Sab saw Ann walking back to the manor from the backyard, her strides are long as if she's in a hurry to escape. When their eyes met, there are so many emotions in Ann's eyes that it almost overwhelmed Sab. Without a word, Ann walked past her sister, and not long after she did, Sab saw Marco flying away. Whatever they talked about did not result in anything good for either of them.

A sigh escaped her lips, then her eyes caught a familiar wolf walking towards her.

"Achilles. What are you doing here?"

'Waiting for you...'

"Why would you wait for me? Is there something you want from me?"

'Nothing. I am just merely on guard in case someone decided to attack you.'

Sab appreciated how Achilles is keeping her safe.

"Do not worry. I doubt there will be anyone to do that." But looking back to what they experienced earlier on, the statement might not be correct. There are still a lot of creatures who hated their presence.

'Still, I can't help but worry for you, Princess.'

"Princess? Why use such formality?" Sab sat on a nearby tree while talking to Achilles.

'Aren't you a princess?'

"I am, but I am not used to being called as such especially coming form you."

'You should be prepared. After all, someday soon, you will be called Queen.'

Sab stopped for a second then looked at the Wolf Lord who in turn stared back at her. Sab held questions in her eyes whilst Achilles stood unrelenting and confident as if he's waiting for her to ask the right questions.

"There is no kingdom that I will be Queen of." Sab said.

'Are you sure?'

Is she? Sab also asked herself of such a question. It just made her emotions complicated and Achilles' words make her feel as if he is trying to tell her something. Something important.

"Is there something you want me to know?"

'Is there something you want to know?'

Sab grew impatient being answered with questions as well. She needs answers.

But is she prepared for the answers? Sab sighed. It is now or never.

"What am I to this world? What am I to you? What am I to him?"

Achilles' eyes looked as if he is quite glad to hear such questions and Sab thought internally if she asked the right subjects.

'You are to be High Queen of Beogia, mate to the current High Prince.'

Sab gasped for breath upon hearing the answer. She already felt the connection and vague answers yet, hearing it from someone is different - almost a cold water waking her from doubts lingering in her mind.

"I am? But he hates me!"

'He hates your kind for centuries. The hatred is still in his heart. Could you imagine the shock he must have experienced upon seeing you? For centuries, he wondered where his mate is, and you arrived in this world. Don't tell me you did not feel anything upon seeing him?'

Sab looked back to her memories and yes, she realized how she felt drawn to the man. She felt how her heart beat faster and how she does not fear him at all. Even now that they are quite far away from each other, she can still feel the tug, pulling her towards him.

"Is that why he can't accept it? I am human?"

'He will come into terms with his emotions.' Will he? Sab doubts he will.

Silence engulfed them. Sab is in deep thought about what Achilles revealed to her. For some reason, it did not shock her at all, as if her heart already knew of it. She accepted it as natural as it sounded.

'Do not falter. He does not hate you. He might not have accepted it openly, but deep down his heart, he did. In the Feast of Fortune, he was close to losing his temper upon seeing you were attacked.'

Sab noticed it but at that time, she paid no mind to it. She even doubted if he was the one who sent the assassins. And the last news she heard was about the attackers being mercilessly killed in their dungeons.

"Did he kill the attackers?"

'Yes. After all, no beast will let anyone hurt their mate.'

Sab tried to process what Achilles said and she fell silent again. Achilles sensed that she needs time for herself and to think of what to do from this point forward.

'I will leave you to ponder on this.'

And he left her. Sab made no words to prevent Achilles from leaving because she knew she needs some time alone. She walked aimlessly away from the manor, towards the forest nearby.

Forests calmed her. Is it also because of her connection to Kidd? She dreamed once about his Silver Steel Throne. She dreamed of touching it, and how the seat for the High Queen is calling her. Now it was clear as daylight, this is because she is his mate.

Sab continued to walk aimlessly, not paying attention to her surroundings. She did not notice Kidd standing not far from her.

He looked at her, confused as to why she looked so disturbed. She walked in nowhere in particular - aimlessly walking and she failed to notice she is taking a path directly towards him. A sigh left her and Kidd can't help but question why she had such a long sigh, and what for.

"Where do you think you're going?" The voice came out as harsh as the words sound and this woke Sab from her thoughts. She looked at the man in front of her. He is as handsome as the day she first saw him.

