Kaijin of the Coast

Early morning was met with a decked-out table of breakfast items for the Straw Hats. Nesi left a note saying to dig in... so they did. Usopp complimented the fluffiness of the pancakes while Robin picked at her waffles before progressively eating them properly. Knowing Luffy's insatiable appetite, however, Sanji went into the kitchen and cooked more food. Luffy scarfed down his fair share with absolute joy while Zoro explained the boys' findings as they walked around town. Robin and Nami shared their own information on their end. Luffy let his friends engage in conversation amongst themselves and snuck away into Ace's bedroom again. He didn't sleep much after talking to Nesi about his brother, but he did walk around the lodge a lot. He rifled through his things, observed them, and even opened treasure chests that contained belly, jewelry, and other monetary items. Nesi left notes in some to explain how much was in the chest or what it should be used for while Ace's notes in response were either "Quit naggin' me" or "Whatever" or some rude combination of both. Ah, so Nesi knew the uncut Ace like he did in his youth versus his friends. Though Ace matured a lot, at least enough to appear refined and cleverer, it was good to know that he was himself through and through around someone he really trusted. Luffy could practically hear his voice on some of the notes, so his brother knew that Nesi was putting his treasures away or assigning them to things of necessity.

Closing a chest with a smile, Luffy stood up and walked over to the side door Chopper was talking about before. Ace's room was connected to this library in the middle of the hallway. Walking through the bar lounge that separated the bedroom from the library, Luffy took a minute to observe the wanted posters on the walls. No surprise to his brother just smiling away. Runs in the family. He then spotted a locked box that almost blended in with the wall. Had he not saw a chip in the portrait, Luffy would have just passed it by and not caught a bit of leather glaring out at him. He walked over to it and noticed that it looked like luggage. Whatever was in it couldn't be opened without a key, so Luffy stood back up to find one. His crew made some noise downstairs before agreeing to look around more. Luffy nodded and did the same. The sliding door to the library was pretty quiet and easy to open. He knew Ace could read and write, but he didn't expect such a full space. It was to his tastes with the fur rug and comfy loveseat. Spotting a desk with drawers, Luffy checked them until he found a set of keys. Taking them, he went back to the luggage box and tried each one until the lock popped open. Inside... confirmed all he needed to know about Nesi.

Painted portraits, wanted posters, news articles, and government updates pertaining to her journey as a privateer were all in there. Her bounty as a Spade pirate, her bounty as a war criminal, her bounty frozen, and finally her bounty being removed were just in there. This included a collection of unfinished letters and a small journal with colorful snippets of paper lodged in between pages. Ace must've been proud of her to have kept all this stuff. One of the paintings he had was even of them at a party together. He looked drunk out of his mind with his flushed face and giant smile, and she was excited about something that just about sent her to the moon. The rest of the crew was cheering, too. It was a big-time party for them all to be dressed in some form of suit and dancing gown. Another portrait of Nesi with a group of men caught Luffy's attention. Her style of dress was similar to yesterday morning when they met. That group must've been her new crew or the reason her bounty was lifted. Why'd he want to hide this or lock it away, though? Did he just not want Nesi to know about it? That didn't make any sense.

Taking out the letters and journal, Luffy walked over to the library again to place the papers down on the sofa and walked back to put the pictures back into the luggage case. He didn't lock it, just closed it. Returning to the desk, he looked for other letters of possible interest or completion. It looked like Ace was intent on no one finding anything of value, but there was a badge and an Enemy Ship Capture Warrant in the drawer just above the knee if he were to sit at the desk chair. A little ransom note from something called the Iron Foundry Assurance Company was also among the documents. It didn't look like someone was holding any of Ace's crew members for ransom, so the note was something good. A picture of Ace folding his arms and looking miffed was also in the drawer. He was shaking an amused man's hand while looking elsewhere. The badge in the desk was on his person along with a fancy-looking jacket. His wardrobe did have it in there. Luffy spotted one more unfinished letter in the corner and took that out as well. When he couldn't find any more of his brother's writings, he got a little more thorough in different parts of the library.

"Luffy, you in here?" Zoro asked, opening the library door with a curious look on his face.

