Author's notes: Thanks again for all of the kind reviews: Lucy Jacob, StarliteOracle, Sucre and Vee! And thank you to JJ for the comment about my cover update – I think it looks better than the old one for sure! Hope everyone enjoys this chapter – I can't wait to work on chapter 5 now.

"My side of the story isn't as interesting as Ross's," Rose began. "I don't remember too much; just missions here and there, and some basic facts about myself. I remember how old I am, but not my birthday, for example. I remember how to get back to Cocoon Island, but not how I got there in the first place. I know that I hate Daisy for a lot of reasons, but I only remember her devil fruit powers. And these." She held her hands up with palms out, so the crew could see the deep scars they bore—equal on both hands. "I don't remember how I got them."

"August 28th," Ross mumbled.

"Pardon?"

"Our b-birthday. It's August 28th. We're 22 years old."

"Thank you, Ross; I'm sure you can catch Rose up on all the details, but can we do it later?" Law interrupted. The rest of the Heart Pirates nodded.

Rose laughed. "Had enough storytelling for one day?"

The crew nodded once again.

"Like I was saying, I know how to get where we're going. I'll spare you the dramatics, but when I left, I left a lot behind. I guess because of that, Daisy thinks I'm coming back and is preparing for that scenario. I'm not sure if she suspects I'm going to bring you all with me."

"So you think we might have a chance to surprise her?" Law asked.

"At the very least, we can hold off whatever other members of the order are on the island. Everyone will be in the same place, anyway."

"Why is that?" A puzzled look spread across Law's face.

"Cocoon Island is a dangerous place. There's only one area where people can risk living. Anywhere else, between the deadly plants and the terrifying wildlife, the Order would never have survived. Everyone in the Order lives in the House of the Monarch. It's a huge castle at the top of a hill, and only agents of the Order have the training to get to it. I'll have to lead you in."

"If they're expecting you, then a surprise attack is off the table."

"That's why I said we might be able to hold off whoever else is there. If they don't have orders from Daisy to stay back, they'll come after us as soon as we land. Most of you can distract them on the beach, and you won't even have to risk climbing up to the castle."

"And what about those of us going in after Daisy?"

Rose paused for a moment, rubbing her chin with a free hand. "We could choose an infiltration team. I want to fight Daisy myself, obviously. So I only want backup, and maybe…"

"M-maybe what? You look like you just had a great idea!" Ross interrupted.

"I was thinking that we could steal some of Daisy's records. There's a lot of valuable information in the House of the Monarch. If we're going in for a dangerous mission, we might as well go all the way, right?"

"I couldn't agree more, Rose." A scary grin spread across Law's face.

Law paced back and forth across the captain's quarters, flipping through the pages of a familiar slim volume as he walked. A knock sounded on the door.

"Come in."

Rose entered the room cautiously. "You don't even clean up when you know you're having a guest?"

Law scoffed. "What are appearances to a crew of pirates? It's just some laundry and some of my reading."

"Sorry," Rose laughed. "I guess it's just not what I expected from a man as… picky as yourself."

"Picky?"

"Remember how much you criticized me when I showed up this time?" Rose impersonated Law's tone. "'Why are you wearing sunglasses indoors?' 'When was the last time you had a shower?'"

Law just shook his head.

"Anyway," Rose continued, "why did you suddenly want to speak to me in private? You called an end to that meeting pretty quickly after I suggested we split the crew into teams."

"I could tell everyone was getting tired of talking. Besides, I'm the captain; I'll make the plans myself and explain things to the rest of the crew later. I need you here to help me with the details, that's all."

"Alright... And why are you holding that book?"

Law scowled. "Comfort habit. I've been reading her notes a lot since you gave this to me."

The room fell silent for a moment. Then Rose walked across and sat herself in Law's desk chair. Law continued to pace around the room.

"I know what it's like to have everything taken from you," he said out of the blue.

