Leaving Alabasta

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The Following 7 Chapters are already available for Patrons.

Chapter 43 (Admiral Sakazuki), Chapter 44 (Jaya), Chapter 45 (Marshall D. Teach), Chapter 46 (Noland "The Liar"), Chapter 47 (Akainu, Absolute Justice), Chapter 48 (Warlords of The Sea), and Chapter 49 (Akainu's Justice) are already available for Patrons.

Nico Robin

He feels her settle next to him more than he hears it, the sound of her white fur-trimmed coat making no sound even as it brushes along the dirty hardwood floor and drapes itself along the back rim of the barstool she delicately settles herself upon. An elegance and grace that's out of place in the middle of the pub they are in, yet she fits right in, almost as if she belongs there. The people around them are boisterous, noisy, and drunken only a group of people on a Friday night could be – especially in a country like Alabasta, where the temperature drops to below freezing by nightfall, people gravitate to places with warm food and warm company and warm alcohol. Despite the hearty atmosphere of the pub, however, the air around the two of them hangs strangely heavy and loaded.

He drains his tankard of ale and shoves another cut of chicken down his throat, relaxed; if the woman next to him wants something, she can damn well ask for it.

The bartender walks over with a glass of wine and sets it down in front of the woman; she accepts it with a smile and a small nod, curling long fingers around the stem. "New around town?" She asks, not looking in his direction as she takes a sip of her drink, staring straight ahead – but there is a smile playing on her lips. There's a cowboy hat perched on top of her head. He shovels another forkful of meat down his throat.

"Yeah," he answers after he's chewed and swallowed.

The woman tilts her head to the side, inspecting the glass in her hand as if checking for smudges.

"Are you here on any particular business, second division commander of the Whitebeard pirates?"

The woman sitting next to him was beautiful, but nowhere near Isuka's level, and the innocent smile on her face was annoying. He knew she was anything but innocent. Ace has traveled to many places as a pirate, been on a million different islands and countries and cities, and have found beautiful women in each, but it isn't the beauty of the woman beside him that takes Ace's attention; it's something else. A kind of danger. The woman next to him is classy and wicked, sweet like marzipan and poisonous like cyanide all at once, and her almond-shaped eyes close in a slit-eyed smile when Ace chances a glance in her direction. Ace can respect that.

Ace grins around the rim of his ale, even as his spine stiffens and his attention expands to take in his surroundings, calculating the distance from his stool to the nearest exit and all the potential danger spots along the way.

"Not really. Here on a personal trip, you can call it. I'm not here to make trouble." Ace answers honestly.

The woman beside him hum, once; a short, amused sound, mellifluous like deep water. It is almost lost in the din of the pub they are in. A finger traces almost carelessly around the rim of the wine glass. Still, Ace watches from the corner of his eye how that finger never wavers from its steady trajectory, the line of the glass always pressed exactly in the middle of that finger, and knows this woman is anything but relaxed. Confident, perhaps, but not relaxed; the bow of her spine is stiff and unyielding, taut like a too-tight string under the loose soft layers of her fur coat, and Ace wonders briefly whether that's why she wears it in this fucking sauna-like desert country – to hide the stiffness of her back, her smile – before pushing the thought away to the recesses of his brain. It's absolutely none of his goddamn business.

"Are you absolutely sure, Commander-san? It would be quite inconvenient to me if you're lying, you know. I much prefer having quiet, uneventful evenings – it would be such a shame if we were to change that."

"If I were truly lying, do you really think this would be the time I gave up the lie?" Ace counters, flicking his hat back on his head with a finger, so it settles neatly away from his eyes. The woman cocks her head in response. "Make your own conclusions about me. It's not my job to go out of the way to convince you. I've said what there is to be said." Ace shrugs and eyes the woman, smirking. "If it means anything, I'm not lying. So you can switch off that transmission device you have in your pocket. I'm not in this place to invade your turf."

The woman raises an eyebrow in mild surprise. There's a look on her face that suggests she's impressed, even; her right hand, which had previously been dug deep into her fur coat pocket, shifts slightly before drawing out. But he doesn't let down his guard. This woman knows what it's like to be both predator and prey, and Ace knows he's not safe just yet.