"What's goin' on, Zoro?" Luffy asked in response, stepping on a small ladder to check the top of the bookshelves for anything resembling a note or letter.

"What're you doing?" Zoro questioned.

"Looking for stuff to read," Luffy answered nonchalantly.

"You read?" Zoro questioned, making Luffy snap his head and shout.

"OF COURSE, I READ!"

"SINCE WHEN?" Zoro asked.

"Huh?" Luffy responded, ignoring Zoro's insult in exchange for interest in a small compartment. It was locked, too.

Reaching into his pocket, Luffy took out the keys again and opened the compartment to find a plethora of letters. Taking one out, he noticed that the letters were addressed to Ace, so they had to be responses to completed letters... which he has yet to find. Regardless, Luffy took the letters out to read and closed the compartment. Obviously, completed letters have gone to their recipients now. He'll just have to put fragments together for it all to make sense.

"What's that?" Zoro asked out of interest.

"Letters to Ace. He's been hiding things from Nesi," Luffy answered, checking the books for anything suspicious.

"Bothers you that bad, huh?" Zoro replied, folding his arms. He walked over to the other bookshelf and helped his captain look around. "You sure she doesn't find things herself when she's cleaning? She might've put them up there."

"She's too neat. Ace left behind notes to tell her to stop tidying stuff up in his bedroom. If he didn't want her to find something, he would've put it somewhere she wouldn't think to go near. The top of this bookshelf is too close to the ceiling for her to dust it off or wax it. Even then, these letters are in a locked box. Unlocking it would've been annoying," Luffy informed, looking down a bit. "Ace is too proud to hide things this well. There was something he didn't want her to know."

"You thinking he didn't want her to know about what happened?" Zoro asked, confirming his own suspicions.

"I think it's worse than that," Luffy said darkly.

_____________________________________

Head matron Primrose Sedzig was right about her son calling her soon. Nesi received her summons just before she went out to obscure the harbor again for the morning, so she dressed herself accordingly and prepared to meet the lord of Sedzig house and her teammates at the Treasure Pepper Mint building. Ships had already docked at the main island where the nobles were comfortable with stepping on mortal soil. She was actually surprised by this visit. It was pretty grand for something so last-minute, but she didn't complain. Nesi merely walked up the cobblestone pathways to the World Government's finance building and greeted her hosts properly at the gates. When the guards let her inside, her heels clacked against the smooth flooring and curtains were being opened. Just as she was coming up to the elevating platform, one of her teammates dressed in a fine ruff and a largely red suit smacked her shoulder before smirking. His hair was black and curly with red tips and silvery streaks on the right side to give the appearance of a short fin. He bowed politely in greeting to his comrade before waiting for her to return the gesture. She did with a warm smile.

"Good morning, Pargo," Nesi greeted.

"Why is this dandy from the world above calling me out of my bed and pajamas?" Pargo asked. His full name was Amaro Pargo. When he was off duty, he was in his finest underwear and dreamiest nightwear. Calling him out on a day-off was criminal!

"Lady Sedzig mentioned that her son was opening a new contract with us. Our new libel needs to be verified," Nesi explained, watching Pargo fold his arms with displeasure at having to deal with this. "You or one of the others will have to take it. I've already been sent out by Quistador Ingagoh to guard the silver."

"Llandala, how big's this new shipment?" an even more displeased man asked from behind the two. He had lovely blonde hair in a high ponytail and an imperial style mustache. His suit was green and red with a proud frock at the collar. His thin eyebrows were raised to show his distaste for having to get up at an unreasonable hour to talk about money at the last-minute. He then asked, tapping his foot rapidly and impatiently, "Is it worth the damn effort to rush over here or not? 'Cause I could be sleep with my ass drinking in the fine sea air right now!"

"Good morning, Pierre," Nesi cheered sweetly, earning his bout of wrath with a light blush across his cheeks at her glimmering beauty. "Would you like me to order some blueberry biscuits and froth-fee before the meeting? We might have some time for a bit of sausage on the side."

"And marshmallows!" Pierre demanded, blowing smoke out of his nose.

"Did you fix that back tooth for all that sugar?" Nesi asked.

"AND MARSHMALLOWS!" Pierre demanded again with a booming voice.