"I know," Rose replied. "I had to read that book before I met you. You've lost a lot more than I have. And unlike me, you won't get a chance to get it back."

Law ceased his pacing and set the book on Flevance down on his desk. He leaned over Rose and looked into her eyes.

"If you're going to pity me, stop right now. I didn't invite you to join my crew so you could feel bad for me."

"Oh, and I guess your agreeing to help me had nothing to do with pity?"

Law rolled his eyes and stepped away. "The word I would use is 'relate', Rose," he said from across the room. "I relate to your struggle. An unexpected person once helped me out when I needed it. Unfortunately, my benefactor was killed for what he did for me."

"I'm sorry." Rose stared down at the desk.

"I don't intend to die just so you can get your memories back. But I am willing to risk my life for members of my crew. Do you understand? I stand to benefit a lot from having you and Ross on my side. It's possible that I could gain even more by stealing information from Daisy.

"I started this mission because I care about your brother, a member of my crew, and because I can relate to your struggle. I'm following through because there's something in it for me. No pity involved," Law finished.

"Well, now that that's all cleared up," Rose said sarcastically, "you should know I gave the coordinates of Cocoon Island to Bepo as instructed. Why don't we start planning what we'll do when we get there?"

"Are you sure, my lady?" Relic asked. "You don't want to call off the current missions and call all the agents back?"

"We'll make do with what we have," Daisy replied. She was fastening a necklace with a large golden spike pendant around her neck. The pendant swung slowly and finally settled against Daisy's stomach. Its edge glimmered in the light, as though the spike had been sharpened for use as a weapon.

"There are fewer than ten agents on the island, including myself. There is also Begonia, whatever help she may be, but you've already said she cannot leave the house. With you hidden away down here in the docking cavern, that leaves the house quite defenceless, if all the Heart Pirates come here as you've predicted."

"Hmm." Daisy seated herself in the chair behind her desk and surveyed the rest of her cabin on the Masked Maiden. Not much had changed in 15 years, except the fillings in the wall that marked the place where…

"My lady? Please, may I ask what you're planning?"

Daisy sighed. "My apologies, Relic. I understand your worries! But have you considered the bigger picture?"

"Of course, of course! There are approximately 16 Heart Pirates, if you include Rose, and nine of us, including yourself and Begonia."

"Very good."

"The Heart Pirates will be led here by Rose, so they will land on the beach… because… um…"

"Because Rose will tell them to land on the beach. Why do you think that is?"

"I'm not sure, my lady. It seems foolish. We will see them coming, because the beach is always monitored. Does Agent Swallowtail believe that the Heart Pirates would not be able to pass through the jungle or into the docking bay?"

"The jungle is a formidable obstacle, and the docking bay's entrance can be perilous because of all the rocks. However, the answer is far simpler than that, Relic."

"Forgive me; I do not understand."

"She wants to be seen. She wants the agents to meet them on the beach, where she believes they will stand a fairer chance. Because Rose isn't a fool. She knows that our agents are trained in martial arts, and that the skills of one are worth two or three pirates', at least."

"At best, Daisy will believe that I'm using the Heart Pirates as decoys to fight the agents, and that I'll sneak in to come after her alone. If that's the case, she'll still send the agents to the beach. She wants to fight me by herself."

"And at worst?" asked Law.

"The worst-case scenario is if no one comes to the beach. Then we have to fight a team of agents, trained in espionage, inside a confined space—just to be able to get to Daisy. It'd be incredibly risky for us to follow the plan to split up. People will have to make sacrifices for us to get to Daisy's room."

"Wait, are you implying you are trained in espionage?"

"Don't look at me like that!" Rose frowned. "Just because I haven't shown you that side of me doesn't mean it doesn't exist!"

Law smirked. "So what's the deal, then?"

"I'll lead a team to go after Daisy. You lead a team to retrieve information from the library. That's all we need to decide on for now; I'll explain the layout of the castle when we talk to the crew. There are sixteen of us. We have to leave at least ten people on the beach to guard the ship and distract the agents."

