Ulquiorra remained on his boulder.
The Straw Hats' surprise was irrelevant to him.
Dorry and Brogy had already returned to their conversation with Luffy, laughing about some story involving a sea king.
Vivi stared at the three of them for several long seconds.
Then she stood up.
"I would like to formally introduce myself." Vivi's voice wavered slightly. "My name is Nefertari Vivi, Princess of Alabasta."
Dorry and Brogy's laughter cut off.
They looked down at her.
"I would like to hire the three of you."
Silence.
Then—
"Gabababababa!"
"Gegyagyagya!"
Dorry looked at her more seriously. "Sorry to disappoint, little missy, but we can't leave this island before God of Elbaf decides which one of us is worthy."
"Our duel must be finished." Brogy nodded solemnly.
Then he grinned and jabbed his massive finger toward Ulquiorra. "On the bright side, you've got a full year to bribe our little friend over there!"
Vivi's breath caught.
"One... year?"
"Gegyagyagya!" Brogy gestured broadly at the jungle. "Haven't you noticed the skeletons lying around Little Garden?"
Dorry leaned forward. "The Log Pose takes a year to reset here. That's why nobody leaves alive."
"Gabababababa! Well, also because of the Island Eater, but that problem has been resolved already."
The crew froze.
Vivi dropped to her knees.
"Even if we wait a year..." Her voice broke. "Who knows what could happen by then." Tears streamed down her face. "My country could be lost."
Karoo pressed against her side, making soft distressed noises.
Luffy looked up at the sky.
"She's right." He turned to Dorry. "And I'd get bored here for a year. Isn't there anything we can do about it, old man?"
Dorry stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Well... we do have an Eternal Pose to Elbaf. You could try and take it from us."
Luffy shook his head. "That won't work. It's not where we're trying to go."
"Gegyagyagya!" Brogy slapped his knee. "Then you could just sail randomly! You may get there eventually if you're real lucky!"
Luffy stared at him. Then burst out laughing. "Maybe so! We might actually get there!"
"Gabababababa!"
"Gegyagyagya!"
Vivi's shoulders trembled harder.
What's so funny?
She clenched her fists.
What's so FUNNY about this?!
Her country was dying.
Her people were suffering.
And they were laughing.
"Wait." Nami suddenly looked at Ulquiorra. "How long have you been staying here?"
Ulquiorra's gaze shifted to her.
"A month."
Nami's shoulders dropped.
"That's... still eleven months..."
Sanji crouched beside Vivi, cigarette smoke curling upward.
"Listen, Vivi-chan. We'll figure something out."
Vivi didn't respond.
She stared at the ground, as tears dripped down her face.
He reached out, then hesitated. His hand hovered near her shoulder before dropping.
"We'll find a way. We always do."
Vivi's breath hitched, but she said nothing.
Dorry shifted, his massive frame.
"We didn't mean to upset the little miss." He scratched the back of his head. "We were just explaining how things work here."
Brogy nodded solemnly.
Luffy's smile vanished.
He watched Vivi's shoulders shake, watched tears fall onto the ground beneath her.
His straw hat cast a shadow over his eyes.
***
MISS VALENTINE
She hovered fifty meters above the ground, her umbrella spinning lazily above her head.
The giants were even bigger than she imagined.
And that pale man sitting on the boulder...
Her heart hammered in her chest.
The Unknown. He's actually with them.
"Miss Valentine!" Mr. 5 hissed from the ground. "Get down before they spot you!"
She descended slowly, reducing her weight until her feet touched the floor.
Mr. 5 stood behind a massive tree trunk, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Well?" His voice was tight.
"It's confirmed." Miss Valentine kept her voice low. "The Unknown is with the Giant and Straw Hat Pirates."
Mr. 5's face went pale.
"This was already a two-hundred-million-berry job." He wiped his forehead. "Now we've got someone worth a hundred and fifty million added to the mix. I don't know if we should—"
"We need to inform Mr. 3." Miss Valentine cut him off.
She turned and started walking deeper into the jungle.
Mr. 5 followed, right behind her.
They moved through the forest for several minutes until a structure came into view.
A small house made entirely of wax.
Miss Valentine walked closer and pushed the door open.
Mr. 3 sat at a table right in the center of the room, teacup in hand. His "3" shaped hair twitched when they stepped inside.
Miss Goldenweek sat at another table right next to Mr. 3 , painting quietly on a small canvas while sipping her own tea.
Mr. 3 looked up.
"Well?" He set his cup down. "Did you booby-trap the wine on the Straw Hat ship?"
Mr. 5 nodded stiffly.
"It's done."
"Perfect." Mr. 3 chuckled, adjusting his glasses. "Now we just need to make sure one of the giants drinks it."
Miss Valentine shifted uncomfortably.
"We... have a problem."
Mr. 3's eyebrow rose.
"The Unknown is here."
Mr. 3's eyes widened for a fraction of a second.
