+~*~*~*~*~*~+

"Another one!" I chuckle as Zoro downs another stein of ale while the guy sitting next to him doesn't even get halfway before falling face first into the table. "That's ten people taken out!"

The night has been crazy with all the partying that the villagers have done for us. Usopp has been telling his tales to anyone that will listen for hours, and the smile on his face shows how much fun he is having. I'm sure it reminds him of telling stories to Kaya to cheer her up. Then Zoro and Nami have been fighting anyone who wants to battel them in a drinking competition. Zoro is at ten guys down while Nami has defeated twelve, which I'm not even sure how that is possible. Luffy is doing what he does best, eating all the food that this place has. He's gotten quite pudgy from all the food he's consumed, which means he'll pass out soon enough. Sanji has been flirting with every single girl that he runs into, and all of them have been head over heels for him.

Then there's me. At first the villagers stole me away from Zoro's side, which had me panicking for a bit. I found it weird that they would want to separate us, but went along with it for a bit. I showed off my shurikens that I refuse to leave on the boat from now on, and I even polished up some of the swords they brought to me. I then played darts with a few people, though I used my shurikens, and I was then I was able to break away after beating every opponent they had. I made my way back to Zoro who was downing stein after stein of the islands fine ale.

"Zoro, how can you do this?" I chuckle, sitting next to him on the couch.

"Lots of practice," he burps, sending a wink my way. A wink that tells me he has a plan. "I've been on the road by myself for a long time, and I would drink like this when I collected a bounty."

"Oh, that's great," I giggle, placing a hand on his shoulder. "How many more do you think you can beat?"

"Enough," he raises his empty stein into the air. "Who's next?!"

A new challenger approaches, and Zoro is able to get through three more before tapping out and falling face first into the table. Nami reaches fifteen people beaten (one of which was a sister!) before tapping out while laughing harder than I have ever seen her. Usopp falls asleep mid-story, and Luffy is snoring while lying on his back, bigger than I have ever seen him. He took out three chefs. Then Sanji is in some sort of love coma from all the girls loving on him. I curl up on the couch, closing my eyes and drifting off into a peaceful sleep. At least, that is what I should be saying, but like Zoro, I haven't had a good feeling about these people since we say them cheering for us as we approached. They aren't who they say they are.

"Akari, are you awake?" Zoro gives me a small shake. If he was drunk before, he has completely sobered up.

I sit up, blinking and looking up at him. "Who are they?" I look around the room and notice the lack of villagers.

"Baroque Works, a bounty hunter organization. They tried to get me to join when I was doing that kind of thing, but I turned them down because of how secret they are, and they fact that I could never be boss," he smirks. "I'm going to go out there and fight them."

"Do you need help?" I perk up, a smile lighting up my face.

"Not out there," he shakes his head. "I'm going to test out my new swords, and I can't keep my eye on you with how many of them there are out there."

I pout, puffing out my cheeks, "I can handle my own with you."

"I'm sure you can," he pats the top of my head. "I need you in here to wake up the rest of the crew when the time comes. Rest your eyes. I slept through that storm out on the sea, so you deserve to rest. This is my fight, Akari. You'll have your fights."

"Go kick some ass, Zoro," I grin, kicking my feet up onto the table and settling farther into the couch.

"That's the goal," he nods, and then turns to walk out to all the bounty hunters that thought we would be easy targets.

I let my eyes flutter close, but I refuse to fall asleep. I cannot fall asleep now even if I want to. Zoro is going to be counting on me when the time comes to make everyone ready for the fight that is no doubt going to take place. That is no doubt taking place outside these walls right now. I have complete faith in Zoro, but it can still be a bit stressful not being able to see him fighting right now. To not know how he is doing until the time comes for us to help him out. To get the hell out of here.

