged him back.

"LEMME AT HIM!" Usopp yelled. "Now I'm really mad! USOPP… SERIOUS MODE!"

"Ha! You think I'm scared of you, mama's boy?" Akumai jeered.

"Oh... you should be!" Usopp growled, "These guys would've just beaten you up! But now you've made me mad! And I'll do much worse… UUUUSOOOOPP… SPELL! I'll start off by giving you a single papercut…" Akumai scoffed again but Usopp continued, "ON YOUR TONGUE!"

Akumai couldn't help wincing. "On my tongue?"

"ON HIS TONGUE!?" Chopper repeated in horror.

"And then… and then I'll jam razor blades between your teeth!" Usopp called out.

"My teeth?" Akumai squeaked.

"BETWEEN HIS TEETH!?" Chopper shrieked.

"And finally… I'll take a red hot needle… AND STICK IT IN YOUR EYE!" Usopp hollered.

"NOO! NOT MY EYE!" Akumai wailed.

"NOT HIS EYE!" Chopper screamed as he clamped his hands over his ears so he couldn't hear anymore.

But in doing so, the reindeer released Usopp. "I'M NOT DONE YET!" Usopp exclaimed as he pulled a small blackboard out of his arsenal bag. "TAKE THIS! UUUUSOOOOOP… NOOOIIISEEE!" Usopp began scratched the blackboard creating a high-pitched screeching noise that sent shivers up everyone's spine.

The unfortunate Baroque Works Agent had his arms bound so he couldn't cover his ears while Usopp continued his 'torture'.

A moment later, Sanji finally intervened and dragged as still angry Usopp away from Akumai who had fallen to the ground and was foaming from his mouth.

"Feel like talking now?" Sanji inquired as he crouched down next to shaking Billion while Chopper finally regained his wits enough to hold Usopp back.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" Akumai whimpered, "Just keep that lunatic away from me! Mr. 2's on an assassination mission… his target's a deadly assassin. But he can't use his Okama Kenpo when he's disguised as someone else so he's in his normal form. He just took off his makeup and put on a simple blue suit. But I don't know where he is now! I swear that's all I know!"

"Special Attack… Tabasco Star!"

Whing!

An orange round went flying into Akumai's open mouth.

FWOOOSH!

"GAAAAHHH!" the Baroque Works Agent screamed as a torrent of flames burst out of his mouth. "SPICY!"

Usopp stomped up to the thrashing Billion and glared down at him, "I love my mama very much. Now you know that."

"I have no idea what the hell just happened," Sanji confessed, "But whatever it was… it worked. Now we've got a lead. Let's go find Mr. 2."

Usopp, Sanji and Chopper walked out of the alley and left the unconscious Akumai behind them.

BOB

"Looks like we lost 'em," Sabo reported as he turned to face his brothers in a different alley.

"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed. "That reminds me of all those times you used to sneak into the fields… eat a hundred watermelons and then spit out the seeds and run away!"

"THAT WAS YOU!" Ace and Sabo chorused.

Ace shook his head, "Still the same old Luffy."

"You've changed though," Sabo noted, "I noticed the tattoo on your back. So you're a Whitebeard Pirate now?"

"Not just any Whitebeard Pirate," Ace replied, "You're looking at the Commander of the Second Division. Sorry Luffy, but Whitebeard's a greatest pirate alive. I'm gonna help him become the Pirate King."

"Then I'll just beat him up," Luffy resolved. "I've gotten a lot stronger since you last saw me!"

"I'm sure," Ace agreed. He couldn't help smiling at his brother's naive confidence.

"At least you're an officer," Sabo remarked. "But I guess this means Luffy was the only one of us who ended up as a Pirate Captain."

"I was a Captain for a time," Ace informed him. "That's what this tattoo represents." Ace turned and showed Sabo his left arm. There was a blue 'A' tattooed on his shoulder in the same color and font as the rarely seen 'S' tattoo on Sabo's. The 'A' was surrounded by an orange flaming spade. "I was the Captain of the Spade Pirates for a year. But they joined the Whitebeard Pirates with me and are are members of my division."

"Are they here with you?" Sabo inquired.