Then he steadied himself, lifting his teacup again.
"The giants are like wild animals." He took a measured sip. "Intimidating up front, but nothing we can't handle with wit and strategy."
He set the cup down harder than necessary.
"But the Unknown... well, He's unknown. We don't know anything about him."
Mr. 5 looked seriously at Mr.3.
"Maybe we should abandon the job. Two giants already seems like more than we can handle, but adding another pirate worth over a hundred and fifty million berries..." He shook his head. "It's too much."
"Absolutely not." Mr. 3's voice cut through.
"We need to eliminate Princess Vivi. Then we move on to the others who betrayed Baroque Works."
Miss Valentine blinked.
"Are you talking about the members stationed at Whisky Peak?"
Mr. 3 nodded curtly.
"Miss Monday, Mr. 9, and the other Millions betrayed the organization. They chose to follow the traitor Mr. 8: otherwise known as Igaram, the royal knight of Alabasta."
Miss Goldenweek spoke for the first time, not looking up from her painting.
"All we know is that half the members disappeared. Probably set sail first. The rest left right after encountering the Straw Hats."
Miss Valentine crossed her arms.
"Shouldn't we just focus on Igaram? He's heading toward Alabasta right now while Vivi's stuck on this island with no Eternal Pose for an entire year."
Mr. 3 smiled.
"Don't worry. Miss Sunday is heading towards Igaram as we speak."
Miss Valentine scratched her head.
"I still don't see the point. Why go through all this trouble when she's trapped here anyway?"
Mr. 5 nodded quickly.
"Exactly. We have the Eternal Pose to Alabasta. There's no reason to risk our lives against three pirates of such caliber—"
Mr. 3's expression went cold.
"This mission was specifically selected by the Boss." He leaned forward. "If you want to question it, you can ask him yourself."
The room went silent.
Mr. 5 swallowed hard.
"I... no. No, that's fine."
Miss Goldenweek set down her paintbrush.
"Mr. 3, could you pass the teapot?"
Mr. 3 picked up the teapot. He turned to his side and handed the teacup directly to Ulquiorra.
"Pass it along."
Ulquiorra took the teapot.
He extended it toward Miss Goldenweek.
She accepted it with a small nod.
"Thank you."
And started pouring herself tea.
Mr. 3 turned back to Mr. 5.
"Now, where were we? Ah yes, the mission—"
He froze mid-sentence.
Sweat beaded on his forehead.
Slowly, very slowly, he turned his head to the side.
Ulquiorra sat at the small table beside Miss Goldenweek, just watching them.
Mr. 3's gaze snapped back to Miss Valentine and Mr. 5.
Their faces were pale.
Neither moved nor breathed.
Mr. 3 looked back at Ulquiorra.
Rubbed his eyes.
Looked again.
Still there.
"..."
The teacup in Miss Goldenweek's hand was already overflowing as she just continued pouring more tea into it.
Mr. 5's cigarette fell from his lips.
Miss Valentine's umbrella slipped from her grip.
Miss Goldenweek kept pouring. The tea pooled on the table now, dripping onto the wax floor in a steady rhythm.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Mr. 3's eye twitched.
He looked at Mr. 5.
Looked at Ulquiorra.
Looked back at Mr. 5.
"...When did he—"
"I don't know," Mr. 5 whispered.
"How did he—"
"I don't know."
"Why is he—"
"I. Don't. Know."
Mr. 3's hand trembled as he slowly, very slowly, reached for his teacup.
He took a sip.
Set it down.
"...So." His voice cracked slightly. "As I was saying. The mission."
Ulquiorra tilted his head one degree to the left.
Mr. 3's soul nearly left his body.
"The mission!" he repeated, louder this time. "We—we'll just leave the expensive wine and the Eternal Pose for the Straw Hats and withdraw immediately!"
He gestured broadly, accidentally pointing at Ulquiorra.
Froze mid-gesture.
Slowly lowered his hand.
"...And we definitely, absolutely, under NO circumstances engage with—" He couldn't bring himself to point again. "—that."
"Agreed," Mr. 5 said immediately.
"Seconded," Miss Valentine squeaked.
Miss Goldenweek finally stopped pouring.
She looked down at the teacup.
Looked at Ulquiorra.
"Would you like some tea…?"
"Just the Eternal Pose."
Mr. 3 shot to his feet and with a ninety-degree bow handed him the Eternal Pose.
"Here it is, sir."
Ulquiorra took it.
Then stood up and walked toward the door.
Every person in the room stopped breathing.
The door opened.
He stepped outside.
The door closed.
...
...
...
Mr. 5 exhaled. "What the fuck just happened?"
◈ ◈ ◈
Author's Notes:
Romance question: Should I keep it a single pairing or go the harem route (2-3) and who? Let me know your thoughts! Fair warning though: Robin's locked in either way. Yes, I'm that guy. No, I don't care XD
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feedback is always appreciated. It would help me improve.