The noise of a door opening causes me to crack one eye just enough to get an idea of what is going on. The girl, Ms. Wednesday, from early has entered the room, and I can already tell that she's part of the scheme that is going on here. She's one of the bounty hunters, but that isn't what makes me keep my eye on here. It is when she rolls Luffy right out of the room. She's going to use him as bait against Zoro, which I don't blame here. With all of us passed out in here, might as well use us against one another in some way.

Once she's left the room, and I am sure that she is out of range if I start talking, I jump up out of my seat. Now fully awake and knowing that it is my time to shine. That I have to figure something out to make sure we all get out of this alive.

"Nami," I mumble, making my way over to her quickly. There's no way Usopp is going to want to help, and I doubt I'll be able to wake Sanji, but I know that Nami will be right by my side. She'll be able to help in some way. "Nami!" I whisper-yell as loud as I think won't be heard outside this room.

"I'm awake," Nami stands up, blinking any sleepiness from her eyes. "In fact, I can't say that I was every truly asleep. Do you really think that I trusted these people? What kind of city would welcome pirates? Are they crazy?" She places her hands on her hips.

"Zoro knew, or at least, he suspected from the beginning, and he's out there fighting right now, and they just look Luffy, so I think we should go out there, and at least see what the hell is going on."

"If only he hadn't eaten so much to blow up like a balloon," she shakes her head.

I chuckle, "That boy loves food more than anything."

"Well," she smirks, raising her eyebrows. "I could argue with that, but now is not the time."

I feel my cheeks heat up, but I can't let my mind dwell. "What are we going to do?"

"Just follow my lead, and we will wait for an opening."

Nami and I head out into the night where everything is surprisingly calm. There's no yelling, no slashing of any swords, nothing that would say a fight was just going on out here. We aren't out long before we do hear some commotion. A man and woman's voice are filling the air as they talk to someone. I catch their names of Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine, but other than that, their voices are muffled. I can tell that they are angry; that they are here to expose something about what is going on in the organization. Other than that, we are too far away to catch anything of real importance.

"This way," Nami grabs my wrist, pulling me to climb up a ladder. "Zoro is up here."

We've made it to the top of the building at the same moment that an explosion goes off, causing us to fall to the ground incase it was directed at us. Everyone that isn't hurt is now close enough for us to hear, which helps to understand just what the hell is going on a bit better.

"The enemy are Igaram, Commander of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Alabasta," Mr. 5 calls out. "And the princess herself, Nefertari Vivi."

"A princess," I lift my head up, watching as Zoro hops down from the roof.

"Ms. Wednesday, you're a princess!" Mr. 9 exclaims.

"Cut it out Mr. 9!" Ms. Wed-Vivi screams.

"Come on, we need to see the action," Nami drags me forward.

Looking off the edge of the roof, we see a scene of chaos below us. Vivi's hair is now down, showing her to be a lot more elegant than before; Mr. 9 is bowing to the girl; Igaram is nowhere to be seen; Mr. 5 is a black man with a long black coat who has his finger in his nose; Ms. Valentine is a lady holding an umbrella, wearing a bowl hat, and favoring the colors yellow and orange on her dress. Zoro grabs Luffy be the back of his vest, dragging the boy out of the way of the hell that is breaking out.

"Now this is interesting," Nami smirks, sitting down on the edge of the roof.

I cross my arms, standing up to have a better vantage point.

"In the name of Baroque Works boss, I shall now dispose of you!" Mr. 5 proclaims.

Vivi goes to slash at the ones now after her with her peacock slashers, but Mr. 9 stops her with what looks to be a baseball bat.

"I am not entirely sure what is happening right now," Mr. 9 says, "but you are my partner. I will stall them for as long as I can!"

"Mr. 9!" Vivi cries.

Mr. 9 rushes towards the new pair, his bat raised and ready to fight. It doesn't take but a few minutes for Mr. 5 to flick an explosive booger at the man and send him flying back. This gives Vivi enough time to jump on the largest duck I have ever seen, who's name appears to be Karoo, and start her escape. Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine don't waste any time in chasing after her.