After a short pause, the woman turns back to the counter and picks up her wine glass. "I'll have you know the other person at the end of that line is going to be furious that I've cut off the connection," she murmurs, but she's smiling, and Ace supposes that's a good thing. This is the realest thing that's come out of her so far.

"Not my problem."

Ace lifts his hand and signals for the bartender to bring him another drink. The bartender, busy with a rowdy group all the way at the other end, sloppily fills up a mug and shoves it roughly across the length of the oak counter. The force of the shove tips the cup forward on edge, the insides threatening to spill; Ace lurches forward, concerned – only to have a hand sprout from the smooth surface of the table wood to balance and re-tip the cup back to its original position, before pushing the cup lightly towards Ace's direction. Ace gapes.

The woman only smiles enigmatically, the hand disappearing into a quiet swirl of petals unnoticed in the general noise and din.

Ace narrows his eyes, wondering if she could use Haki. Settling back into his seat, he takes a sip of his new cup of alcohol and sneaks glances at the woman next to him. She's smiling into her wine, the curve of her mouth scimitar-sharp against her cheek.

Ace remembers his manners. "Thank you," he says, and grins too, surprised and impressed and pleased, and after taking another sip of his ale, says, "so it's true that you are a devil fruit user."

The bow of the woman's back snaps tight like that of a cornered animal. Ace almost hates to see the façade of casualness around them disappear, but well, there's no helping it. No sense in letting either of them get too comfortable. Ace forces himself to stay loose and relaxed and doesn't react even as the woman twitches. It feels like an involuntary reaction, that twitch, like something that had slipped out without warning, without meaning to, a betrayal of something deeper and darker and instinctive that the woman never wanted anyone else to see.

After a long beat of pause, the woman says, "so you've heard of me."

Ace lifts one shoulder carelessly. "Kind of hard not to. I wasn't sure since the picture of you on your bounty poster is back when you were a kid, but then you used your powers, Nico Robin, and I kind of figured."

There's a lie in that. In truth, Ace had recognized her scarce seconds after she had settled next to him at the bar. It hadn't been the face or the hair, or the features that tipped him off – the Nico Robin now looked similar to what she looked like as a child, all shiny straight black hair and bangs and sharp, pointed chin, but so many women can look like that – but the eyes had been what gave her away. Nico Robin's smile doesn't reach her eyes, not back when she had been a child, and not now, with those smiles of hers that cut like a knife. That's how Ace recognizes her.

Devil child. Ace remembers. Ace remembers reading about Nico Robin and remembers the details he's pilfered from sneaking into Marine bases – quick snippets he'd stolen while digging up other information for his crew and his Pops. Devil child– Shouldn't have been born–

Ace recognizes those eyes, eyes like an animal that's been wounded so many times that there's no point in counting because sometimes he sees those eyes on himself. It's not that she's strong. It's not that she's weak. It's simply that she's learned how to deal with hurt the best way she can in her circumstances, empty like armor and howling like the wind. Devil child. Ace remembers dark-spotted childhood days prowling in bars, fists clenched in a hot, sweaty too-tight grip as drunken older sailors jeered, Roger's kid? He'd be a demon who wouldn't deserve to be born or to live–

Son of the devil, Ace remembers. Devil child, Ace remembers.

There is a smile playing across her lips, deliberately casual, but Ace can see the imperceptible trembling of her fingers against the thin stem of her wine glass as she takes a sip, controlled but there all the same.

Ace thinks that if he'd met this woman in some other circumstances, he might've enjoyed her company. Lord knows they have a lot of things in common.

Ace thinks that they're done here. He drains his tankard of ale, slings his backpack onto his shoulders, and pushes his seat back away from the counter.

As he passes by Nico Robin's figure, he hears her murmur, "not doing anything?"

Ace glances back; the wary line of her shoulder has relaxed somewhat. He grins and tips his hat back. "Nah. Like I said: I'm only here on a personal trip."

Nico Robin manages a hum. "I could be up to bad things, though, Commander-san." There is a hint of mirth in her voice, a hint of bitterness. Ace doesn't think too much about it.