Achilles' words rang in her head as she looked into his reddish-brown eyes.

Sab tried to brace herself.

"Nowhere." She said. That was all she could muster as an answer. What could she have said anyway? Nothing.

Kidd seemed to be not convinced of her answer, but he said nothing. They stood there with silence engulfing them, then finally, Sab mustered the courage to break it.

"Why are you here?"

"None of your business." He spat harshly and she does not like it.

"Is it hard for you to be nice to me for just once?"

"There is no reason for me to be nice to humans. I can barely tolerate their presence." His eyes looked murderous upon the mention of her race, his voice is full of hatred - penetrating Sab's soul. "You shouldn't be here."

"You're right, I shouldn't." She shouldn't be in Raftel yet fate brought her here. "Would you be happy if we were gone?" Sab asked.

Kidd found no answer to that question. He was silent for a moment before answering.

"It would be best if you were gone." That came from his mouth, yet deep down him, he does not mean it. Those words are nothing but a barrier to conceal what he is feeling but Sab took it to heart.

He hates her... She finds it painful how he does not accept her.

So many realizations came to her after her conversation with Achilles. She grew to love his eyes who glares at anything he finds displeasing.

His handsome face who seems to have a permanent scowl. His baritone voice that sends shivers down her spine...

He wants her gone. The rejection is cutting her like a knife and if it's not enough, the hatred in his eyes is like a salt rubbing to her wounds.

"I'll be on my way now. Excuse me, Your Highness." She bowed to him before leaving the forest.

Alone in the bathroom, the tears escaped her eyes. She laughs at her state. The day she found out that she is the mate of the High Prince of Beogia is the same day she was rejected. And it hurts.

Sab envies Ann. They were twins and they were raised not to envy each other no matter what and never has she envied her sister despite her achievements, but in regards to this matter, Sab does. She wished that Kidd were more accepting like Marco.

And if he is, what will you do? The voice asked her.

Yes, indeed. What will she do? Will she mate with him? Maybe she will, but that will never come true. No matter how much she wished for it, it won't.

===XXX===XXX===XXX===

Kidd cursed himself for countless times. His breath remained ragged upon remembering her scent. It was frustrating to keep himself calm. He cannot...

The proximity earlier today caused this. He cannot get it out of his system no matter what he does. The scent she left in him just made him want her more.

'You are punishing yourself...'

"Silence!" He shouted at Achilles. Kidd found himself staring at Sab's portrait, longing for more of her.

Her scent...

Her everything...

This feeling of wants grew stronger. He was not able to get a decent rest. He is restless...

Kidd tried to distract himself by asking Marco and Zoro for a sparring session which lasts for several hours.

"Your frustration seems to be endless, yoi." Marco said. He knew too well why Kidd is frustrated. Being reminded of his frustration fuels it more. "Both of you are."

Zoro is quite frustrated about the dream. It haunts him up to now, yet he can't do anything about it. This is the reason why he is here, sparring with Kidd, venting his frustration just like the Prince of Beogia.

"You spoke as if you are not." Zoro muttered.

Marco nodded in acknowledgment. He too is frustrated about what happened. To be rejected by his mate is unbearable but he is in no position to blame her. She's going through so much and he's here, helpless and unable to console her.

"I will not force her. I have always said this, yoi. I cannot give up now, not ever."

"I wish my situation is as easy as yours." Zoro once again muttered. Marco did not say anything to console Zoro. There are no words good enough to comfort him in this situation. His circumstances are different and something they cannot find a solution for.

Unlike Kidd's... His is only a matter of acceptance, almost like Ann, but deeper which involves scars that still haunt him.

Their sparring continued, leaving wounds in each other's bodies. Kidd seemed to want to continue, but Marco thought it not wise. His mind is too clouded, confused, and full of complications. There will be no point in continuing.

Zoro left first, as he would like to visit his master for another sparring session. Marco also left which leaves Kidd alone.

Kidd was left alone, huffing in frustration. He felt his wounds tingle especially the slice on his arm. It was from Zoro's swords. He wonders why Zoro proceeds with using swords when he can use his dragon powers.

Pondering will get him nowhere so he decided to leave the sparring field.

