What up gamers, after a crap load of procrastination I have finally churned out another chapter. It's not any better than the others so the wait wasn't worth it. Something I figured I should clarify as we move forward is that I am playing fast and loose with translation. There won't be much of a pattern, just me deciding that something sounds better a certain way.

'Devil Child' Nico Robin, the only survivor of Ohara, currently using the alias of Miss All-Sunday, stared down at her future friends, a gentle but cruel smirk on her face. "What a nice ship this is…" She said, a threatening vagueness present in her tone.

Vivi and Mr. 9 paled to such a degree that one may have mistaken them for a pair of corpses had it not been for the violent trembling visible from the latter.

Buggy, in contrast, smirked wryly up at the lady, tempted to make a perverted remark. He decided against it, since having his ribs kicked in by a love-struck chef was something he hoped to make a one-time experience.

While the clown reflected on that painful memory, Sanji and Usopp surrounded Robin from both sides. The latter pointed his signature slingshot at her, while the former pointed a flintlock. Where he got it, and what he would do with it in the future was still a mystery to Buggy.

"Hey…" The long-nosed sniper muttered, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead, "Do you understand what's going on…?"

Before Sanji was able to reply, Buggy clapped his hands and called out, "YOU TWO SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES, TREATING AN ESTEEMED GUEST LIKE THAT! ESPECIALLY YOU, SANJI, POINTING A GUN AT A LADY LIKE THAT."

Sanji, Usopp and Robin all seemed taken aback, with Usopp looking confused, Robin raising an eyebrow and Sanji coughing and lowering the gun slightly.

"That's Nico Robin," Buggy explained cheerfully, "She received a bounty of seventy-nine MILLION beli when she was just a child! Show her some respect."

If Robin was at all startled or anxious about her identity being known, she hid it expertly. The last Oharan simply raised an eyebrow as she remarked, "Rather well-informed for a pirate just starting out in the Grand Line, although it certainly would justify your bounty."

Even if he had been pointing a gun at her just moments ago, the idea of a lady taking more interest in the clown did cause Sanji to glare jealously at Buggy, who held his hands up in a placating fashion.

"It is such a shame that even an accomplished crew like this one finds itself struck down by the Grand Line." Robin continued, gazing intently at Luffy in particular. "The name of the next place on your journey is, 'Little Garden'. Even if I weren't to lay a single finger on you, it's more than likely that you'd still never reach Alabasta. Even without meeting Crocodile, the curtains will close on your mission and lives."

Luffy, who had been relatively apathetic to the mysterious lady up until that last line, spoke up, "As if we'd just roll over and die! I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

In response, Robin raised an eyebrow, glancing between him and Buggy as if pondering something. "Enough howling," She instructed after a few seconds "anyone could put up a brave front." She glanced at Usopp, who had chosen to hide behind Zoro, before tossing something in Vivi's direction. "Yet to know of the difficulty that lies ahead and still rush in is an act fit for only fools."

Vivi caught the object, frowning with confusion as she examined it. "An Eternal Pose?" She asked, glancing up at Robin.

Any answer that the user of the Flower-Flower fruit intended to give would have been cut off as Mr. 9 regained his composure, pointing an accusatory finger at her, "She's the right-hand woman to Mr. 0, the head of the organisation! That Eternal Pose is probably some sort of trap."

Robin's explanation was yet again cut off, this time by a rubbery hand that saw to the destruction of her gift. "What's the point in finding the One Piece if we're just gonna cheat like that?" Luffy remarked, more casual than angry as he dropped the glass shards onto the deck.

"Exactly!" Buggy declared firmly, "Captain Roger and his crew didn't learn the void history by skipping islands, after all!" The clown was pleased to see that the mention of such a thing managed to get a reaction out of Robin, who almost fell backwards from where she was sitting.

Although the only thing Luffy understood was the first two words, he nodded in agreement with Buggy, "Yeah! If any island tries to stop us, I'll beat it up!" He said proudly.

"I see…" Robin murmured in reply, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Well, I don't dislike bold men… Let us meet again if you survive." She told them, her tone incredibly vague. And as Luffy and the crew, minus Buggy, looked on in confusion, she left the ship as quietly as she had entered it. Once she was gone, riding her turtle into the horizon, Vivi collapsed to her knees while Mr. 9 clutched the sides of his head as his teeth gnashed together in fear.

The attention of most of the crew shifted to Buggy, who once again held his hands up defensively.

"What's her deal?" Zoro asked, raising an eyebrow as he leaned against Merry's mast.

Mr. 9 managed to calm himself enough so that he could answer, "That was Miss All-Sunday. She's the highest ranking member of the organisation, working right under Mr. 0 himself… ohgodwe'regonnadie…"

Luffy blinked, "So she's a bad guy?" He asked, tilting his head.

"She was the one that Igaram and I tailed when we were trying to learn the boss' identity…" Vivi explained, her eyes darting to the direction Robin had left from.