"I couldn't care less about what you might be up to. I'm not a Marine. So long as we don't interfere with each other, what you do is of no matter to me." He's a pirate. There's no romanticism of justice here, no idealistic dreams of morality. Nothing but his own agenda, his own goals to fight for and achieve. And his plans in this country involve only one of two children of the damned; by all accounts, they have nothing to do with each other.

All the same. Ace looks at the tenseness knotted in the base of Nico Robin's spine.

Tiny pinpricks of light dance around in front of Nico Robin's startled vision, spiraling like fireflies around her person. Ace waits a few seconds before quietly snapping his fingers and exploding them in small showers of spark-like fireworks, a cascade of light around her like rain.

There's a pause, and then Nico Robin starts chuckling. "You're an unusual person, Commander-san."

Ace smirks. "I could say the same about you." He flicks experimentally at the nose that has suddenly sprouted on the side of his neck. It disappears in a flurry of petals.

"Now, what do you want?" Ace asked, suddenly serious. No point in dragging this out any longer.

"I would like to know what exactly happened in Archipelago. I would like to know the details. I mean every detail." Robin said with a coy smile. The temperature of the place went up.

"None of your business," Ace warned her to lay off.

"Really! That's so sad." She spoke innocently, taking a sip of wine. "Who knows what the Marines will do to Dear Isuka if they know you're associated with her." The room's temperature increased even more; Robin wondered how the place hadn't started burning yet.

"You're playing a dangerous game, miss," Ace warned her, ready to burn her to a crisp.

Robin kept an innocent smile, not really bothered by his warnings. "I learned long ago that secrets are worth more than every piece of jewelry. With the right information, and if you know how to use it. You can have everything." She said, still keeping an innocent smile and leaning closer to Ace before speaking with a shallow calm tone.

"If something were to happen to me. My little birds will make sure to spread information far and wide. Your little girl won't be able to hide anywhere. So tell me your little secret," Robin spoke, leaning even closer to Ace, who glared at her.

"Tell me, what did you take from that Celestial Dragon?"

"You're a cruel woman," Ace said with a glare.

"So is the world,"

Days Later

They all get changed as they sit around the medical ward when Nami springs her idea on the crew. "Tonight?" Usopp repeats.

"That's right," Nami confirms.

"Well, I think it's appropriate, too. Since we no longer have a reason to stay here." Zoro agreed, and Usopp shivered as that was the same thing Nami said as he sat leaning against the bed by his feet and Chopper.

"Yeah... I'm also worried about the Marines' actions." Sanji adds.

"Okay, then. You decide, Luffy." Usopp tells him.

"Okay! We'll leave after we have some more Alabasta dishes again." Luffy decides, thinking with his stomach. Again.

"We're leaving right away, idiot!" Usopp snaps at him, bonking him on the head. "Idiot!"

"You didn't have to hit me..." Luffy whines as he cradles his head when a soldier comes into the room, holding a Transponder Snail.

"There's a Transponder Snail communication for you." He announces.

"Transponder Snail communication? From who?" Nami asks him.

"From someone named Bon." He answers.

"Bon? Who's that?" Sanji asks him.

"No one knows him. But he insists he's your friend, so..." He replies.

"Our friend?" Usopp questions as Sanji gets up and answers.

"Hello? Hi there! It's me! Me!" The voice laughs, and Sanji hangs up, but it starts ringing again.

"What?! Shut up!" Sanji snaps at the ringing Transponder Snail, but Luffy grabs it and answers.

"Hey, it's you, huh? What do you want from us?" Luffy demands, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Oh? That voice must be Straw Hat, right? You're strong! I was so surprised! Oh, yeah... please don't call me Mr 2. If the Marines catch this signal, I'll be in trouble." Mr 2 warns them.

"You just said it yourself!" Chopper exclaims.

"Just tell us what you want!" Zoro demands.

"Oh, yeah... I took your ship." He announces with a broad grin. The crew screamed in shock; hearing that, Luffy's grip around the speaker almost broke it.

"If you touch my ship, I Will kill you!" Luffy promised, his voice turning dark.

