A Thousand Treasures (One Piece)

Seven

"Hahaha! Ahahahahaha! You shoulda just said so, Zoro!" Free of his entanglement of limbs, Luffy sat on a crate across from them. Free of all anger he was directing at the swordsman. "I just figured you cut them all down 'cause they didn't make any food you liked!"

"Don't compare me to you!"

"Ahahahahaha! C'mon! Don't sweat it!"

"Jeez, what an idiot." Illyria took in a deep breath as she stretched her arms above her head. After some time, the drowsiness that both dulled and enhanced her senses had lifted and the pain in her forearm subsided. Though she was hungry now, the lingering irritation that haunted her in the morning had greatly lessened. "Even I managed to get that much." She fell back to a small patch of comfort and warmth, her eyes resting close.

"Get off!" Zoro's hand pushed on her side. Meeting his gaze she widened her eyes, tucked in her brows, summoned tears to line her lower lids, and jut her bottom lip. The swordsman froze, his eyes locked onto hers. "Don't think puppy eyes are going to help!" Alas his physical attempts to remove her had already ceased. A sweat lined his brow and his teeth grit together. After another moment of hesitation, his other leg lowered as he sighed. "Fine."

"Alright!" Snapping out of her fit in an instant, she turned in his lap.

"Don't move like that!"

"Sorry, sorry," she laughed. Still, she shimmied deeper into his thighs and crossed her arms over his other leg before dropping her chin on their cross with a content sigh. "So comfy."

"Hahahaha!"

"Shut up, you three!" Their bodies went rigid at Nami's shout, mouths sealing shut. "So, there you have it!" She turned towards Miss Wednesday-though, as it turns out the bounty hunter was none other than Princess Vivi Nefatari, royalty to the Kingdom of Alabasta. Apparently, Nami struck an accord with the head of the royal security-the old tube haired guy; agreeing to take the princess back home for a fee. "As compensation, I'd like one billion berries." She smirked, "you saw how strong these guys are. It's a pretty good offer, if you ask me."

"I can't!" Vivi shook her head. "I do appreciate your saving me. Thank you."

"Why can't you?! You're a princess!"

"Do you know of the kingdom known as Alabasta?"

"It's a desert kingdom further east of here," Illyria stated. "Pretty peaceful from what I remember reading. Headed by the Nefatari family, a royal blood that refused a seat in Marijoa. Though... no other notable influences in recent years."

"It used to be a peaceful kingdom, but now it's in the middle of a civil war." Her eyes fell to her clenched hands. "For years now, signs of a revolution have begun to appear. The people revolted and the kingdom fell into total chaos. Then, one day, I heard the name of an organization... Baroque Works! I learned that the populace was being manipulated by this group. But there was a tight lid on any other information than that and there was nothing I could do. That's when I asked Igaram, who always meddled in my business since childhood, for help. I asked him if there was a way I could infiltrate Baroque Works. Because that would let us see who was pulling the strings, and what their goal was."

"You're a pretty high-spirited princess," Zoro commented, "so? Did you figure out this goal of theirs?"

"The founding of an ideal nation"," Nami recited. "At least, that's what Igaram-san said."

"Yes. The boss says it's to create an ideal nation, but it's an enormous lie! The true goal is to take over Alabasta Kingdom! I have to hurry back, tell everyone the truth, and stop the fighting! If I don't do something... If I don't do something..."