Anchor Reef is a small port town in the most northerly point of the Canomi Islands. Fortunately for all the inhabitants, the small island was situated furthest away from Arlong Park, but like every other town within the region, Arlong had ruled over it for years; demanding the inhabitants pay his "survival tax" ~ 100, 000 Berries for every adult and 50, 000 for every child.

But now, thanks to the Straw Hat pirates, Arlong's reign of tyranny had finally come to an end. The inhabitants of the entire region of the Canomi Islands had been celebrating the victory, and enjoying their newfound sense of freedom. The once simple and peaceful communities could now return to a sense of normality. Well, almost...Anchor Reef had recently seen a huge increase in visitors to the Island. Sailors and traders passing through, now that word of Arlong's base of operations being destroyed had spread through the East Blue.

It was good for business, most certainly. Local businesses were now beginning to thrive, and food supplies were accessible again, bringing an end to an existence of having to survive solely on oranges and rice.

However, traders and friendly seafarers weren't the only ones now gracing the port with their presence. Because even though the East Blue was regarded as being a place of tranquil, peaceful islands, it is also the stomping ground of some of the most notorious pirates; many of which their wanted posters decorated the walls of every establishment within the region. One of which was a new addition. One that you didn't agree with. Monkey D. Luffy - the captain of the Straw Hat pirates, and also the savior of both Orange Town, and the Canomi Islands. It was this particular poster that gained the attention of one of the new patrons in the Sea Shell Tavern; the inn that also happened to be your workplace and....home.

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As you swung through the wooden double fronted doors of the Sea Shell, your eyes took a moment to adjust to the smoky, somewhat dingy interior. The transition from the bright sunlight outside to the subdued lighting of the inn, and the temperature was noticeably cooler, which was a blessed relief from the incessant heat. You scarcely cast a glance around the room, focusing solely on the bar - or rather your friend, Laurette, who stood behind the bar, motioning to you frantically to join her.

Okay, so what fresh hell had you come home to.

You frowned slightly, confused as to why she would be so desperate to gain your attention the instant you entered. As you quickly went around the counter and joined her, you found yourself preparing for the worst, or rather, the usual.

"What has he done now?" you heaved an exasperated sigh "did he get into a fight? Is he drunk? Don't tell me, those men came back around, the ones he owes money to?"

The "he" you were referring to was of course, Seffy. The hapless owner of the Sea Shell. He was owner in mostly name only, due to the fact that he had little to no interest in actually running a business. All Seffy was interested in was the profits, which he more than readily drank or gambled away. It wasn't uncommon for him to drink himself into a stupor, and the running of the tavern would be left to the staff.

Sunday was your one and only day off from the Sea Shell, giving you the opportunity to venture back to Coral village in order to visit your "family". So naturally you savored every Sunday, even more so these days since the inn had seen a rising influx of patrons. And it was just typical that in your absence, there had been some form of trouble due to Seffy's ineptitude.

"Oh come on, Amby. Seffy's always drunk. This is news I'm trying to give you, not history" Laurette hissed excitedly, her voice an exaggerated whisper.

Your frowned deepened as you set your trusty old patchwork rucksack down. So if there'd been no brawls, no trouble with drunkards or debt collectors whilst the owner himself was passed out drunk, then you couldn't possibly fathom what would warrant your friend's barely suppressed excitement.

"You'll never guess who arrived yesterday. Actually don't guess, there's no time for that..."

You forced a patient smile. Relieved at the prospect of not having to engage in one of Laurette's guessing games. You were weary from your journey, and was in no mood for it in all honesty.

".....he's sitting over there, back right, by the windows— wait, no, don't look! He might see you!" she caught your face between her hands just as you were about to turn your head in that direction, holding your head in place.

What the hell had gotten into her?

"Laurette, for gods sake—!"

"You don't understand, Amby, it's Bug—"

Suddenly a distinctly male chuckle emanated from the far right vicinity of the bar room, rendering your friend silent. A chuckle that seemed equal parts tinged with amusement and malice, followed by a voice which animatedly proclaimed,  "Thirty million!"

On instinct the two of you turned your head in union, as the man continued to chuckle some more. It was then through the gloom and smoke your eyes settled on an eerily familiar figure, not that you'd ever laid eyes on him in the flesh. You took in the greasepaint, orangey red pirate hat adorned with what appeared to be blue tassels. The distinctive, red bulbous nose.