"You son of a bitch! This isn't a joking matter! Where are you now?!" Usopp asks him, pointing at the Transponder Snail.

"On your ship." He answers as if that helps.

"Of all others, he..." Sanji grits his teeth in anger.

"No, no...! Gee... we're friends, right?" He laughs and tells them where he is on their ship.

"He's at the upper reaches of the Sandora River..." Luffy confirms.

"Can we trust him?" Sanji asked the Captain, who had a thoughtful look before answering.

"We became friends one time, but..." Luffy muses.

"In your case, you may be able to make friends with him again, which is scary..." Zoro mutters.

"But we have no choice but to go..." Chopper points out.

"He's right. He has our ship." Nojiko agrees with the reindeer. "If he tries to trick us, then we'll just kill him." The others nodded in agreement.

"Now that it's decided, let's get ready quickly," Luffy announces.

Now

Vivi's tears rolled down her cheeks. They finally reached Going Merry. A gentle breeze hit her hair, her hair dancing with the wind. With one last look at her country, at the vast deserts, at her one and only home.

She walked on board of Going Merry. As a Pirate of Straw Hats. No Regrets...

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turning, she saw Luffy looking at her with concern.

"I'm fine, Luffy. I already made the decision." Vivi said, trying to sound strong and convincing, happy to see that Luffy cared so much for her. He smiled reassuringly before they walked to their ship. As soon as they walk up to the deck, they're greeted by Bon, who is doing a ridiculous dance. "Hello, my friends." He greeted them with a large grin on his face.

For a moment, the crew was silent, wondering where they should dispose of him, when Luffy stepped forward with a welcoming smile.

"Welcome back, Bon. Is good to have you here," Luffy said with a broad smile. Soon they both started dancing together as if they were closest friends. Robin giggles at the crew's reaction.

That idiot! They all thought, but they should have probably expected that from Luffy.

As they were sailing away, they soon noticed multiple Marine Ships approaching.

Suddenly the Marines fire their cannons at them with spikes instead of cannonballs. "Dammit! Shoot cannonballs!" Nami grumbles as they're almost hit from either side.

"Serious... gimme a break!" Bon cries out.

"If we keep taking these iron spears on the ship's bottom, it'll be just a matter of time before we sink!" Sanji points out, and the Marines fire again.

"Do something, you guys!" Nami snaps at them.

"It takes all our effort just to protect one side!" Sanji argues. "One ship against eight isn't a fair fight!"

"If this was close combat, we'd have a better chance... whether we chase them or run away, they'll never change this formation!" Zoro warns them as the Marine ships stand in pairs around them.

"The one on the left... where do I know him from?" Sanji ponders to himself

"I've finally found them! That annoying violent cook and his gang...! I'll sink them here today! I've powered up!" The first voice vows, yeah, right.

"Now, stare at this ring. I'll finally prove today that I'm not a weirdo." The second voice mutters as everyone runs around, trying to fix the ship, and Usopp aims the cannon toward the ship and fires. "One...! Two...! Jan-" The cannonball hits the ship, smashing it to pieces as it falls onto the next one.

"Brother!" The second ship falls into the water.

"Whoa..." Usopp mutters to himself, just as surprised.

"Usopp! Did you do that?! Amazing!" Luffy beams at the shocked sniper.

"O...Okay! T was just as I calculated! That's what happens to ships once I'm on the job!" Usopp plays it off.

"Nosie, that was amazing! Good job!" Bon congratulates him. "The ships in the south sank! Now we can break through there in one shot!"

"Bon Clay! There's trouble!" One of his men shouts.

"What is it?!" Bon shouts back as the ship sails to their right.

"The 'Black Cage' is here!" He announces.

"Oh, no!" Bon shrieks.

"What's going on?" Luffy asks him.

"It's 'Black Cage' Hina! She's a Captain at Marine Headquarters, and this area is under her jurisdiction! She's a real pain. We'll hurry up and fly the coop!" Bon explains.

"Yes, sir! Bon Clay!" His men shout in agreement.

"Whoa! They're fast!" Luffy exclaims as another cannon hits the water, rocking the ship.

"Rather, our ship is slowing down!" Sanji snaps.