===XXX===XXX===XXX===

The sisters spent a lot of time in Chopper's manor, refusing to go out. The second attack left them pondering on a lot of things. Even though Luffia wants to go outside, she can't, not when she notices how her sisters are feeling depressed.

Some of the Warrior Commanders from Ipraecia visit them, but Ann refuses to see any of them which leaves Luffia to welcome them.

One morning, Chopper woke up earlier than usual.

"Where are you going, Chopper?" Ann asks.

"I received a message from the Warrior Commanders of Vaelon and Ipraecia. A few of their men are found extremely wounded near the borders. They need me to heal them." The news shocked the twins who were awake at that time. This is the second time they heard of such news that Raftelians are being attacked during their patrol in the outside borders.

They were attacked by humans who brought witches and used poison guns to kill them. The news bothered the sisters. Things are starting to get out of hand. This is also one of the reasons why they do not want to go out of the manor. The eyes of Raftelians never left the three of them and even if none of them spoke anything, they felt like they are to blame for these recent incidents.

One of the creatures died because of an attack, some of them are in a grave situation. The twins can feel how the creatures want them to be out of Raftel as soon as possible.

Later that evening, Robin visited them to join them for their dinner and brought news to them.

"They detected various humans trying to explore the Dark Forest, especially near the coast. It looks like they are bound to continue the exploration." Robin said. The twins nodded. They are expecting that the enemies will continue to plan out exploration in this place.

The three sisters continued with their daily lives. Luffia will still go out from time to time while the twins kept themselves secluded in Chopper's Manor. They are intrigued by humans trying to explore the forest.

That news was two days ago. But as of the moment, they heard something rare.

"T-They caught five humans who were about to cross the border." Chopper brought them the news. The three of them looked shocked and intrigued. The five humans must be scouts.

"What are they going to do about them?" Sab asked. She is not sure if they will let these humans live just like what they did to them.

"They will be brought to Central Palace for interrogation." Chopper said.

"Can we come? Can we come?" It was Luffia. She is excited to see the humans who dared to explore the Dark Forest.

"Well, the Peacekeeper is requiring you to attend." While Luffia is happy to attend such an event, neither of the twins is excited about facing the other people of Raftel. Ann is not particularly happy in encountering Marco after what happened that night.

"Alright, I supposed we can go." Sab said in a resigned tone as she looked at Luffia who was practically begging that they go to this event to see the humans they captured.

===XXX===XXX===XXX===

A few hours earlier

"Are you sure, this is a good idea? This place is dangerous!" A certain long-nosed man shivers a little and every little movement heard is making him jump out of surprise, causing irritation to some of his companions.

"Will you stop fidgeting and being scared?! We will not give up until we find the princesses! They must be scared right now and crying asking for their knight in shining armor! Ah, Ann-swan, Sab-chan, and Luffia-chwan~~~ Ouch!"

"Stop being a pervert for once or I will castrate you!" A certain orange-haired woman smacked the idiot blond.

"SUPER! We will find the three princesses. Though this forest is creepy!" A certain man, with - er- weird clothes spoke. His name is Franky, a man whose specialty lies with building ships.

"The people we have inside Akainu's army reported of their death, but that is too easy. They will not easily die. And if my guess is correct, which usually I am, then they might have found a place where they can recuperate. I've known them for years and their craziness about the Dark Forest. They must be somewhere around. We will look for them!" A short woman with strawberry blond hair spoke with conviction.

The five of them continued to journey inside the Dark Forest, going further and further, deeper to this infamous forest. As they get into the inner parts of the forest, they can't help but feel as if they are being watched.

"I don't like this place. All it screams to me is nothing but danger." Koala, a petite woman who has strawberry blond hair told her companions. They had been exploring this Dark Forest for days. They encountered wild animals and were thankful to get away from them. As they venture deeper, they noticed more danger coming to them.

Usopp, the long-nosed dark-haired male, is specifically scared whenever they hear rustles all around them. Franky and Sanji are putting their guards on. Even the two men are nervous about the situation. They had noticed growls of wolves around them, surrounding them. More birds flying aggressively from tree to tree.

Nami is trying to ready herself for any assault. The five humans formed a circle as they saw seven huge wolves, twice the size of the normal ones they see, surrounded them, baring their fangs. Not only that, but they saw huge birds, flying above them, and are those fires on their wings?