"It's more like she let you, all things considered." Buggy remarked, walking over to the edge of the Merry. "What do you think about all this, Laboon?" He asked, leaning over and looking down at the largest member of their crew.

"BUOOOOOOOOH!"

Luffy blinked again, "So she's a good guy?"

"OF COURSE NOT YOU IDIOT!" Nami screeched, leaping at Luffy and slamming her foot into his face.

"S-she was just lying about how d-dangerous the next island is, right?" Usopp asked fearfully, glancing at Nami, and then at Buggy. The former didn't notice, still focused on her captain, while the latter simply shrugged.

"We'll be fine. The next island's called Little Garden and the only thing to watch out for is-" Buggy began to answer before a pain almost comparable to Sanji's assault on his ribs suddenly flared up on the top of his head. The glimpse of an extended rubbery fist he caught before tears obscured his vision made him realise that Luffy had just clonked him on the head.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" Nami and Buggy screeched in unison, although Buggy also threw some rather colourful names onto the end of his question.

In response, Luffy simply crossed his arms and huffed. "I don't wanna know what's on the island, because than it'll be boring! I don't wanna go on a boring adventure!" Before Nami was able to reply, he looked up and his face split into a wide grin. "It's morning! Sanji, time for breakfast!" He exclaimed excitedly, bouncing up and down.

Sanji dutifully headed to the kitchen and began preparing the requested meal, while Zoro laid down against the mast and began to nap. Usopp joined Mr. 9 so they could ramble pessimistically together, and Nami went to offer Vivi a hand. And all the while, Buggy was still doubled over clutching his head in agony.

"Mr. 3!" A youthful female voice, yet one dulled by boredom, called out as the speaker leaned back in her chair, glancing up from a sheet of paper she was holding.

Mr. 3, reclining in his own seat, glanced over at the speaker, his partner Miss Goldenweek. "What is it, hmm? Ah, hold on a moment." He replied, taking a deep sip of his steaming cup of tea before letting out a satisfied sigh. "When it comes to black tea, nothing beats earl grey, you know?" He remarked.

"I'm bored."

"You say you're bored, but you're not exactly fond of working either, aren't you?"

"Yup."

"Then why don't you try to enjoy this blissful time way from our duties?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, "After all, leisurely enjoying our break is also one of our privileges as an officer agent, you know? And also… would you mind not calling me by my codename so casually in a public place like this? Otherwise," He said, the '3' made out of hair on his head jiggling slightly, "don't you think people will find out I'm Mr. 3?"

Having wasted enough of her life with the man, Miss Goldenweek knew better than to waste her energy on him as she replied, "Oh, really?"

"By the way…" Mr. 3 continued, raising an eyebrow, "You've been staring intently at that paper for the past few days. What is it exactly?"

"An order from the boss."

"CAN'T YOU TELL ME THAT SOONER?!" He screeched, leaping up from his seat, before immediately regaining himself as he snatched the piece of paper, sat down and began reading it while he sipped his tea. "The boss wants us to head to Alabasta. That's quite the voyage, we'll probably need to stop by an island to replenish our supplies."

"Yay, fantastic." Miss Goldenweek said in a monotone voice.

Having put enough distance between themselves and Whiskey Peak, the Straw Hats allowed themselves to relax a little, with the men of the crew all lounging about on the deck, enjoying the drinks Sanji brought them.

"Are you sure things'll be fine like this?!" Vivi exclaimed, pointing a finger at the group as she stared incredulously at Nami, who simply shrugged and offered her a drink in response.

"It'll be fine. They'll work hard when we come across rough seas. It's not like they want to die or anything."

"That's true…" Vivi relented, incredulity shifting to unease, "But at this rate… we might be caught unaware." She remarked, looking over to the guys, who had taken a keen interest in Carue's ability to drink from a straw.

Nami turned to look at Vivi as her face split into a wide grin. "Being on this ship sure makes you lose the will to even worry, doesn't it?" She asked.

Vivi paused, glancing back to her, and then back to the guys, and then finally up at the bright blue sky above her. "Yes," Vivi admitted, smiling gently, "It is quite relaxing…"

Said relaxation was interrupted by Sanji calling out "Hey, look! It's a dolphin!"

Truth be told, a lot of these parts of the manga were pretty fuzzy for Buggy. He wasn't a walking One Piece encyclopaedia, after all. Still, even if he had been completely prepared for what he was about to see, he would not be prepared, as contradictory as that statement may be.

A dolphin that rivalled Laboon in size had leaped out of the water and was now staring down at them as the sea around them thrashed violently at its magnitude.

"IT'S FREAKIN' HUGE!" Mr. 9 yelled dramatically as he leaped up, did a backflip and fell down, clutching his face in shock.

