Chapter 56

"Kashu. One of the 50 Skillful Grade swords," Tashigi said to nobody in particular as she stared at the blade in her hand in admiration. To think she'd come across a sword this rare so early in the Grand Line. Not only that, but she'd liberated the blade from evil's grasp. For a moment, she was in a state of reverie. She felt like she could get lost in the temper for hours. Nothing could ruin this wonderful moment—

"Tashigi! Stop going into ecstasy over your spoils of war and get your ass over here, you sword freak!"

"Y-yes, Captain Smoker!" Tashigi stumbled as she ran out the door towards the deck, but quickly caught herself, only to stumble again going down the stairs. She finally regained her balance and faced the Marine captain.

"Play it back again," Smoker said to the Marine next to him. "Listen carefully, Tashigi." The Marine pressed the button on the black transponder snail meant for intercepting calls, and it buzzed to life.

"Mr. 0…sent you your orders…Princess Vivi…Straw Hat Pirates?" a voice said. Then what sounded like a different voice mixed in said, "Yeah…Straw Hats…mission accomplished." The conversation was choppy with long pauses in between, and it was clear that some parts of it were missing.

"So, then, this is our first lead on the Straw Hat Pirates," Tashigi said seriously.

"Yeah," Smoker confirmed. "The source was too far away for us to intercept it clearly, but we can still make out a few key words from this call. Mr. 0, orders, Princess Vivi, Straw Hat Pirates."

"Could Mr. 0 have anything to do with the Mr. 11 we've apprehended?" Tashigi asked.

"Good point. If those numbers are code names, we could be dealing with some criminal organization," Smoker speculated. Mr. 11's head perked up at this.

"Mr. 0? Are you really resorting to guesswork? I have no idea who that is. Just because our names are similar doesn't mean we have some connection," he said.

"Then how do you explain this letter we found in your pocket from a Mr. 0 with orders written on it?" Smoker asked emotionlessly. The man's eyes widened. But I could have sworn I burnt that letter!

"A-a-actually, about that letter—"

"What letter?" Smoker asked. "There was no letter in your pocket." Mr. 11 was reduced to tears. Shit!

Interesting, Smoker thought idly. Princess Vivi is the heir to the Alabastian throne, but that country is in midst of a civil war. He blew out a long puff of smoke. Let's just see what the desert island has in store for us.

Usopp continued to stare out at the sea, still deep in thought. I wonder if I can really be like them some day…?

"Hey, Usopp! What are you thinking about? Is the sea that interesting?" Luffy joked.

Usopp spun around and pointed at him. "No, I will be!" he shouted, as if Luffy had been the one to express doubt on his behalf. "One day I'll visit Elbaf, the village of warriors, and prove myself! Count on it!" He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, envisioning it.

Luffy hummed thoughtfully. "Sounds good to me," he said. Meanwhile, Vivi and Nami were discussing how much longer it would take to get to Alabasta. Nami noted that Vivi seemed to be a bit worn out. I guess that's just what happens when you go adventuring with Luffy, she thought with a mental sigh.

"Nami-san, Vivi-chan! I made some snacks for the journey ahead," Sanji said as he came down the stairs onto the deck, holding out a plate. He heard a sharp intake of breath and slowly turned his head to see Luffy practically drooling over the plate.

"Your share is in the kitchen," he said in an annoyed tone. Luffy jumped from the deck up to the kitchen door with Usopp scrambling closely after them. The only one not outside was Zoro, who was trying to get back into shape by lifting weights. Luffy had taken to doing that a lot as well, annoyed by the limits of his weaker body, but he didn't really have the attention span to train in such a dull way like Zoro did. He preferred sparring over everything else, really. The two had been doing a lot of that recently.

Luffy walked back out with a plate of food, and something worrisome caught his attention. Vivi was sweating and leaning against the mast of the Going Merry as if she was having trouble standing. Nami was shooting her troubled glances every few seconds, as if to make sure she wasn't about to collapse. Luffy jumped down and landed next to her.

"Are you all right, Vivi?" She looked up at him and gave him a small smile.

"I'm OK, Luffy-san. I guess I'm just a little tired after all that." Luffy walked closer to her and brought a hand up to her head. Her forehead was hot enough for him to feel the heat before he even touched her.

"You're burning up," he said quietly.

"I'm fine," she insisted. "It's probably just the effects of climate change. It'll wear off soon." Luffy knew that this was by no means true, and was about to argue when Vivi came loose from the mast that had been supporting her and walked away. Or at least she tried to. After a single step, she faltered, and would have fallen onto the deck if Luffy hadn't caught her. This quickly drew everyone's attention.

"Vivi-chan!" Sanji yelled in worry, setting down the plates in his hand and rushing over. Luffy helped her into a sitting position, but she now looked like she was fighting just to stay awake. Her breathing was heavy and labored, and her eyes half-lidded. Nami looked slightly panicked now.

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