"You think there will only be ten agents?"

"Less than that, if we're lucky. Daisy won't consider us enough of a threat to call back the entire Order. Also, she knows she doesn't have the time for that."

"That leaves two groups of three, unless you were planning to split up unevenly…" Law pondered.

"No, that's perfect. I'll take the two members who are best at medicine. You should take the strongest fighters."

"Shouldn't you be taking the fighters?"

"I'm not letting them get in the way of my fight. I only want backup in case I'm injured, or…" Rose shuddered. "Or I lose my memories again."

"In that case, take Ross and Penguin. I'll take Bepo and Shachi. Everyone else stays on the beach. But can we all make it through to the castle?"

"The six of us will start on the beach, but we're going to take a detour through the jungle to hide our motive."

"I thought you said the jungle was deadly. Shouldn't we be avoiding it?"

"I did say that, and I haven't changed my opinion. But that's why we're taking the best of the best with us. I hope you're ready for a challenge."

Law grinned. His smile was unsettling as usual, but Rose felt confident when he said: "Alright. Let's do this."

Two days later, the submarine rose above the water off the coast of Cocoon Island. The Heart Pirates gathered on the main deck to admire the scenery from afar. Even at a distance, the spires of the House of the Monarch gave an eerie warning to those approaching. The lush green jungle was unreadable. The beach where the pirates intended to make their landing was empty. A gentle breeze blew out at sea, brushing Rose's bangs across her face as she addressed her new comrades.

"Before we land, I should thank you all for joining me. I'm not going to claim to be a proper crew member yet. You're risking your lives for a stranger. I admire that. And when we all come out of this, the world will be a better place for the risks we dared to take. I will become a member of this crew worth sticking your necks out for, I promise."

"Isn't the captain the one who's supposed to be giving the inspirational speech?" Bepo asked.

"Er... I wasn't really trying to–"

"Yeah," Shachi agreed. "I mean, nice sentiment and all, Rose, but we want to hear from the captain!"

"Captain! Captain!" the crew began to shout.

"Fine, fine," Law spoke up. He gestured for Rose to step away, and took her place in front of the Heart Pirates. "I made the decision to do this, so I'll take responsibility for it. If you want to believe we're just doing this to help Rose or because Ross wants to, that's your prerogative. But we're pirates. And this place? It's full of treasure. Maybe not treasure like the money and valuables we're used to, but when we come out of that castle, we're going to be some of the smartest men on these seas. The information in there is good as gold. And if we can count on Rose to win her battle, there may be a Devil Fruit waiting for us to take at the end of the day too."

The ship was overwhelmed with the sound of cheering.

"Now, you remember what we discussed, right?"

"Yes, captain!" yelled the Heart Pirates.

"Good. Those of you coming into the castle, meet me in the cockpit with Bepo. The rest of you better arm yourselves – we're landing soon."

Cheers sounded throughout the crew again, and gradually dulled to the clamour of the pirates heading below deck to pick up their weapons.

The Heart Pirates' submarine dropped anchor next to Cocoon Island's sole beachfront dock. One by one, the pirates filed out on to the sand.

"What now?" one crew member spoke up.

"Now, we wait," Rose said. "Do you see over there?"

She pointed to the cliff side where agents entered and exited the castle. "We wait for the first woman in uniform to show herself, then we charge the cliff. Make sure it looks like you really want to get up there!"

"Aren't they going to be super strong fighters?" asked another crew member.

Law sighed. "According to Rose's intel, they're all going to be unarmed martial artists wearing masks. We are heavily armed pirates with no impairments, and we probably outnumber them."

"Bring it on!" shouted one Heart Pirate.

"Yeah! Come and get us, Order Whatever-the-hell-you-are!"

The crew erupted in another round of cheering, just as Rose spotted a flash at the bottom of the cliff.

"Here they come!"