And above all else, they saw a creature, the largest one, golden scales, and eyes that reveal nothing but death. They never imagined seeing a creature they only see on myths.

A dragon.

"You ventured on the wrong path, humans." A deep voice resonated from the shadows.

"They must be looking for death." Another deep voice.

All the same, two men stepped from the shadows and the other one jumped from the back of the dragon. And for some reason, one of the birds with fires on its wings transformed from the huge bird to a brown-haired girl.

Nami and Koala are shaking in fear. Had their eyes been playing tricks on them? Who are these people?

"Where do you think you're going, human?" The man with blond hair and a mask stepped forward, two wolves behind him as he loomed over Koala.

"N-None of your business!" She tried to keep a brave front but the man in front of her is a terrifying giant. Sanji tried to step in between her and the blond masked man but he was immediately knocked out. Koala stared wide-eyed at Sanji's unconscious body laying on the ground. Franky is taking out his weapons but looks like weapons will be of no use.

"Should we kill them?" The man who jumped from the back of the dragon, wearing a green coat, black shirt and yellow shorts asked, bored as if killing five humans are nothing to him.

"I think we can do that, Yosaku, but don't you think the Peacekeeper ought to say anything regarding these humans?" The short girl who transformed from a bird to a human said. "We can interrogate them then kill them."

"Killing them will be easier, Haruta." The man, who is almost naked called the girl, named Haruta. "What do you think, Killer?" His attention turned to the masked man who apparently is the leader.

Nami looked around for an escape route, but there are none. So the myths are true. Creatures, non-human creatures exist.

"We will bring them for interrogation and will let the High Princes decide their fate." His voice is so deep that it almost gives you glimpses of hell. After that, they all closed into them.

"Wait, wait. Where do you think you are taking us? Who are you? Who gave you the right to arrest us for interrogation?!" Koala tried to put a brave voice as she shouted at the tall man.

The blond masked man named Killer kept his silence as he looked down at the small woman in front of him and without any words, he picked her up by the collar at her back, leveling her to his eyesight. He wore a mask so she cannot tell what he is thinking. Is he hideous to look at to wear a mask?

"Take the others. I'll take this one." He said and before anyone can react, he put Koala on the back of the huge wolf, almost as if she is baggage, then he sat at her back.

"W-What - W-Wait, where are you taking me?!" Koala's voice resonated but she received no answer, instead, she felt the wolf started to run so fast she could barely see her surroundings.

The humans stared, unable to move as they watch how one of their friends were taken right in front of them.

"Oh my~. What an irony." Haruta spoke, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Looks like someone found his mate." Yosaku said, grinning like a madman as he started to walk towards the humans to take them somewhere else.

Present time...

The five humans all stared at the creatures in front of them. Most of them looked human, but they knew for a fact that these people are not humans.

Koala was already with the rest of them. Sanji placed a protective arm around Nami while Usopp is trying to hide as he uses Franky as his shield. They are surrounded by different creatures, creatures they might only know in myths and legends.

There are four authoritative figures sitting in front of them. They must be leaders. The huge man sat at the largest chair they have seen, mostly because of his size. Behind the man sat three men who seem to be with the most authority in this place.

The man with blond hair and expressive blue eyes looked at them with a bored expression but there is an underlying interest in his eyes.

The man with red hair continues to sneer at them and never failed to glare at the humans in front of him.

The last man with green hair yawns at the humans as if their lives do not matter to him.

"Should we put execution orders to them?" One of the henchmen of the red-haired man asked in a loud voice, eager to let the humans know that he is willing to be their executioner. All of them were terrified. These creatures do not look forgiving.

"We did not do anything! Why would you all kill us?!" Nami shouted in desperation. She does not like the existence of these men. They radiate power beyond her imagination and despite being knowledgeable about wizardry and magic, she did not expect to encounter far greater creatures only available in myths.

"It would be best to hold your tongue with respect, human. You do not know who you are talking to."

"Don't you threaten Nami-san like that! If you want to harm her, you will have to do it over my dead body!"

Koala is starting to panic now. What should she do? Is there something she needs to do?

===XXX===XXX===XXX===

The sisters went to the Central Palace throne room. Unlike their 'execution', this one does not have much crowd. They made their way to the throne room and as they went inside, they heard familiar voices, making them doubt if they heard it right.