"Please escort my princess back to her home!" Igaram's voice shocks me to look back down at where Zoro as been waiting for a chance to break away. The poor bloodied man is lying in the dirt, gripping onto Zoro's leg. "Escort here to the great kingdom in the far east! To Alabasta! I promise you that you will be reward beyond your wildest dreams. You have to save her!"

I sadly sigh, my heart breaking for the man.

"Just how beyond your wildest dreams are we talking?" Nami speaks up. "Because we will do it...for a billion berries!" She winks with a grin on her lips, pointing at the guys with a finger gun.

"Nami!?" Zoro exclaims. "Akari!?"

"Hello," I sheepishly smile, waving down at those on the ground.

"A b-b-billion berries!" Igaram clears his through. "Mi-mi-mi-mi!"

Nami hops off the roof, landing with grace, "Can't pay up."

I follow, feeling like a fairy on the way down.

"You must still be tipsy," Zoro shakes his head.

Luffy lets out the loudest snore.

"Nami woke up like she never even had a drink," I come to her defense.

"You really think that I would let myself get that far gone in a town that was so open in welcoming pirates?" Nami scoffs. "You have to give me more credit than that. I didn't even drink that much. I could down a lot more if I didn't think that there was something seriously off with this place."

"Nami is somewhat of an actor, I would say," I giggle.

"Oh, I see," Zoro huffs.

"Well," Nami evilly grins as she looks at Igaram. "Are you up to pay the billion? Cause I think without it, your precious princess is looking at the end of her life."

Igaram lets out a harrumph, "I am not high up in the courts to be able to ensure that you would get that kind of money."

Nami kneels before the man, crossing her arms loosely in front of her. "Are you saying that she isn't worth it? You can't possibly be saying that, so pay up."

"Hey, that's blackmail," Zoro shakes his head.

I pout, "We help people, Nami, even if we are pirates."

Igaram clears his throat, "Well, if you deliver Princess Vivi safely to her kingdom of Alabasta, and negotiate the fee with her on the way, then I can't see there being any issue."

Nami's eyes widen as anger flashes on her face. "Are you saying that you want us to save her before we even get any of the money?"

"They may be killing her as we speak! There is no time to waste on this!"

"Fine," Nami sighs, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she stands up. "We'll save the damsel first and then accept payment."

"Where did they even go?" I look around the street.

"We'll find them," she firmly nods. "Come on Zoro! Let's go!"

"What!?" Zoro exclaims. "Are you crazy! Why the hell should I go along with your stupid money-making scheme?"

"How stupid are you?" She turns on her heel, pointing at the boy. "The money will be all mine, but the contract covers the whole crew."

"What kind of logic is that!?" Zoro screams.

"Come on," she rolls her eyes. "All you have to do is swing your sword around a few times."

"I do not like being used," Zoro growls. "I am not your stupid cook that will bend to whatever you say."

I notice that Luffy has slowing gotten up and is walking off in some direction. The fight between Nami and Zoro slowly drifting to the background as I carefully follow behind the boy who looks like a grape ready to pop. It doesn't take long for me to realize that he is too tired to realize where he is walking, so I turn back around to get back to Nami.

"Where did you go Akari?" Nami puts her arm over my shoulder, pulling me close.

"Luffy woke up, but I think he's going off somewhere that even he doesn't know, and I don't want to get lost," I grimace. "I can't knock him out of the state he's in anyways."

"Well, we just have to wait until Zoro is able to save the princess, and then we will get out of here," she hops up onto a barrel, leaning back against a building.

"Are you okay sir?" I ask Igaram as he is still lying on the ground.

"I'll be fine as long as my dear princess is okay," Igaram softly groans.

"If you say so," I shrug, standing next to Nami and leaning against the building.

"I do have to ask, what is Baroque Works?" Nami speaks up.