Your hands reached out to find purchase on the counter: feeling the inexplicable need to steady yourself. Why? Because it was no other than the clown prince of piracy, the captain of the Buggy pirates himself.

For a split second your mouth literally fell open, only closing once you heard him proclaim, seemingly to himself, "I'll kill the little shit myself!"

The surprise of seeing him sitting there in person had rendered you incapable of coherent thought, so it took your brain a few moments to process what he was clutching in his white gloved hands. It was a....poster? A quick glance at the pin board on the wall confirmed that he'd removed the poster from there. The wanted poster of Luffy.

"Well if you don't I will!" a female voice then suddenly chimed-in from the opposite corner of the room.

You watched the pirate clown turn his head with measured curiosity, to look towards the owner of the voice, and your eyes naturally followed suit.....

"Is that.....uh, what's her name? Elvira?" Laurette whispered.

".....Alvida" you managed to correct her once you'd regained the ability to speak.

"Holy shit. I thought she seemed familiar" she chewed her bottom lip nervously, "I didn't serve her, Kaji did. She came in earlier. She's been sat nursing a bottle of liquor all morning"

The pair of you continued to watch with growing curiosity, as the notoriously violent female pirate raised her glass in some gesture of camaraderie, and the clown smiled in response.

Seriously? Since when had Alvida been the kind of pirate who would be seen in public associating with fellow pirate captains? She wasn't exactly renown for being sociable, let alone personable.

To your dismay, Buggy stood and cautiously approached Alvida. He pulled the chair out by hooking his boot around one of its legs, and joined her at her table.

Damn it. Why did this have to be happening? Their heads inched closer, inclining towards each other as they began conversing in hushed tones.

This was just your luck. Why did Alvida have to be here at the exact same time as Buggy? Two pirates whose notoriety was common knowledge throughout the East Blue, and they just happened to have stumbled upon your place of work, at the same goddamn time! This could've been the golden opportunity you'd been waiting for. But now....now your chances had been scuppered by her untimely and unwanted presence.

"how long has he been here?" you asked Laurette, grabbing a nearby cloth and proceeding to wipe down the bar, at least giving the outward impression that you were busy doing something other than gawking.

"he came in yesterday. Not quite the flamboyant entrance I would've expected, given his reputation. He seemed distracted, and, I don't know, disheveled. He demanded a room, took a bath, had a meal, drank a whole bottle of rum......and he hasn't paid yet. He said he'd settle the bill once he leaves, but I'm not sure he's even got any money. I didn't want to argue with him though. I've heard he can be pretty savage"

You hummed in agreement, as your mind went into overdrive. Perhaps there was still some way of salvaging the situation, in spite of Alvida being here. He liked rum, that much was obvious, and the clear liquor in Alvida's glass evidently appeared to be gin.

Tossing the cloth down, you decided to take decisive action. Even if you lived to regret it later. You might not ever get a chance like this again.

Time to steel yourself and get your ass into gear.

Grabbing a bottle of rum and a glass from the shelves behind you, you took a deep breath to calm your nerves. Laurette, who clearly knew you too well, immediately grasped your sleeve, "Amby, don't"

"Don't what?" you shrugged a shoulder, feigning innocence, but of course she wasn't convinced. She saw straight through your act.

"Don't do whatever it is you're planning on doing. It won't end well. Don't get involved, it isn't worth it"

Oh but it was. It might be. You thought.

"Lori, it'll be fine. I'm not going to do anything  stupid. Trust me. I got this"

"But you don't know who you're messing with" she hissed, "this isn't some fantasy scenario, this is real life shit!"

But it was too late. You were already around the counter, striding purposefully in the direction of the two pirates, praying your precariously wobbly legs wouldn't fail you.

Laurette was wrong, well, half-wrong. You didn't know exactly who you were dealing with when it came to Alvida. She was renown for being hostile, blood thirsty and volatile. But Buggy.....he was a different character altogether. He was a pirate you'd heard many outlandish stories about. He was fame-hungry, somewhat vain, egotistical, and desperate for adoration. You'd done your homework on him, you'd been well informed, and so you were confident you could appeal to his vanity - after all, it was his weakness.