"We are just looking for our friends! We are not planning to invade this place!" A woman's voice pleaded with sincerity.

"We do not want to cause trouble until your men took us here and abducted one of our companions!" A male's voice shouted in disdain. The three sisters hurriedly walked towards the throne room.

"That's right! We do not want any trouble. We are only looking for our friends. We are telling the truth!" One awfully familiar voice said. The sisters hurried towards the throne room and they were shocked upon seeing the people in the middle of the interrogation.

"Koala?" Sab muttered in shock. What are they doing here?

"And pray tell, human, Who are these friends that you are looking for?" Kidd's voice is full of disdain. "It is not every day we caught humans near our borders looking for their friends, except for the lot of you. Your reasoning is not convincing."

"Are you calling me a liar? I am not a liar! We are not! We really are looking for our friends!" Koala tried to convince these people. A certain woman caught her attention while trying to explain it to them. "Sab, you tell them I am not lying!" Then it dawned on her who she just called. "Sab? SAB!" Without delay, Koala runs off to where Sab is and hugged her tightly. "We thought the three were dead! Are you well? Did these creatures hurt you? Did they erase your memories of us? Or worse, you cannot remember who you were!"

"Koala..." Sab tried to call out to her friend but it looks like she did not hear her.

"What did you do to them?! Did you also abduct them?!" Koala shouted to the person near her. It was Killer.

"Koala..."

"So this must be the reason why they were gone for so long! You kept them here as prisoners!"

"Koala!" Sab had to shout at her petite friend to get her attention. "We are not prisoners here."

Koala looked at Sab and processed that she called her name.

"Oh, you're not? And you remember who you are?"

"Of course, we do! What are you doing here?" It was Ann who voiced out her concern.

"We came looking for the three of you! Then, we were brought here by these people!" Nami said after hugging Ann and Luffia.

"Ah~~ My princesses. I know you have been waiting for me, your prince to be in your aide." Sanji knelt in front of the three princesses, but he was ignored by them. Though, glares were directed at him by the three High Princes.

"We are about to decide their fate when the three of you came. It seems they are your friends." It was Whitebeard who spoke, amused at the humans in front of them.

"Shishishi, Are you about to execute them?" Luffia asked a very casual question, earning glares from her sisters.

"Oh, some of us were about to."

"See! They want us killed!" Koala told Sab.

"We also went through an executive order. Oh, we almost died. Shishishi." Luffia said so in a light manner. Typical of her to take execution lightly. "Can you take away the execution order?" Luffia asked the High Princes, specifically, Zoro.

"Fine." Zoro answered followed by Marco. Kidd did not say anything but nodded at them, dismissing the gathering.

"Make sure they don't wander around as you did. Don't cause any trouble." Whitebeard sternly told the sisters and they were ordered to have the guests into Chopper's manor.

Before leaving the Central Palace, Ann caught Marco staring at her. She looked away, avoiding his intense gaze. The presence of their human friends worries Marco. There's this voice at the back of his head that she will leave him for good.

As they ushered their friends towards Chopper's manor, they heard a lot of whispers from the crowd and their stares never left the sisters. The twins can only wince in discomfort as they hurriedly left the place.

The sisters requested to be left alone with their friends to talk. Chopper and Robin let them be.

"This place is SUPER! I never thought that this place exists." Franky was surprised to see this place. It was magical.

"There are a lot of beautiful and amazing places here too! You should all see it!"

"Luffia, before we let them see the place itself, we need to talk."

"Ann is right. We have not heard any news from the human realm for so long. What's happening in there?" Sab asked. The five newly arrived humans stared at each other. It was Nami who spoke first.

"News of your death resonated all over the neighboring countries. But one thing is for sure, your parents are possibly alive, if they are not, Akainu and his men would have spread the news of their deaths."

The three sisters looked at each other, hopeful that their parents are alive.

"We all thought about your fascination with the Dark Forest. We thought if you had escaped, you would be in these areas, and we are right. Your allies have been gathered, slowly but surely, away from the eyes of Akainu and his men. They need their leaders back. Taking Cresta and defeating Akainu, everyone will need the princesses to take the lead."

"We are thankful you are all safe. These creatures are magical, but they do not harbor any good impressions of humans except for a few of them. So why they did let you live?" Koala asked.