"No, I'm here alone," Ace answered. "I'm currently hunting for a former crewmate of mine that calls himself Blackbeard. He committed the ultimate sin and killed a fellow member of our crew. Now I'm trying to bring him to justice. I decided to take a break from my search so I could give you guys a proper welcome to the Grand Line."

"Blackbeard?" Sabo repeated. "We heard about what he did in Drum Kingdom. Sounds like bad news."

"I don't like to talk about him, though," Ace admitted then smirked and glanced at Sabo's left shoulder. "So? Did you get your new tattoo or not?"

"I did," Sabo told him as he began undoing the buttons on his waistcoat and shirt with his good hand. "But unlike you, I've got a few layers to remove." Sabo pulled his shirt open and then slid it and his outer cloak down his left arm to the gun at his elbow. Sabo turned and revealed the updated tattoo on his left arm.

The familiar blue 'S' was now coiled around an equally familiar rifle. The top of the 'S' went behind the weapon while the middle part wrapped around the front before swinging around again so the bottom part of the 'S' could go behind the rifle.

"Not bad," Ace commented. He glanced at his brother's new arm and finally decided to address the elephant in the room. "I see you've gotten attached to that rifle I sent you."

Sabo grinned while Luffy fell over and burst out laughing, "Shishishishishishi!"

"Funny story about Drum Kingdom," Sabo said, "I had the displeasure of meeting their former King. We fought to the death and I walked away with his Munch Munch Devil Fruit Powers. Now I can eat anything and anything I eat I can make part of my body. I ate the rifle and now she's my arm."

"So you manage to fix it then," Ace realized. "The thing went nuts when I first found it."

"Ace… there is absolutely nothing wrong with this rifle and there never was," Sabo replied. "She's perfect."

"Enough teasin'... let 'im have it…"

Sabo smirked, "Ace… I think it's about time you met my girlfriend."

Ace blinked at what seemed to be a sudden change of subject but then smiled, "You've got a girlfriend? That makes you the first of us to get one. What's she like? How'd you meet?"

"Heh…" Sabo chuckled, "Actually… I met her because of you."

"SHISHISHISHISHISHISHI!" By now Luffy was rolling on the ground laughing at the top of his lungs.

"What's with him?" Ace wondered.

Sabo pulled up the sleeve of his cloak to fully reveal his rifle-forearm and held it up in front of him. "Ace… meet my girlfriend Bonnie Anne."

Ace blinked. "Your rifle's your girlfriend?"

Sabo smirked, "Not exactly…"

Swish!

Bonnie's head, arms and upperbody popped out of the top of the rifle. "Hi! Bonnie Anne, nice t' finally meet ye properly."

"WAAH!" Ace let out a yelp of surprise and lurched backwards. He tripped over a barrell and fell on his ass.

THUD!

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Luffy was laughing so hard that tears were coming out of his eyes. Seeing Ace fall flat on his ass had been worth all the build up.

Ace sat up and stared at the ghost fox in shock. "You're… a Mink?"

"Sure… let's go with that," Bonnie agreed.

"And you…"

"...trapped in the rifle," Bonnie supplied. "The ghost thing is relatively new. The rifle broke during our fight with Wapol. I was dyin' but Sabo saved me usin' the Munch Munch Fruit. I retained my ghost phasin' so I can pop out whenever I want. I'm tied t' Sabo so I can't go too far from 'im. It takes a great deal o' effort t' completely separate myself from 'im. An' even then I can only do it for a minute or two."

"And… when we first met…" Ace recalled.

"I had only just discovered that I was trapped in the rifle when I met ye," Bonnie explained. "I was kind o' overwhelmed by the situation… an' ye ended up bein' my introduction t' Devil Fruit Powers. I'm sorry about what happened with yer crew."

Sabo blinked in surprise, "Ace… you've got Devil Fruit Powers too?"

Luffy finally stopped laughing and sat up. "That makes three of us! What kind of powers do you have?"

Ace glanced at his brothers… then at Bonnie. "You didn't tell them?"

Bonnie shrugged, "It wasn't my story t' tell. Now ye can get 'em back."

Ace grinned as he stood up and held his arms behind his back, "Let me have it."

KER-CHOW-CHOW-CHOW!

"BONNIE NOOO!" Sabo yelped in alarm as one bullet pierced through Ace's head while two more left gaping holes in his chest.