"Ho-ho-ho!" a rich, full voice laughed, clapping his large hands. A large man in a blue suit trundled into the elevator hall to engage with his comrades. He had reddish-orange hair and a clean-shaven face. Always full of energy in the morning, this privateer was Zymen Danseker. A man quite proud of his legs and happy to show them off in shorts or pants no matter the occasion. He greeted, "Good morning, gents! I shall take you up on that offer of sausage. Hold the fruity biscuits in exchange for grit cakes perhaps?"

"Good thing I woke up to cook," Nesi said, smiling toothily. "These meetings can be long! Why didn't you eat?"

"Because I was woken out of my SLUMBER in the middle of the night about some random summons!" Pierre complained. "My willie was out! Land on a shoe on the left ball and see how that feels!"

"Ouch..." Pargo managed to say before the elevator churned.

Nesi shook her head to chuckle at Pierre then said, "You, gents, go up to the Foundry's floor. I'll bring up the food."

"Meh, the nobles can wait," Pargo said, unfolding his arms and leading the way to the kitchen and dining room. "I'm hungry."

It would be a while before the rest of the privateers showed up. May as well eat something. Javelin was already running around in the kitchen with her documents ready to go. The girl was speedy with her work! Nesi unhooked her arms from the back and strapped on an apron. Some stuff was already made from her home this morning. Mostly cold foods like yogurt, sausage patties, hash browns, or milk and cereal. At least, she had a chance to eat with most of the team until everyone else showed up. She didn't eat much this morning either since the summons was given to her so early. She was a little sad that she couldn't eat with the Straw Hats to get to know them better. She found that she liked Luffy's easygoing nature, and that smile was infectious. Making froth-fee for Pierre, Javelin, and Zymen, Nesi prepared the beverages and passed them around on a small serving tray. Pargo usually wanted a spicy vegetable juice. Nesi opted for milk tea. The smells of fresh food made everyone twice as hungry as before, so, when Nesi came around to serve everyone their respective orders, she wasn't surprised that they almost dove headfirst into the plates. Least of all, Pierre, who had a tendency to bite the marshmallow creme topping off anything and let it sit in his mouth. He immediately regretted doing that with his bad tooth, though. Nesi only smiled at this, remembering the times when she fed the Spades crew. They may have stolen the food more often than she liked, but it was nice to see them eat well.

"You're not half bad a cook, floor scrubber!" Ace would tell her, winking at her displeased face after she wore herself out trying to please him so he could teach her how to fight. "You might see a promotion next week."

"You'll show me how to punch like you, captain?" Nesi would ask, eyes sparkling at the chance.

"Hell no! I'm promoting you to ship cook," Ace would say, deflating her spirits. Before she could even get out a plea, he would interrupt her by saying, "Your moxie's below sea level, girl! Build it up and I'll teach you how to dodge better."

"B-b-but I don't know what that means, captain! C'mon! Just tell me what the moxie is and I'll train it!" Nesi would plea.

"Quit beggin'! You wanna be a real pirate or not?" Ace reprimanded.

"Yes, sir," Nesi sighed, pouting and walking away to wait for the day her moxie came in. She wouldn't realize for another two to three weeks that what Ace meant was her willpower, her fighting spirit, her desire to go the extra mile and risk it all for one thing.

"Whatcha eatin', captain?" Javelin asked, hovering over Nesi's mixing bowl.

"Bagel-berry cheesecake," Nesi answered, shoving a sample of it in Javelin's mouth. A noise of approval came out of the little woman before the captain said, "I'll make you some another time."

"What do you think the new cargo is gonna be? Lord Ingagoh is in charge of silver and spices, so Lord Sedzig must be in charge of something just as big. Lady Primrose loves jewelry. What if it's gemstones?"

"Quite possible, Javie. Jewelry is a show of status. I'd imagine it's something related to that or the artificial atmosphere that's up there at Mary Geoisie. Materials to support such a manicured lifestyle are precious commodities and would up the risk factor in shipment. A pirate who knows how to use those things is a public enemy," Nesi surmised. "Heaven forbid a Revolutionary take any of it. Assuming the same thing. That they know how to use those materials. Otherwise, they just sit in storage or put on too much weight for the ships for a prolonged period of time. It's not worth doing."

