Teasing Sai

The former toys who didn't want to stay and take their revenge had previously stolen and left on the various pirate ships docked in the underground chamber. However, most of the ships were now returning from the tunnel they left through.

Upon coming closer, many of them were pale in the face. Some were muttering short phrases like "There's no way out…" or "Trapped… trapped…"

Robin found one that was holding up better than most, though he was drinking that away quite quickly, and asked "What happened down the tunnel? Weren't you going to run away?"

Her voice was calm, stable, and soothing; just what the pirate needed to emotionally keep his head above the deep, murky waters of despair.

"There were… bars, no… not bars. Too thin to be bars. The first ship didn't notice them in time. Sailed straight through them. Or rather, the bars cut straight through THEM. The second ship tried to cut the bars, but it was no use. We're all trapped in here…" he downed an entire bottle of whiskey, not caring in the slightest whether it killed him later. He just didn't want to die sober.

The crowd of former toys that stayed behind were perturbed by this bad news. Most had enough sense to know that if one escape route was blocked off, then the rest would be too. This was Donquixote Doflamingo they were talking about, after all.

Usopp was also noticeably nervous, but Robin was only mildly concerned. The reason, of course, was that Cherry was completely nonchalant about it. If anything she looked annoyed.

'That bastard is already back up and plotting against us? I reckoned he'd be out for the count for at least an hour.' Cherry murmured in frustration.

She knew that a shichibukai who had claimed territory in the New World would be a tough bastard, but she hadn't thought it would be to this extent.

She'd find out his secrets soon enough.

Cherry saw a familiar trio approaching her and gave them a genuine smile.

"Hey there, Chinjao. Lookin' sharp, hehe!" Cherry said with a snicker.

Some people gasped and backed away, afraid to get caught in Don Chinjao's wrath. His head was only very recently 'blunted', after all, and was sure to be a sore spot.

"Hohoho! Not as sharp as that tongue of yours. You sure do know how to poke at an old man's wounds, hm?" Chinjao spoke in good humor.

Cherry motioned with her hand for him to come closer, to which he complied without hesitation.

Right before the widening eyes of the shocked observers, Cherry coated her hand in haki then molded his head like it was wet clay on a spinning wheel. In all of a minute, Chinjao's head had returned to its former, pointy glory.

Chinjao straightened up once more, feeling his skull with a hand and giving it a few swishes in the air. "Mm, it's even better than the first time you fixed me up. Didn't even hurt this time."

"She copies my King Punch with one look and she can perform medical miracles too. Some people have all the luck." King Elizabello II said in exasperation.

Wasting no more time, they headed for the official exit to the surface with the crowd in tow.

"So, do either of you have girlfriends yet?" Cherry directed her attention to Chinjao's grandsons, Sai and Boo.

Sai looked embarrassed whilst Boo looked a bit sheepish.

"I'm engaged… technically." Sai said, clearly looking displeased with the fact.

"I've been too busy training…" Boo made a lame excuse.

"Oh, sure you have." Sai responded sarcastically.

"What's this about an engagement?" Cherry asked, feeling that was far more interesting than Boo's lack of a love life.

"I arranged it before you fixed my head the first time. I'd thought our family treasure was forever lost to us after Garp ruined me and neither of these two were shaping up properly. So in order to maintain the Happo Navy's influence, the arranged marriage was set up to tie the Happo Navy and the Niho Navy together." Chinjao explained.

"Wait, but didn't you offer me my pick between the two of them back then?" Cherry asked incredulously.

"Even back then it seemed to be worth breaking it off to rope you in. If I had known what you'd become in just a few years, then I would have even been willing to go to war with the Niho Navy, let alone break off a little engagement." Chinjao spoke.

"Yes I know, I'm amazing. You don't seem too keen on it though, Sai. Why haven't you broken it off, then? The reason for making the arrangement disappeared when the old man's head got fixed, right?" Cherry asked, then gave him a mischievous smile. "Maybe you're just shy and you really do like her?"

"There's no reason to break it off and offend the Niho Navy. Plus, our words will hold less weight if we go around breaking deals we made without good reason. We may be pirates, but we're officially affiliated with the Kano Kingdom; we have to maintain a certain reputation." Sai spoke seriously, though a light blush on his cheeks betrayed his embarrassment much to Cherry's amusement.

"You got a picture of her, by chance?" Cherry asked curiously.

"No." Sai said immediately.

"Yes." Boo pulled out a photograph.

"Why the hell do you just have a picture of Uholisia?!" Sai demanded to know, completely bewildered.

"In case Cherry ever wanted to see her?" Boo answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I always knew you were the smart one, Boo." Cherry snatched the photograph right before Sai dived for it.

"Damn! Look at her! I don't know what your problem is Sai, some men would die to have their head squeezed between those thighs." Cherry whistled.

Robin leaned over to have a look as well. "Luscious blonde hair, fashionable, confident, good proportions too; she has a lot of great qualities you rarely see in one person."

"Yeah, but look at her face- OOF!" Boo spoke carelessly before getting a mean punch to the ribs.

"I changed my mind, you're not the smart one." Cherry said with a sharp look.

"Her face is irrelevant. She has 25 husbands already." Sai spoke, feeling a bit of schadenfreude from Boo's punishment.

"Oh yeah, that's a kicker. I understand your hesitance now." Cherry said, genuine sympathy in her tone. "That said though, you go girl! Harems always seemed like they'd be a pain in the ass to me, but she seems pretty pleased with herself just going by the picture."

"I've told that boy he doesn't have to worry so much about our reputation and can just break off the engagement as he pleases, but he's too stubborn. Personally, I never much liked her father even though there's no great enmity between us." Chinjao huffed.

"Well, Dressrosa is full of beautiful, passionate women. Maybe he'll fall in love at first sight,eh? Hehehehe!" Cherry laughed.

"Hmph! I'm not such a whimsical man to believe in such silly things." Sai insisted.

Cherry disagreed, but didn't voice her opinion on the matter any further.