"It is a secret criminal organization," Igaram answers. "Not a soul knows what the boss looks like. It mostly deals with espionage, assassination, theft, and bounty hunting. The boss tells everyone what to do."

"Zoro was asked to join some time ago, but he refused," I take a deep breath.

"You don't know what the big man on top looks like?" Nami asks Igaram. "Why would you obey some faceless man?"

"Because, the ultimate goal of Baroque Works is to create a utopia," Igaram looks at us. "Those of us who work for this organization have been promised high positions in that utopia, if it ever becomes a reality."

"I see," Nami nods.

"His codename is Mr. Zero. The closer your number is to his, the higher your position. The more powerful you are. Those whose number is less than five are especially powerful. Their power is immense. It is something to be feared."

"Even if they are, you don't know how skilled we are," I grin. "Especially Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji. Those boys are monsters. They can take anything that is thrown at them, no matter what. I have never seen boys like them."

"Don't sell yourself short, Akari," Nami pats my shoulder. "I've never seen anyone run as fast as you, or someone who is able to throw a shuriken as hard and accurate as you, or someone who is able to take as many hits as you. I wouldn't call you a monster like the boys, but you aren't on the same level as most of us. You're special, Akari."

I feel my cheeks heating up, "Thanks, Nami."

Before either of us can make another statement, a yell from two boys that sound like they are about to go at it fills the air. We can't hear exactly what they are about to fight about, but I know that it can't be two enemies against each other. It sounds like one of them doesn't want to fight, and the other one is overly angry about whatever they are about to throw down for. And Nami and I know exactly who it is.

"Zoro and Luffy," we look at each other with the most unamused look on our faces that is possible.

"I'm going to kill them," Nami grumbles, hopping off the barrel. "What the hell is wrong with them?"

"I could make a list," I roll my eyes.

She links her arm with mine, and we stalk off towards where the yells are coming from. Where we are no doubt going to find the two boys locked in a dumbass battle that we are going to have to separate.

We make it to where all the commotion is happening as Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine are slammed into a nearby building by the two boys that we are going to slap some sense into. I catch Vivi off to the side with her duck, so at least we know that she is safe.

"Are we going to finish this?" Zoro asks Luffy.

"Hell yeah," Luffy nods.

Both boys have such an intensity on their faces that tells me they will fight until they drop dead, which is not something I would like to see happen. I don't know how we can knock it into their heads that whatever they are fighting about is stupid, and we have business to take care of.

Nami breaks away from me as the boys clash once more. Her fists slamming into their faces to knock them out of their fighting state. "Enough!"

"What the hell do the two of you think you're doing?" I shake my head.

"Ah, the girl is okay, so that is all that I am worried about right now." She picks the boys up by the collar of their shirts. "Do you numskulls understand that you could have lost me a billion berries? A billion! Do you understand!?"

"What do you mean?" Vivi guides her duck that she is riding closer to us. "Why would you help me after all that I've done." Her voice is a bit softer than earlier, and I can tell that she's a kind soul underneath.

"Your friend, the man with the curly hair," I reply.

"We have business to discuss," Nami says as the boys in her grasp go at each other once more. "We can negotiate right now if you would like."

"Ne-negotiate?" Vivi mumbles.

"Stop fighting you idiots!" Nami slams her fists down on the boys' head to try once more to get them to stop fighting.

"I think we need to explain what the hell has gone on here before those boys break away and get back to fighting," I say. "There's a misunderstanding here, and I think it will take a few minutes to get us all on the same page."

+~*~*~*~*~*~+

"And that is why I took out everyone in this town," Zoro finishes his story about Baroque Works. "Because this isn't a normal town, and these people aren't villagers. They are bounty hunters that want to take us in for whatever money they can get."

We've taken a seat in an area where there aren't unconscious people or broken buildings. Zoro is on the ground with both legs bent to rest his arms on as his swords are lying next to him; Nami is standing near