The sisters are not sure how to answer that. Luffia is hesitant in telling them that two of the High Princes are actually mates to the twins.

"The huge man, he is the Peacekeeper. Apparently, he is a friend of our father. They let us live and recuperate here because of that, and in a way, Cresta prevented any countries or groups and organizations in exploring the Dark Forest. So, when they learned about our heritage, they let us live." Sab explained. There is no point in telling them that it is part of the reason why they let them live. The main reason is that Ann is a mate to Marco despite her denial. And so is she to Kidd.

"Is that so..." Sanji trailed off his words looking at the three princesses.

"T-Then, if you are friends with these strong-looking people, then asking for their assistance in taking Cresta back should be no problem - "

"NO!" The twins automatically said. Luffia kept silent, but she looked like she understood why the twins are against the idea. The five of them looked at the twins, shocked by their outbursts.

"We can't. We won't ask them for help and do not mention this to anyone else!" Ann glared at Usopp who suggested the idea.

"Why not? This will be a big help for the war to come! We are at a disadvantage. The more powerful our army, the better our chances to win against Akainu! We did an investigation of him. He has a lot of dark wizards and witches at his command."

"We will fight our own war and leave Raftel alone. We will not be involving them in this war." Sab firmly stated. "History will repeat itself. We cannot let that happen." Sab looked at Ann then to Luffia. Ann nodded and Luffia followed albeit with reluctance.

For days, the twins were talking about how the situation is escalating more than they expected.

"Then, will they let you go? Raftel has been kept as a secret for years, and now, someone from the human realm knows of it. Will they let us go or erase our memories of this place?" Koala asked a fair question.

"We will not let them know about us leaving. We will find a way to go back to the human realm without them knowing." Sab said.

"And how do we do that?" Ann asked.

"The same way Chopper brought us here."

===XXX===XXX===XXX===

'Are you not worried?' Achilles' voice rang in Kidd's ears. He doesn't need to look at his back to know that Achilles is there.

"Why should I?"

"Her friends are here. Are you not worried that she will leave Raftel?"

"But that's what I want. For her to leave."

"Is that what you really wanted, Kidd? For her to leave for good and never come back?" There was no easy answer in that question because Kidd knows that it is not what he wanted at all. His words are contradicting.

"Tell me, Achille. What am I supposed to do?" That came out as an inaudible whisper from his mouth, the struggle in him is visible as his voice quivers. Achilles can only look at his High Prince with sympathy. There's so much pain he's going through right now that he does not know how to deal with.

He loved his parents, he adored them - they are his symbol of faith and power, but they were killed during the great war caused by the greed of humans and the traitors. He could never forget how he watched his parents pierced to death in front of him.

It was a sight that haunted him for years and despite it happening a long time ago, the pain is still there, clenching his heart. The hatred won't go away and now he was presented with a mate he never expected - a human mate.

The fates must be laughing at him, toying with him as he suffers. He's suffering while suppressing his desires for her and at the same time, he's suffering due to the conflicting past that he cannot get out of his mind.

"Your parents never hated humans. They never did. Even my parents are the same. Desiring her, loving her, and mating with her does not mean that you are betraying your parents, Kidd. I want you to know that and she is far from what other humans are." Achilles left as soon as he said that, leaving Kidd to think for himself.

Alone and lying on his bed, his eyes wander towards the portrait Marco gave. And that was the last sight he saw before going to sleep.

Kidd does not know why he found himself in the middle of nowhere. The place is not familiar. As he surveyed the area, there are a lot of humans around, not noticing his presence.

All of the humans' attention is directed towards the execution platform. Curiosity overtook Kidd's mind as he also looked up only to see a sight that made his knees tremble.

It was Sab, battered, and injured.

"No. No..." He muttered as if it was a silent prayer. Before he could move to save her, the spear lunged towards Sab's body. "NO!" He screamed at the top of his lungs and that was what triggered him awake.

He looked around, thankful that it was nothing but a dream.

===XXX===XXX===XXX====

The arrival of their friends sparks interests to Raftelians. Some voiced out their concern that Raftel had been involved in humans affairs too much. Some welcomed them. Sab is starting to device a plan to sneak off Raftel without being detected by anyone. She can still remember the plant that Chopper used when he smuggled them inside Raftel.