"Four ships!" Zoro alerts them, and they walk over, ready for a fight.

"We have no choice but to fight, huh?" Sanji huff as he stands with the crew.

"Alright! Let's go!" Luffy exclaims, and they go to fight but trip over a pile of iron spears.

"What's this?!" They snapped at Nami.

"Oh, that? Usopp said to keep them since we might be able to use them for something." Nami answers.

"They're in our way!" Zoro exclaims in anger.

"We don't need them!" Sanji growls.

"Then, should we ditch them?" Luffy asks and begins throwing the iron spears away straight for the four Marine ships behind them. "Okay! Are we ready?!" He dusts his hands and looks over at his handy work.

"Now is the chance. Let's go full speed ahead and shake them off!" Nami yell and the bots get out of the paddles and begin rowing as Chopper comes out, and Nami blows her whistle to keep the boys in line, and they soon come to clear seas.

After an hour of sailing, it seemed they were safe. "Looks like the Marines have stopped following us," Zoro states and the others lie on the deck with their heads all through the railing bars, upset. "We did shake them off, right?" They all groan.

"Now that we are clear. I'm afraid this is where we depart," Bon said to the crew, mainly at Luffy, who arched an eyebrow.

"Where will you go?" Luffy asked, tilting his head at the side, standing up, and walking up to him.

"Momo island or Dressrosa. I heard both of them are places that welcome people like us." Bon said with a constant grin. His men nodded along.

"Good Luck to you then. I hope we meet one day again." Luffy said, shaking hands with him.

After saying goodbye to everyone, he apologized to the Princess for his role on Alabasta. She told him just not to do anything like that again. Sanji almost kicked him when Bon tried to hug him.

Using a small boat of Going Merry, Bon and his crew of dancers sailed away, waving at Going Merry as they disappeared into the Horizon.

Later

"I will miss my home!" Vivi said sadly, looking at Alabasta slowly disappearing on the horizon.

"Don't be whiny! If you wanted to stay longer, you could have told us!" Zoro tells her point-blank.

"Ahh! You're such a savage!" Chopper cries.

"You're the worst!" Nami snaps at him.

"Moss head." Sanji digs at him.

"Three-sword style..." Luffy says.

"Hey, wait, Luffy. 'Three-sword style' isn't an insult." Usopp points out.

"Four-sword style." Luffy changes it.

"The number isn't exactly the problem... listen." Usopp tries to explain, but it won't work.

Smoker

"They escaped!" Hina shouted, slamming her fists on the table. It was taking everything for Smoker not to grin, but he kept himself in control.

"Not the first time pirates have escaped us. We will live. I will capture them." Smoker said with an uncaring tone as he inhaled his two cigarettes and exhaled a puff of smoke. Hina glared at him and was ready even to yell if it wasn't for the Transponder Snail that suddenly started ringing.

Smoker reached for the speaker, but Hina grabbed it before he could, knowing he would be disrespectful. "Captain Hina of Marine Headquarters." She said respectfully, still glaring at Smoker.

Smoker wondered why they would call them again, but it seemed he got his answers right away when Hina's face went unusually pale.

"H-He is right here." She said with a shaky tone, handing him the speaker.

Smoker narrowed his eyes suspiciously at how she was acting, but once he put the speaker next to his mouth.

"Captain Smoker," he said, this time holding himself from insulting whoever was on the other side.

"Captain Smoker, as we talked a few days ago. You are to arrive at Marine Headquarters for the medals. And we are happy to tell you that your chase of the Strawhat is over." The man spoke, sounding like an old man that Smoker had never heard before.

"What! Why?" Smoker asked, barely keeping his voice down. He didn't understand why they denied him the chance to keep chasing the Straw Hats. He was the pirate with the largest bounty of the worst generation.

"Due to his bounty and the risk he possesses. We decided that a more competent Man was needed to capture him. Someone who will get the job done." The voice spoke. Smoker gulped, having an idea of who he was talking about, putting the speaker next to his mouth.

"Who is this man?"

"Admiral Sakazuki."

Fun Question: For those who have read the Manga, which is your favorite Panel in The Story?