"Is that why Lord Hawkins transports stuff like that on airships or fully loaded vessels?" Javelin asked.

"I'd say so. Too risky to keep on the ground," Nesi answered, walking over to a small table to eat.

Javelin sat with her until it was time for the team to speak with Lord Gahima of the Sedzig house. Everyone sort of guessed aloud the type of cargo needing guardianship as they ate. The pleasantries and respectable atmosphere were quite comforting. Pity the nobles always made things so tense.

_____________________________________

With the men well-fed... eh, in part... the privateers proceeded into the Iron Foundry Assurance Company floor to discuss the libel. Vice Admiral Barangot was waiting for them along with financers, a scribe, and the Sedzig family. Barangot took care of the trading business and the maritime laws covering it. While this normally would be a responsibility for the Admirals and Fleet Admiral, the higher-ups among the admiralty were far more engrossed in controlling the pirates than the World Government's source of income since the devil fruits and their variety of powers caused an upheaval in the dichotomy of the world. The vice admiral was pleasantly surprised by Nesi's order of peace and dismissal of the sovereignty of the World Government in favor of the world's well-being. She didn't care about the New World, Fish-Man Island, or any of the smaller villages. She cared about it all. Her argument that the Five Elders weren't going to be in power forever, and that the time for war would come to a close, made it easier to trust her in caring for the public. What would happen when the Five Elders simply died of natural causes? Would the nobles elect another five or eliminate such an authority in favor of something else? What happens when peace treaties are formed? When slave labor is no longer a popular or efficient source of income? These are all questions that piracy will be largely affected by when the answer comes over the horizon.

Vice Admiral Barangot was more than happy to look into working with the privateers to ensure that no matter who ran the world, the countries and territories across the land would prevail and be financially able until another ruler turned up. What further surprised him was Quistador Ingagoh's use of the privateers for his own shipment success. Nesi Llandala made a great impression and her earnings from her first prize capture easily gained the attentions of others. She managed to do something not even the Four Emperors could do: get at least one noble (regardless of status) to come down from their mansion and face her. Her firm stance and gentlemanly disposition made a statement. Nesi had balls! It didn't long to convince others to join her team. Before long, Pargo, Pierre, and Zymen came into the picture.

Head matron Primrose insisted on showing up for the introductory meeting before they spoke business and practically hopped up a foot off the ground to greet Nesi. Sera floated over to Nesi as well before she gathered her grandmother and scuttled her over to her father. Gahima was a serious man, but his worry was ever visible. The privateers all bowed to the nobles with respect and waited.

"Your hospitalities precede you," Gahima complimented, walking over to Nesi. He held out his hand for a shake, feeling Nesi return the greeting with an acceptable squeeze of his hand. Not too tight, not too delicate, eye contact strong, feet planted firmly. A perfect shake. She was about business. "Pleasure to meet my family's acquaintance. Pardon my ignorance in the minor details, I've concerns elsewhere on the mind."

"Then that's where we'll start, Lord Gahima," Nesi said, giving him a reassuring nod. "The bid bond will be discussed later. What's the trouble?"

"The cargo I'm responsible for involve silk and tobacco," Gahima explained, helping his mother and daughter to seats for a moment. "My concern rests with the latter and the assortment of paraphernalia made for it. Pirates would be interested in either as they cost much for the regular market, but tobacco is the top seller, even for the upper class, and the quality of such could sell for varying amounts depending on purity. One could charge more for lower quality and progressively go up, or one could change the purity of the product via additives and keep the price down to avoid suspicion. Either way, it's bad for business."

"The paraphernalia you mentioned is what exactly? A bunch of pipes?" Pierre questioned, putting a hand on his hip.

"Pipes made with different materials and in different styles. An ivory smoking pipe could sell for as much as a golden pipe, depending on the relationship between the seller and the buyer. Individual pipe sets sell for more than the tobacco," Gahima replied.

"What about the silks? Do they not cost as much?" Pargo questioned.

"Silks are also very expensive, but they are easier to spot in low-class markets than pure tobacco because they can't be altered. The colors, texture, styles, and length of cloth are fixed. Anyone selling them in the worlds below would be caught immediately. I would assume that pirates would take the silks and dress themselves up accordingly just to show their status. The ruling bodies of the pirates such as the Four Emperors and the now disbanded Seven Warlords of the Sea, for example, would be the first to wear such silks. Those beneath them would simply use them for personal means or sell them for profit."