FWOOOOSH!

Luffy and Sabo's Devil Fruit-powered jaws literally hit the floor as the edges of the bullet holes in Ace's body ignited in flames and shrunk down until they closed completely. Flames continued to dance around the brim of Ace's orange cowboy hat.

"I ate the Flame Flame Fruit," Ace informed his dumbstruck brothers. "Now I can control and become fire. That's why I'm known as 'Fire Fist' Portgas D. Ace."

"WHOOOAAA!" Luffy and Sabo gasped in amazement.

Ace turned his attention back to the ghost coming out of his brother's arm. "So how'd you end up inside the rifle?"

"It's a long story that's really hard t' believe," Bonnie replied, "Maybe we should just go with Devil Fruit?"

Ace nodded and looked willing to accept that simple explanation.

Sabo snapped out of his shock and gave his girlfriend a meaningful look, "It's okay Bonnie. They're my brothers. I trust them with my life. You can tell them."

Luffy grabbed the barrel Ace had tripped over and stood it on its end. "Here Ace! We can arm wrestle while Bonnie tells her story! I'm gonna beat you this time!"

"Oh, you're so on!" Ace agreed.

BOB

"He's right there! Go get him!" Nami urged Zoro.

"Sorry… I've already staked my claim in taking down Mr. 1," Zoro refused. "He's worth more."

"Every second we waste just following him is another second he can use to get away," Nami insisted.

"Why don't you fight him?" Zoro suggested. "Your bounty's the one that needs a boost the most. And the cook probably won't cause a problem if you were the one to take out his target."

"I don't care about a bounty!" Nami growled. "I care about making sure that creep can't show my face… or my other body parts… to anyone of consequence!"

"Then I guess we'll just keep following him," Zoro resolved.

"You know what? FINE!" Nami snapped. "I'll do it!"

Zoro folded his arms across his chest and watched as Nami stalked off after Mr. 2. "This I've gotta see…"

The thief managed to dash passed Mr. 2 while he was looking the other then stuck out her foot while he was distracted searching a stall for his target.

WHUP!

Mr. 2 tripped over Nami's outstretched leg. The crafty Pirate Thief pulled off the hood of her shroud and fished inside it for her weapon but she froze in shock when the man she'd tripped flipped in midair.

SKISH!

Mr. 2 landed safely on his feet, "HEY? WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA!?"

"Oh shit!" Zoro swore as he reached for his swords and rushed after Nami as the Baroque Works Officer Agent whirled around to face her. But Zoro stopped in his tracks when the okama's face lit up with a thousand watt smile when he recognized Nami.

"OH! IT'S YOU!" Mr. 2 exclaimed. "What're you doing here?"

"I… uh… uh…" Nami stammered for a second but then took a deep calming breath and regained her nerve. "Don't you remember from when you were on our ship? My crew was heading for the same place as you were. Our Captain and Quartermaster are meeting their brother here."

"Oh, that's right," Mr. 2 realized, "Dodger said you were heading for Alabasta. It's funny that we suddenly ran into each other."

"Yeah… funny…" Nami remarked as Zoro walked up behind her.

"There you are…" Zoro said, "You shouldn't have run off like that."

"I… recognized Bon-buddy," Nami quickly lied.

"I'm afraid I don't have time to chat, my friends," Mr. 2 informed them. "You see… I'm looking for a man."

"..." Even though he knew what the Okama really meant… Zoro still took a big step back.

"Actually… I normally wouldn't ask this… but I'm kind of desperate," Mr. 2 confessed as he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a picture of Mr. 3. "You haven't seen this man by any chance have you?"

"I can't say I have…" Nami replied, "That hairstyle is distinct."

"Too bad… and so the search continues…" Mr. 2 sighed as he slipped the picture back into his pocket.

"Hey… if you'd like… we can help you look," Zoro suggested. "You know… three is better than one. And we have some time to kill while those other two are meeting with their brother."

"I don't know… I really shouldn't drag my new friends into a dangerous situation like this one…" Mr. 2 thought outloud. "But if I don't find him then I'll be the one in danger… and then my crew won't be able to learn more dance moves…" The okama smiled and flashed the two pirates a thumbs up, "VERY WELL! I accept your gracious offer! You were able to spot me… that's a quite a feat in and of itself. But I must insist upon one rule: should you spot my target... refrain from approaching him. He's very dangerous so once we find him leave everything to me."