What she is worried about is the fact that they might be discovered by the High Princes. They will be leaving in two days' time.

"You looked worried." Ann's voice startled Sab.

"I will always worry." She said. Ann took a seat next to Sab and together, they stared into the beautiful moon.

"You don't want to leave, do you?" Ann asked.

"We have to."

A sigh escaped Ann's lips as she tried to form words in her mouth.

"We have to end this war and save our parents, our people, and get our kingdom back."

Silence engulfed them and when Sab cannot take their silence anymore, she spoke.

"Marco will definitely try to get you back. He cares for you to just let you go." Sab said. There was slight envy in her voice. Marco accepts Ann for who she is, for what she is while Kidd on the other hand... He hates her and will remain in doing so. Even if Sab were to leave, she does not think Kidd will be preventing her from doing so. Hell, he might even escort her back to the human realm.

"It would have been easier if we met in different circumstances. If no war within our footsteps, no enemies to deal with."

"And no history to worry about repeating itself." Sab finished off the whole sentence.

"I don't deserve someone like him. He deserves someone better." Days since the last attack against them, she knew that she made the right choice in avoiding Marco and keeping her distance - no matter how unfair that sounds. She is not mad at him, no far from it. What she felt is extreme guilt towards him.

"Marco will disagree with you in that one." Sab said with a smile on her beautiful face.

"It would be best to get some sleep. We have more things to prepare for tomorrow." Ann said and they all headed to their shared room.

Morning came and they tried to be discreet about their preparation. They were careful not to have Robin catch them in their preparations. They tried to do their normal activities as much as they can. Sab and Luffia are training on the grounds while Ann is helping Chopper with his medicines. She can't help but notice certain necklaces displayed on the table.

"What are these stones for?" She asked. It looks ordinary but Ann knew better than to judge all Chopper's possession judging from its appearance. She felt like this is not a simple stone.

"Oh, that? Well, that stone is magical. It will hide you from those who will try to find you."

"Find you?"

"Yes. That is helpful in hiding who has a strong connection to you and wants to find you. I can remember one time when Thatch and Izou are in quarrel and Izou is trying to hide away from Thatch. She used one of that stone to hide from Thatch." Chopper smiled upon remembering that incident.

"Oh. Interesting." Ann made a mental note to herself to let Sab know of her discovery.

"I know. It is ancient magic. But, they said that whenever someone strongly connected to you, or someone you want to hide from is nearby, it will start to glow and the more powerful the other one is, the easier they can destroy it."

Ann tried to divert their conversation to something else. She discovered enough.

As soon as she deemed that Chopper is gone from the manor, she looked for Sab and told her of the discovery. They will be leaving Raftel at 2 AM. And they will need it if they were to cover their traces.

Sab is very good at stealth so she took the stones from Chopper's room. When they are confident that Chopper is asleep, they decided to put their plan to use. Using the plants, they covered their friends with it as well as themselves. Afterward, they wore the stones around their neck. There are only three available stones so the sisters took each and wore it around their neck.

Sab knows that Ann is Marco's mate and he will try to find her once she's gone. As for her, Kidd may hate her and the stone may not prove to be useful in her situation, but she still took it nonetheless. And as for Luffia, although they knew that she's not Zoro's mate, they still wanted her to wear it in case the Peacekeeper will try to track her down.

They ventured on the dim forest.

"I can't see very well with just the moon as our light." Koala whispered.

"You can't see it? It is clear as broad daylight." Sab answered as they ushered them to the stables of Pegasi.

"No human can see with all the darkness around us." Nami interfered but Sab ignored them.

As soon as they were in the stables of Pegasi, they immediately took one for each other. All of them stopped dead on their tracks when they heard voices not far from where they are. As soon a the voices were gone, Luffia spoke.

"We can't take a Pegasi on our way out. They will definitely see us."

"Then what else do you propose? We are too far away from the coast." Ann hissed.

"We'll ask someone I know." She said. Luffia led them to the entrance to Purgatory. The twins are getting nervous when they saw the entrance and Usopp almost fainted.

"I thought they strengthened the barrier here." Sab said as soon as they got inside of the Purgatory. There was no barrier that stopped the three of them from getting inside.

