hiding

I mean if booze are involved...

Alexia rubbed her temple, trying to focus on the papers before her. She had managed to complete most of the papers on the desk and organized them into nice stacks that towered over her as she sat. The door opened slowly, rustling some of the papers.

"Thatch I swear to god!" Alexia growled, spinning towards the door in the chair.

"Yoi, thank god I'm not Thatch." Marco held up his hands in surrender, "I was wondering where you took off to... you didn't really do all of this did you?"

"I did, I'm tired of looking at it." Alexia mumbled, turning back to the papers.

"Hey, I'm sorry about your face..."

"Yea so am I, my father probably was too." Alexia smirked.

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that!" Marco exclaimed, "It just looks like it hurts."

"It does, my whole life hurts to be honest. I wonder if it hurts others to look at me as much as it hurts for me to look in a mirror."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're such a smartass you know?" Marco scoffed.

"Damn straight, I gotta be smart to be better at these papers than you."

"Seriously though, are you okay? After earlier?" Marco gave her a stern look, "That's really one of the first times someone outside the crew has touched you."

"Honestly I think I'm good. My face hurts like a bitch but at least you didn't turn up the heat there flame brain. Next time make sure I'm not a human shield first." Alexia laughed.

"You make a really shitty shield, you flopped to the ground right away." Marco burst out laughing.

"Excuse me!" Alexia smacked him on the shoulder, "I did not flop. Have you ever been punched by you? Like that? You'd go flopping too."

"I'm a phoenix, I don't flop; I land gracefully." Marco smirked.

"Yea land ass backwards maybe."

Marco stared at upper arm, noticing it was no longer bandaged. The Whitebeard jolly roger stared right back at him. It took up a most of her upper arm, in a deep navy-blue shade.

"Our jolly roger?"

"Permanently apart of me forever." Alexia grinned up at him, "I don't know, it just felt... right. I feel like now I truly belong."

Someone banged roughly against the door, causing Alexia to groan and bang her head on the desk.

"I swear to god, if it's Thatch plotting to mess up my lovely stack of papers again, I will serve his head for dinner."

"Please don't subject the crew to that, we didn't do anything to deserve such torture." Marco ribbed, opening up the door to reveal an impatient Namur.

"Pops wants you both on deck now. We have a visitor." He stalked off in his usual quiet fashion, without providing any more information.

The deck was more crowded than she expected, with all of the division commanders standing near pops. Well almost all. Marco was still trailing a bit behind her. She found it quite ironic that for someone with the gift of flight, he was incredibly slow. Marco caught up quickly with her, grabbing her arm and pulling her with him to his spot next to Whitebeard's right.

The surrounded four men on deck. Two men were obviously guards, wearing old fashioned metal helmets and chest plates. They both were quite tall and burly, equip with matching lances. The man in front was short and fat, standing in front of the guards. He had a coarse white beard that went down to his collar bone, and he wore a white powdered wig that went to his shoulders in rolls. He also adorned a judge's robe that trailed several feet behind him. The man to his left was very tall and slender. He had a thick monocle. He was definitely middle aged, with grey hair and a thin mustache. He adorned a tuxedo, with the tails of the coat curling behind him. He looked as though he was a strict teacher ready to correct anyone who speaks out of turn with a whack of a ruler.

"You may continue now Mr..." Whitebeard boomed, not remembering the man's name.

"Mr. Cornelious Cornhastings the seventh." The man with the powdered wig spoke, sticking his nose up. Already Alexia was beginning to dislike the man, "I have come with a proposition for you."

"Go on." Marco stated, looking as bored as he sounded.

"Our town of Venlauge has been under control of the World Government for years now. They have imposed such strict tariffs, seized much of our island's products, and restricted our lives for a long time. We are asking for your assistance to free us for the control of the World Government and place us under... what is it they called it? Oh yes! If you could place our island under your protection. That would be very splendid indeed."

"That is quite a proposition, Mr. Cornhusk. But what is in it for us? A proposition usually has something in return for us." Whitebeard asked.

"Mhm, it's Cornhastings. Free room and board at our inns and taverns, we don't have much, but we would offer some beli as well as..."

"Don't you dare say what I think your about to say!" Doc shouted out to the man.

"Free alcohol for your whole crew during your stay, and then several barrels to take with you on your voyage!" Cornhastings beamed at the massive pirate captain.

"It is agreed!" Whitebeard boomed at the offer of free booze.

"Yoi!" Marco shouted as many of the commanders sweat dropped, "We can't just agree to something every time alcohol is involved. We don't know what we are getting into. The island is swarming with Marines. May I remind you what happened to your dearest daughter the last time we fought against Marines? We haven't even had a chance to confirm their side of the story."

"All in due time my son!" Whitebeard patted Marco's back roughly with his massive hand in reassurance. We will send out some scouts and find out what we can. But surely when this man is offering to be such a gracious host, we should not turn him down."

"That man and his damned booze will be the death of him and I both." Doc was heard muttering as he stomped back down below deck.

"I guess we need to get the rest of the division..." Marco sighed, motioning for Alexia to get on his back.

"I've come to an official decision." Alexia smirked as they took off towards the first paddle ship, "You just need to fly us everywhere. I am completely over walking. Who wants to walk when something this awesome exists?"

"I'm not your personal chauffer Lexi, find your own devil fruit with the gift of flight will ya?" Marco chuckled, "I think maybe your being spoiled too much."

"Me spoiled? Nah..."

"I mean I guess that is to be expected since your one of the only females on board besides nurse Nora. And even she refuses to be claimed as one of Pop's daughters since she's older than he is."

"Why am I the only woman on board?" Alexia's interest was suddenly peaked as they touched down on the paddle ship.

"Your just now asking that yoi?" Marco ruffled her hair in amusement as she got off his back, "Honestly we never really thought about it. There aren't that many women pirates. This life is rough, most women would rather stay on land instead of picking up a weapon. Plus, Pops can be a little picky on who he claims as his children. When he laid claim to you so soon before he even saw you, especially with you being a woman, it shocked us."

"Wait so I was doomed to be a Whitebeard before I was even conscious?" Alexia's eyes widened in disbelief, "Why did you guys agree with him on it?"

"Because even if it doesn't make sense, Pop's hasn't failed us yet. His judgements are usually always right."

"So back to the matter at hand... we aren't really taking the whole division out scouting are we?"

"Oh heavens no. There's over a hundred in this division alone. We would overwhelm the island's people. We would never find any information that way. We'll deploy maybe 5 of them. You and I will head out to do our own recon as well. Izo, Haruta and Curiel will probably do a little bit of investigating themselves."

"Let's do this then." Alexia grinned, already heading below deck before him.