One by one, agents of Order Lepidoptera appeared and rushed forward to meet the pirates.

Rose didn't move. She watched the cliff for any further signs of movement. When she was certain the beach was as full as it was going to get, she gestured for the jungle teams to follow her away from the fight.

"Room!" a familiar voice called.

Rose turned around to see Law joining the tussle with his Devil Fruit.

"What are you doing?" she shouted, over the crunching and clashing of weapons and fists.

"Giving our side a little advantage! Go ahead without me!" Law replied.

Rose shook her head, but she did as instructed. Ross, Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo followed her off of the sand and into the dark paths of the outer jungle.

"Hold your breath," Rose told the others.

"Wha–?" Shachi began to ask, but began to cough before he could finish.

Rose grabbed the hat from his head and pressed the fabric over his mouth and nose. "Breathe in now," she told him. He gasped.

Plugging her own nose, Rose held her breath and ran as she led the others further into the jungle. After almost a minute, she finally exhaled, and the others followed suit.

"What was that?" Penguin asked.

"Poison puffer plants. They absorb the carbon dioxide from your breath and let out puffs of deadly gas. If you breathe it in for more than a minute, you'll pass out. In ten minutes, you could die."

"You w-weren't kidding when you said this jungle was r-risky business!" Ross complained.

Rose shrugged. "Just be glad we haven't run into any animals yet."

"Don't we have to wait for the captain?" Bepo asked. "We should go back. How else will he know where to find us?"

"I'll go back. You three stay here," Rose said. "And whatever you do, don't move. I'll be back in five minutes."

Rose arrived at the edge of the beach to see Law, still tossing pieces of dissembled Order agents around with his Devil Fruit powers.

"Hey!" Rose yelled, as loudly as she could. Everyone on the beach turned to look at her—those who were still standing, anyway.

"Swallowtail!" an agent shouted.

"Shit," Law cursed under his breath. He sent the torso of one unfortunate agent flying into the agent that had yelled after Rose.

"Keep fighting, everyone!" he called to the rest of the Heart Pirates, before disappearing into the jungle where Rose had stood only moments ago.

She grabbed him by the collar and dragged him further into the bushes.

"You talk about me messing things up–" Rose started.

"If you had been just a little more patient–"

"Are you kidding? I saw your face out there. You were having so much fun tossing around body parts, you might have forgotten the rest of the plan if I hadn't come back!"

"I'm not that irresponsible." Law frowned. "Now please let go of my clothes."

Rose obliged. "Come on. The others are waiting."

The other members of the castle infiltration team, however, were not waiting. Shachi, Penguin, Bepo, and Ross were sprinting through the jungle, running for their lives in a direction they could only hope led toward the castle. Something loud, heavy, angry, and squealing was chasing them.

"You've g-got to be kidding me!" Ross screamed, tears already streaming down his face. "She left us in a boar's nest?!"

"Your sister is trying to kill us!" Shachi yelled as he looked back.

The giant mother boar was leering down at them, with anger in her beady black eyes. She was as tall as a house, with tusks big enough to crush a man, and it was only thanks to Ross's scaredy-cat reaction speed that the four pirates were getting away from her at all. She was definitely gaining on them.

"Head for the rocks!" Penguin shouted. "Rose mentioned a path in a cliff side that the agents climbed to get to the castle, so if we hit a rock wall, maybe we can feel our way out of the jungle!"

"Hopefully, we can shake off the boar too," Bepo muttered.

The boar squealed again. The pirates mustered as much speed as they could, running straight toward the rocky terrain that they could barely make out in the distance.

Rose curled her fingers into a tight ball. "I swear, I left them right here and I told them not to move." She slammed her fist into a nearby tree trunk.

"Well, either you're wrong about where you left them, they didn't listen to you, or you've forgotten something." Law rolled his eyes.

"And what did I forget, Mr. Know-It-All?"

"You said this jungle is dangerous. What could have made them move if they didn't want to? Danger."