"LET'S RUN AWAY!" Luffy yelled to resounding cheers of "AYE-AYE, CAPTAIN!" as the crew all ran around the ship, doing their part to escape and laughing all the while.

"I can't hear you." Buggy mumbled to himself, a smirk beginning to form on his face.

Finally, after a few days of travel, the Straw Hats were graced with the presence of the next island in the Grand Line: Little Garden. The sight was met with cheer from the entire crew, even Laboon, who let out a "BUOOOOOOOOH!" of excitement.

"We should be careful…" Vivi said, "I'm worried about what Miss All-Sunday said about this island"

"Y-Y-You don't think there are actual monsters here, do you?" Usopp asked, his knees quivering as he looked to Buggy, who simply shrugged.

"D-D-Definitely not, right?" Mr. 9 mumbled, knees quivering equally as much as he shuffled closer to an indifferent Zoro.

"Beats me," Sanji said, taking a drag of his cigarette, "but we gotta stock up on some food pretty soon. That last town needed Laboon's meat for a reason."

As the Merry headed inland, Usopp and Mr. 9 looked around at their new surroundings fervently, probably determining which direction would be the easiest to run in.

"So this is Little Garden…" Luffy said, frowning thoughtfully, "It seems really big for something called 'Little Garden'. Whoever named it must have been real stupid!"

"Rich, coming from you." Every member of the crew thought in unison, staring at him with deadpan expressions. They were then distracted from their distraction by a shrill screech that seemed to forgo the ears and enter the soul directly, filling it with a massive hatred for whatever stupid bird just made the noise.

"WHAT WAS THAT JUST NOW?!" Nami yelled, covering her ears as she looked up at the sky in shock.

"Terrified Nami is so cute!" Sanji gushed, gazing at Nami with a love-struck expression on his face. "Don't worry, it's just a normal bird. And even this island is nothing but your average jungle!" He reassured her confidently.

Before Nami could question this, a massive noise, like an exploding volcano, echoed throughout the entire island and saw the jaws of most of the crew, sans the monster trio, drop in shock.

"DOES THIS SOUND LIKE YOUR AVERAGE JUNGLE?!" Nami yelled again, at Sanji this time, who revelled in the attention.

"Oh hey, a tiger." Luffy remarked absentmindedly, pointing at a tiger over on the land, which promptly collapsed, covered in blood.

"That is definitely NOT normal!" Mr. 9 declared, jumping up and doing a full 360-degree spin.

Usopp nodded in agreement, "Alright, then it's decided. We are not to step foot on this island!"

"Let's just quietly wait on our ship, and leave the very second our log pose finishes recording!" Nami agreed, "After all, we have to hurry to Alabasta as fast as possible." Almost instinctively, she looked over at Luffy, who didn't appear to have heard anything his navigator said. There was a grin forming on the captain's face, one that brought a certain king to mind. A grin that yearned for adventure.

"Sanji! Prepare a lunchbox!" Luffy demanded eagerly.

"A lunchbox?" Sanji asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, a pirate lunchbox! I smell adventure ahead!"

Nami whirled around and closed in on Luffy, leaning forwards to yell at him, "WAIT JUST A SECOND! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?"

"On an adventure!" Luffy replied happily, "Shishishi! Wanna come along?"

"I'd like to come along." Vivi said pleasantly, walking over to him. He responded with an energetic nod as he bounced up and down, waiting for Sanji to finish making his lunchbox.

"EVEN YOU?!" Nami exclaimed in surprise, staring wide-eyed at Vivi.

"Yes… just standing around here doing nothing is only going to make me think about my worries again. So I may as well try to clear my head until the Log Pose finishes recording. Besides, I'll be fine! I have Carue by my side, after all." Vivi smiled as she added the last part. Carue did not smile.

"If you're going, then I will join you Miss We-Vivi!" Mr. 9 declared proudly, trying to do a backflip but falling flat on his face due to his shaking knees.

Once lunchboxes and drinks were ready, the quartet departed the ship with varying levels of enthusiasm:

"ALRIGHT, LET'S GO!"

"We'll be back!"

"PLEASE DON'T LET ME DIE, CAPTAIN LUFFY!"

After watching them head off, Buggy glanced over and saw Zoro and Sanji talking heatedly with each other, right before they both went their separate ways into the thick jungle.

"Okay!" Buggy said happily, "now that everyone's gone, wanna hear about the secrets of this island?"

Usopp and Nami, who had both been crying together, instantly stood to attention, zooming right over to him.

"Are there really monsters here?!" Usopp demanded, his eyes darting around fearfully.

"Eh, nothing Luffy can't kill and have Sanji cook. The real secret of this island comes from the name, since…" Buggy tried to sound confident. His plan had been to woo the Straw Hats and earn their protection, after all. But yet again, no amount of planning for an impossible situation could prepare one for the impossible. And watching a man the size of a house step out from the trees and grin down at him was, in his opinion, a good enough reason to scream like a little girl.

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