Mr. 2 did a double spin and pranced off. Zoro and Nami shared a glance and then fell into step behind him. "Let's go, friends!" Mr. 2 crowed. "I've got a good feeling that he's this way!"

"So what was the point of this?" Nami whispered to Zoro.

"Now we have an excuse to tail him until we run into the others," Zoro answered.

BOB

"So you came out of the portal and immediately fell five thousand meters and landed right on my head?" Ace recapped as he continued to arm wrestle Luffy after Bonnie had finished her story.

"Aye," Bonnie answered. "That's why I'm no longer a fan o' heights. An' I'm sorry again about what happened with yer crew… I was in a new place an' then I discovered yer Devil Fruit Powers... I was terrified."

"Don't worry, it's in the past," Ace reassured her. "I'm glad you're okay. It looks like you and Sabo have managed to keep Luffy out of trouble. So thanks for that."

"I can't really take credit for that…" Bonnie confessed. "I was watchin' Sabo's back. He was the one keepin' an eye on Luffy."

"So far we've managed to conduct ourselves like honorable pirates," Sabo stated. "The Marines haven't had a reason to put prices on our heads. Of course… as soon as we met you that all went out the window. Aren't you a big-time pirate now? What's with the dine-and-dash?"

Ace smirked, "What's the matter, Dodger, you're not going soft are you?"

Sabo raised an eyebrow, "That sounds like a challenge... Oliver."

"It is," Ace replied, "Now that you're down to one hand I bet you're barely half the thief you used to be."

"I told you that we've been trying to conduct ourselves honorably," Sabo pointed out. "But I guess you're just a bad influence." Sabo shrugged and glanced out of the alley. "Fine. Challenge accepted."

"I'll get out o' the way…" Bonnie resolved as she sank back into her rifle.

"That guy…" Sabo pointed over his shoulder at a random man outside of the alley. He had longish black hair and tanned skin and wore a green cap, a white fur scarf and a red t-shirt with the kanji for 'Full-Boiled'. Unbeknownst to the three brothers… the man was actually a disguised Baroque Works Billion codenamed Mr. Mellow. "Sixty seconds. Time me."

Luffy and Ace continued to arm wrestle as they watched their brother walk out of the alley and subtly stick out his foot just as Mr. Mellow turned to walk away.

THUD!

Mr. Mellow tripped over Sabo's foot and fell on his face.

"Sorry about that, buddy!" Sabo immediately apologized as he bent down to help the disguised Billion up by hooking his good arm around the man's waist.

"Uh… yeah… watch where you're going…" Mr. Mellow muttered as he stood back up.

"Well… no harm done," Sabo remarked as his right hand briefly disappeared up the loose sleeve of his cloak and then slipped back out in time for him to tip his top hat-turned-turban. "Sorry for the trouble."

Sabo turned and walked back into the alley. Mr. Mellow's watched him for a moment but then his eyes went wide in shock when he spotted the shirtless pirate arm wrestling on a barrel in the alley.

"Th-that's… F-Fire Fist Ace!" Mr. Mellow realized. The Billion turned and ran off.

"Fifty-two seconds… not bad," Ace praised Sabo when he pulled out the small sack he'd stolen.

Clink!

The gold in the sack jingled when Sabo dropped it on the edge of the barrel his brothers were arm wrestling on. "Here, whoever wins can have this as prize money."

"Great! I can use it to buy a dance!" Luffy realized.

"WAAH?" Ace's eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped. His strength wavered for a fraction of a second which was just enough for Luffy to slam his oldest brother's arm down on the barrel.

THUNK!

Luffy stretched his arms high overhead and cheered at the top of his lungs, "YEAH! I FINALLY WIN!"

"..." Ace silently closed his mouth then slowly turned to glare at Sabo, "What did you do?"

Sabo sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "It wasn't completely my fault! Our Navigator kissed him out of spite! And now he's got hormones!"

"NOOOOOO!" Ace shouted in abject horror. "HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN!?"

"Let? You think I wanted this!?" Sabo retorted. "I had to explain the difference between boys and girls!"