Disbanded? Nesi thought. When did the warlords...?

"You've had trouble transporting these goods before?" Zymen asked, thinking the same thing as Nesi.

"Fortunately, my shipments have been on the smaller end, but half of the cargo has been stolen at least twice. In a few months, the largest shipment of both is scheduled to leave port within two to three months. I can't afford to lose half of my cargo," Gahima stated.

"Very well. What's the price of your cargo?" Nesi asked.

"Shipping costs for silk alone is 1.34 million belly. At 1100 belly per bolt, this shipment is nearing 18.5 million. I could lose a significant amount even at half!" Gahima stressed, rubbing his brow.

"If pirates are only taking half, the weight of the cargo must be exceeding the maximum capacity of their ships. Only a fleet can take the full hundred percent," Nesi surmised. "The risk factor for the robbery of the full amount of cargo is significantly smaller than simply half or lower."

"We can't underestimate devil fruit users, Captain Llandala," Barangot reminded. "While the chances of regular pirates getting hold of the entire cargo are slim, these devil fruit users do have fleets in select areas. Crossing paths puts the cargo at higher risk, and the merchant crew will fair no better as prisoners. If the route crosses over the ruling bodies of the pirate dichotomy, the cargo is lost and the risk factor greater."

"Agreed. Our power is great, but we all have our weaknesses. The trade route will have to be evaluated again. That may require another meeting in the future once you have the proper maps and nautical readings, vice admiral. We will require our usual documents, but you and Lord Gahima will ultimately have to inform allies of our presence. We may be under oath of the Law of Nations at sea, but that doesn't mean they won't penalize us for acts of piracy in accordance with their laws on land. To begin the bid bond, I'll look at things at surface value and regard a smaller risk of encountering devil fruit users. We'll have to insure at least eleven percent of lost or damaged cargo on our end for lower-ranked pirates. I'll agree to a bid of sixty-one percent undamaged, shippable cargo should I be elected for the job," Nesi offered, taking out a bidding coin to place it on the table. "Quistador Ingagoh has my immediate attention with the shipment of silver and spices. Agreement to postpone shipment date to a later convenience would be advised."

"A bid of sixty-three percent will suffice should I be elected," Pierre offered, placing his own bid coin down. "A shipment of lumber and housing will be active three months after you. My attentions must go to it. Request for postponement until further evaluation has initiated is also advised."

"I'll bid higher," Pargo said, placing down his coin. "Seventy-two percent. Permission to choose a partner should the trade route cross enemy fleet territory. Percentage could increase to 1 or 2 percent should I be chosen."

"A bid of seventy percent from me," Zymen said joyfully. "Permission to work with Llandala in the event of crossing enemy lines. Her bid increases by four percent."

"Draining me dry of all my little change, Danseker?" Nesi joked, earning a rich chuckle from the man. "I'm being plotted against!"

"We'll reanalyze the trade routes for more thorough information on pirate territory in observance of the bids. What of the rest of your team?" Barangot questioned, furrowing a brow at the small number of privateers. There was usually more of them.

"We mainly consult with them in the event that slave ships are along the route," Nesi explained. "Such a thing wasn't mentioned in the summons; however, information on this will also be of necessity. We will update what we can on our end as well should our missions be completed."

"We'll proceed with the proper surety bond draft. This will require a bit of paperwork," Barangot said with a smirk. "I'm sure the scribe would love to start writing up premiums for this."

"Keeps bread on the table," Nesi joked, smiling professionally. "Payment bonds can be quite interesting from his perspective."

"That's if you like counting," Javelin interjected. "Legal jargon isn't a language from this planet in my book."

"Well, your captain didn't understand it much herself in the beginning, I'm sure," Barangot said, taking papers from the table that he knew would need his signature or attention. "She had to learn what all of this meant the hard way."

"Hard way?" Gahima questioned.

"Captain Llandala was the floor scrubber of her old pirate crew," Barangot informed. "She had to study all of this legal jargon on her own when she wasn't on duty. I'm surprised you don't know about this story."