"We can't get in there." Nami said all of a sudden, making the twins curious.

"Why not?" Ann asked. If they were able to get inside, why not them?

"I can sense a very strong ancient barrier cast here. Once we try to get across, it will reject us before alerting the person who placed this barrier."

Sab pondered on that information. Could it be because of their connections to the High Princes? If so, she and Ann may be an exemption, but Luffia... No. It can't be... She shook her head, ignoring the idea in favor of focusing on their situation at hand.

Luffia concentrated and called out for Cerberus. How is she doing it, they have no idea at all. All they could remember is seeing the huge three-headed dog running toward them, greeting Luffia with so much delight.

"Could you take us to the Coastline?" She asked. Cerberus barked and let them on to his back.

"U-Uh, I think I caught a disease! A cannot-ride-on-the-back-of-the-three-headed-dog disease!" Usopp tried to reason out but Franky lifts him up using his collar. Cerberus took a route that seems to be deserted as they saw no one on their way to the coast.

As soon as they arrived, they saw Luffia's ship, Thousand Sunny waiting for them. Everyone hurriedly boarded the ship.

Ann was about to board when she cast one last glance towards the direction of Raftel, thinking of Marco. There is a feeling of guilt and regret in her heart. And for the first time, she admitted to herself how she misses him, but she immediately buries that feeling to strengthen her resolve for what they are about to do.

"You can still go back." That was Sab's voice upon seeing her sister's conflicting look.

"And leave you and Luffia? No. I won't."

"You don't have to do this. Marco will welcome you with open arms, Ann. Think this through." Sab may envy Ann on her situation, but it does not mean that she'd like her to be away from someone she desires. There's nothing Sab wanted but for Ann to be happy and safe.

"This is for the better, Sab." And with that, she boarded the ship.

Luffia was adamant in boarding her ship, but she has to. The look on her face states that she wanted to go back to Raftel.

"We have to go now before. For all we know, they might have discovered our disappearance." Sab said as she urged Luffia to board the deck.

"I'll miss all of them." Luffia said in a sad voice.

"Yes, we all will. We will just hope that we can see them in the future when this is all over." If we remain alive by that point. Sab thought to herself.

"Full speed ahead." Nami shouted and off they go to the vast sea, leaving Raftel behind.

===XXX===XXX===XXX===

Chopper had a very good sleep. He never had any decent sleep for the past few days due to some activities he has to attend, but last night, he slept like a rock. He got out of bed and immediately went to his kitchen expecting Sab to start her cooking, but to his surprise, there are no traces of Sab.

"She must still be sleeping." He told himself so instead, he cooked breakfast for everyone. They have five more visitors so he cooked enough food for the rest of them. As soon as he is done, he called for them.

No one answered.

He tried again, shouting food is ready, but still no answer. His heart starts to beat rather nervously as he went upstairs. He knocked on the sisters' door, but no answer. So he decided to open and he was greeted by an empty room, void of any humans sleeping on it.

Chopper searched for any signs of the sisters in his manor, nothing. Even the human guests are gone. The only trace left in the room was a single paper, a letter for Chopper.

Dear Chopper,

We are sorry for saying our farewell in this manner. We should have told you in person, but we are afraid you will prevent us from leaving Raftel. We owe you our lives and we will forever be grateful for what you have done to us.

The time has come for us to face our problem. May you send our apologies to everyone for saying goodbye like this and please tell them we are thankful to everyone for letting us recover in Raftel.

We hope to see all of you again, but that might not come true...

ASL Sisters

"No. No. What do I do?" Chopper muttered to himself as he looked over the letter once more. His eyes are full of tears as he ran out of the house towards the Central Palace.

He immediately sought the Peacekeeper who stared at Chopper, surprised as to why he is crying.

"They're gone! They're gone! They left Raftel." Whitebeard is confused, but then she realized what Chopper is talking about.

"This is not good." Whitebeard muttered to himself as he waved his hand and all of a sudden, images of the three High Princes appeared. They all looked surprised by the sudden call from the Peacekeeper. "There is a need for an emergency gathering, My High Princes." Whitebeard's voice is full of worry, alarming the three High Princes.

"And what for?" Kidd asked.

A sigh left the lips of Whitebeard as he braced himself for telling them the news.

"The princesses are gone. They left Raftel."