"Oh yeah, and now for some reason I keep thinking about boobs," Luffy chimed in. "Why is that?"

"Please, please, can you handle this one?" Sabo begged. "I'm stuck on a ship with him… and I had to give him the Talk! You're his brother too!"

"This isn't over…" Ace growled. He took on a pained expression as he slowly turned to face Luffy again. "Luffy… it's normal to think about boobs. All guys do it. What's not normal is talking about them like some kind of pervert."

Of course, while Ace continued his awkward conversation with Luffy… Bonnie decided to chime in.

"So thinkin' about tits is normal, eh?"

"Please… this is the last thing I need right now…"

"Oh no, now I'm curious. Tell me, hon, what did YOU think about Nami's chest?"

"I know a trap when I hear one. I'm not answering that."

"No? How 'bout this one: whose boobs do ye like better? Mine or Nojiko's?"

"Hold on! I haven't even seen yours!"

SPURT!

Ace and Luffy turned in time to see Sabo go flying across the alley and slam into the far wall courtesy of a torrent of blood from his nose. He'd rocketed away so fast that a fully formed Bonnie Anne was left standing in the spot he'd just blasted off from.

Bonnie looked exceptionally pleased with herself and her tail gave a happy swish while she adjusted the top of her dancer outfit. The fox smirked as she looked back over her shoulder at Luffy. "There yer proof, Luffy. All guys love boobs. But it goes double if ye care about the girl they're attached to."

Ace rubbed his throbbing forehead, "Was that really necessary?"

"Believe it or not… yes," Bonnie answered. "I couldn't have my boyfriend thinkin' about some other girl's knockers. An' I just confirmed that yer brother either loves me enough that he doesn't care that I'm a Fox… or he really is a Furry an' is into Foxes. Either way, I know now that he's attracted t' me."

"Bonnie you have boobs!" Luffy suddenly realized.

Bonnie rolled her slanted eyes, "Aye, well spotted. Nothin' gets passed you, Cap'n."

Ace glared at Bonnie, "You know what? Since you're so eager to share… I'll let you handle this one."

"Er… that's alright… he's yer brother after-all…" Bonnie attempted to protest before Luffy started to pepper her with more awkward questions.

"Bonnie! Since you're a fox… are yours covered in fur? What do boobs actually do? Are they like muscles? Since Nami's are biggest on our ship does that mean she's the strongest?"

"THAT HAS NOTHIN' T' DO WITH ANYTHIN'!" Bonnie snapped. "If I had my body back I could kick that topheavy tramp's arse!" Bonnie spun around and then ran and dove head-first back into Sabo.

"Uugghhh…" a flushed Sabo groaned as he sat up and rubbed his nose.

Ace walked over and helped him up, "I think I'd like to meet this crew of yours."

"They're somewhere in the town," Luffy said. "We're actually here trying to catch an okama."

"Well, he's not here," Ace pointed out. "Let's go find him."

"Hold on," Sabo spoke up, "Before we do that... can you keep Luffy distracted for a couple minutes? I promised Bonnie I'd buy her some... unmentionables."

"Aw, ye remembered!"

"Unmentionables?" Luffy repeated as Sabo slipped out of the alley. "Is that some kind of secret mission?"

"Yes... and they're called unmentionables because you're not supposed to talk about them," Ace informed him. "Enough about that. Tell me more about this Navigator of yours..."

BOB

Nami suddenly shivered as she was hit by a cold wave of dread. "Do you ever get a sinking feeling that you just pissed off someone really powerful?"

"Yeah, I love that feeling," Zoro replied.

"Well I'm trying to avoid getting that feeling!" Mr. 2 exclaimed. "There's no sign of him anywhere! It feels like we've searched this whole town."

"Yeah… all without running into anybody," Nami remarked sourly.

"If he's not in Nanohana… then there's only one other place in this country where he could be!" Mr. 2 suddenly realized. "I'm sorry, my friends! I must be off! Even though we were unsuccessful, I appreciate your help none-the-less!"

Mr. 2 suddenly spun and started sprinting for the harbor.

"Shit! He's getting away!" Zoro swore as he and Nami tore after him.

"Damn, this guy's way too fast!" Nami complained.