As you approached the table, Alvida instantly fell silent, eyeing you questioningly. Her entire body language seemed to radiate hostility. Her sudden silence naturally caused her new companion, the pirate clown, to leisurely turn his head, following her gaze.

You felt your throat tighten as you found yourself in such close proximity to the enigma that was, Buggy the clown. He didn't look angry per say as a result of your interruption, just mildly curios. Especially as you stood mute and immobile like an idiot, speech and movement having temporarily deserted you.

His aqua colored eyes scanned over you in a brief, almost dismissive assessment, "Can I help you, sonny? I mean, jeez, why don't you just pull up a chair and join us...." he folded his arms. His expression now conveying his impatience, "that was a joke by the way" he added needlessly, as if he was dealing with a half-wit, "This is a private conversation, kiddo, so if you don't mind...." he made a wafting gesture with his hand, motioning for you to beat it, "......scram!"

Oh why had this seemed like such a great idea? You were sorely regretting it now. You couldn't even respond due to your sudden attack of nerves. Or maybe you were in fact just genuinely a little star-struck, now that you were face-to-face with such a celebrity. Regardless, you had to think fast before you blew this. That is if you hadn't already.

"My apologies, sir..." flashing your brightest smile you now spoke hurriedly, trying to fix this and fix it fast, "please accept our finest rum. It's on the house". Leaning passed him, you fought to steady your breathing as you set the bottle and glass down on the table.

His painted brows knitted together in apparent bewilderment, "Really? Now ain't that nice. That's what I call real hospitality. Your finest rum, and you're giving it to me for free. As in, it won't cost me a single Berry?"

You nodded, but his overall aura began to perceptibly shift at a rapid rate. His onset of irritation almost palpable,  "Okay cut the crap, sonny. I wasn't born yesterday. What's the catch?" his smile was still in place, but it was strained and didn't meet his eyes. His smooth voice had also noticeably hardened, his previously light tone now had a barbed edge to it.

Hm. He actually was smart as a whip and clearly didn't trust strangers bearing gifts.

"Uh, w-well, it's Miss, actually - not sonny - just saying....but as for the rum, there's no catch at all. I swear"

"What like, cross your heart and swear to die?" he snickered, sounding more amused by his own sarcasm than what would be considered normal by most sane people, "well, Miss Actually, forgive me for not buying that bullshit. You'll just try to add the price of that rum to my tab and expect me to pay for—"

"No no no, I won't. I'm paying for it myself. Just...consider it a gift from a fan. I'm....I'm so sorry to have bothered you, sir" You blurted, and with that bombshell you quickly turned on your heel, about to beat a hasty retreat.

But with lightning speed, suddenly his large gloved hand darted out and caught hold of your wrist, tugging you back.

"A fan huh?" A brief flicker of surprise fleetingly crossed his face, but it was gone again in the blink of an eye "well.....that's a whole different story. You should've said so! I wouldn't ever want to disappoint an admirer" his smile visibly brightened, his aqua orbs sparkling as though his life's spark had just been reignited, "d'you hear that, Alvida? See. I do have fans!"

"Pfft, if you say so" Alvida snorted rudely into her glass as she continued to down her gin.

You felt a prickle of anxiety as Buggy's eyes now raked over you more closely, scrutinizing your features "and I'm sorry about the whole, calling you sonny thing, I didn't realize you were a lady. It's that get-up you're wearing, I thought you were—"

"A guy, yeah I know. It's fine, I get that a lot" you kept your smile fixed firmly in place. It wasn't a lie, and you wasn't offended.

The outfit you were wearing consisted of men's trousers, vest and jacket. Your mid-length hair mostly hidden beneath the black bandana you wore. It was a safer option. An old habit you'd learned whilst living under the tyrannical rule of Arlong and his crew. It was best not to draw attention to your gender: hiding your figure beneath baggy men's clothing. Especially working in a tavern. Drunken men never harassed a woman they didn't find aesthetically pleasing.

As casually as possible, you gently slipped your hand from his grasp, "anyway, uh, I better get back to work. So, uh, enjoy!"

The notorious pair watched you head back to the bar, Buggy now smiling smugly to himself as he poured a generous amount of rum from the bottle, "oh, I will"

Alvida scoffed, "vain fool"

"Actually, it's flashy fool" he corrected her then lifted his glass in a toast, "here's to new partnerships, and even.....new fans"