Rose glanced around for a moment, and then her shoulders slumped. "Oh my god."

"So? Which is it?"

"Look at the way the long grass has been flattened here… I left them waiting in a Cocoon Boar's nest. Let's get out of here, now! If we're lucky, we'll find them before the mother boar kills them!"

When Rose and Law finally made it to the cliff wall, they found only the unconscious body of the giant boar, one tusk broken, lying at rest beneath an enormous fissure in the rock.

"I don't see any bodies, so I guess they got away," Law commented.

"Well, I hope they were smart enough to head in the right direction," replied Rose.

The two of them headed off along the cliff wall in the direction of the beach. Rose cursed herself internally as they travelled. How could I have missed such obvious signs? Was I trying to get them killed? Why didn't I remember that boar's nest by the wa–

Her thoughts were cut off as she walked right into Bepo's back, and bounced backward onto her behind.

"Ugh." Rose rubbed her backside and stood up.

"Rose!" Ross shouted. He ran to embrace her, but she held him off with one arm.

"I'm glad you're alive," she said. "I left you in a pretty terrible spot, I guess."

"You guess?!" exclaimed Shachi and Penguin in unison. "That boar nearly killed us!" Shachi continued.

"If Ross hadn't lured it to run into the wall…" Penguin began.

"You did what?!" Rose turned to look at her brother. He had removed his army-green cap, and was wringing it between his hands.

"Well, we might still have gotten away if I hadn't, but…"

"You idiot," Rose mumbled. She reached out and wrapped an arm around Ross.

After a moment, she withdrew her brief hug. "Alright," she continued, "let's climb this cliff. Captain, you stay on watch and climb up last, since your Devil Fruit powers can keep anyone who sees us away from the cliff for a little while."

"Oh, not because you trust me or anything?" Law asked with a cheeky grin.

Rose ignored him. "Come on, everyone. Get a firm grip on the rock and follow me – step for step, or you might lose your grip. Some of these handholds are traps!"

She began leading the pirates up to the castle, one by one.

When the six pirates stood at the top of the cliff, they paused to admire the iron-and-bramble gates that guarded the inner territory of Order Lepidoptera.

"Those brambles look sharp," said Shachi.

"That iron looks impassible," said Ross.

"These doors are open," Rose explained, and she pushed on one gate to let the group through. "Don't be intimidated. The hardest part is over now. Everything Daisy's done to the garden is for show… except the butterflies. Those are natural inhabitants and they're poisonous, so don't touch them. But everything else… that's just the Monarch's aesthetic."

A hush fell over the pirates as they travelled through the gates and past the garden. The well-pruned bushes were covered in translucent, dark blue butterflies. There were thousands of them, resting, wings fluttering occasionally. One or two floated across the path in front of the pirates, causing several of the men to hold their breath.

Finally, the Heart Pirates' castle infiltration team made it to the front door of the House of the Monarch. The dark stone facade loomed over them like a gothic cathedral, and yet Rose was unfazed.

"Here is where we part ways," she said. "Penguin and Ross are coming with me, to climb the tower to Daisy's room. The rest of you can go to the library – the third and fourth floor will likely have the most valuable information. When we enter the front hall, just go straight through and climb two sets of stairs. The library will be obvious."

"W-what about us?" Ross asked.

"We're going as high as we can go: to the top of the tower, where the Monarch is waiting to see me. I'll be counting on you to have my back while I fight."

Ross glanced nervously at his captain, but no one else noticed. As the pirates made their way into the castle, Law touched the younger twin's shoulder as he walked by.

At the entrance to the docking bay, Relic waited silently, arms crossed over his bo staff.

Inside the Masked Maiden, Daisy was reading a book that was triple the size of the volume on Flevance that Rose had stolen. Beside it, on the desk, rested another familiar sight – Rose's notebook.

On the fourth floor of the library, someone else was standing by the windows, with vacant eyes open in the direction of the sea.

Soon, the struggle would begin.