Zoro and Nami were so caught up in keeping their eyes on the long-legged man who was already putting some major distance between them, that they didn't notice three familiar faces going across the street ahead of them.

THUNK!

"GAAAH! I need a doctor!" Chopper wailed after Zoro tripped over him.

"That's you!" Usopp reminded him.

"Walk much, marimo?" Sanji taunted the fallen swordsman. The sack of food tucked under his arm showed that the trio had stopped to buy a few essentials over the course of their unsuccessful search.

"Oh sure, now you guys show up…" Nami grumbled.

"What's the matter, Nami-swan?" Sanji inquired.

"IT'S MR. 2!" Zoro shouted as he pointed down the street, "HE'S GETTING AWAY!"

Zoro and Chopper scrambled back up and the five Straw Hats raced after Mr. 2. But the Baroque Works Officer Agent had put even more distance between himself and his pursuers while they had been tripping over each other and had already reached the harbor.

The Straw Hats arrived just in time to see the Swanda pull away from the shore.

But Mr. 2 wasn't the only one leaving a hurry. It seemed like there was a flood of people rushing to the shore and taking off in ships. The armada of Baroque Works ships that they had spotted earlier and come closer and were now forming a blockade outside of the harbor.

"What's going on?" Nami wondered. "Did they recognize us? Did they recognize Vivi?"

"Actually… someone recognized Ace."

The five Straw Hats whirled around to spot their Captain and Quartermaster. Sabo's face was still sporting a faint flush from his shopping excursion with Bonnie.

"Oh! There you guys are!" Luffy exclaimed.

Swish!

Bonnie popped out of Sabo's shoulder, "It turns out Ace is actually a big-name pirate. Some Baroque Works Agent recognized 'im an' now they're all mad as badgers!"

"Badgers?" Sabo repeated.

"Ye've never met one?" Bonnie asked. "Really unpleasant. They're angry all the time."

"We don't have time for this!" Zoro growled. "Mr. 2's getting away!"

"We've gotta go after him!" Sanji realized.

"But… what about the blockade?" Chopper questioned.

"Ace said he'd handle it and meet up with us after," Sabo answered.

"Then let's get back to the ship!" Usopp resolved. "We've gotta make sure Vivi, Ayako Carue and the Going Merry are all okay!"

The seven Straw Hats rushed back to the Going Merry and quickly got on board.

"What's going on?" a near frantic Vivi asked. "Everything was quiet! Now the place has gone wild!"

"QUACK!" Carue shrieked in alarm.

"Did you guys meet your brother?" Ayako calmly inquired.

Sabo peered off the side of the ship, "Actually… he's right over there."

The Straw Hats rushed to the railing and saw a lone shirtless figure wearing an orange cowboy hat standing on a small yellow raft with a motor and a single sail.

"WE'VE GOT YOU NOW, PORTGAS D. ACE!" Mr. Mellow shouted from on the lead ship of the Baroque Works Blockade.

"Oh really?" Ace asked.

FWOOSH!

His legs suddenly burst into flame which he channeled back through his raft's motor which caused it come alive and speed across the harbor.

VRRROOOOOOM!

Ace sped straight towards the blockade on his tiny flame-powered raft without an ounce of fear. His hand ignited in flames as he drew it back and let it fly. "FIIIIREEE… FIIIIST!"

FWWOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!

A massive blast of fire came flying out of Ace's fist and completely consumed the first ship. But the flames kept burning as the burst through the lead ship and shredded it and all the ships behind it.

FWOOOOSH-WOOOSH-WOOOOSH!

Ace calmly sailed away charred and burned remains that he'd left in his wake. The entire blockade of Baroque Works Battleships and all the Billions and Millions that had been manning them… had been annihilated by just one attack from Whitebeard's Second Division Commander.

Sabo let out an appreciative whistle, "Looks like we won't have to worry about destroying Crocodile's ship. Ace just roasted his entire armada!"

"SHISHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed while the crew stared in open-mouthed shock at the devastation Ace's attack had left behind. "Guys! Meet my big brother… 'Fire Fist' Ace!"

BOB

Good news everyone! Ace'll be sticking around for longer than in canon! Bad news everyone! I'm going to be really busy for the next couple of weeks so it might take a while for me to finish the next chapter. But I think it'll be worth the wait.

Silver signing off