Chapter 24: The Sisters Rebel

So you all should be able to guess who the newest crewmembers are from the chapter name below, but I will warn you all that this chapter feels like a lot of necessary filler and dialogue that is boring but mandatory for the plot continuation. Ms. Goldenweek's name comes from Luffy's Renewed Adventure and Ms. Valentine's comes from her 4kids voice actor. (I know, I know. 4kids sucks and all that, but I liked it. The name, that is.) The story will begin a divergence from Canon next chapter leading to a slightly different Drum Arc that kind of ripples into Alabasta, so bear with me.

Also, I have backstory for the sisters, but that doesn't come up until after Drum, so please don't ask about that.

On the bright side, I have a boatload of chapters already prepared, so freaking college shouldn't slow me down too much. If we get to Enies Lobby and I still don't have Thriller Bark done, then I'll panic.

Chapter 24:

The Sisters Rebel

"God dammit," Sanji groaned. "I'm lost." He and Zoro had gotten separated at some point in their mad dash to where they thought the fight was, but because there were no trails, the chef had gotten all turned around. He came upon a small clearing, a low, white structure sitting in the middle. The cook cautiously approached and knocked on the door. There was no response.

Shrugging, Sanji opened the door and waltzed in. The building had a homey air about it, a table in the middle supporting a pot of tea and several teacups. Never one to let food or drink go to waste, the blond reheated the drink and poured his own cup.

"Mmmm," he moaned. "Earl Gray. Whoever owns this place has good taste." He sat there for several minutes, sipping his tea, before a faint "BADA-BADA-BADUP ... BADA-BADA-BADUP" reached his ears. He opened a purple box to find a matching purple den-den mushi with a black mustache. Sanji picked up the receiver, causing the snail to go "ca-lick".

"Uh... You've called the Crap Café. May I take your order?"

"This is no time for fooling around," a gruff voice growled on the other end of the line. "Your report is late, Mr. 3. You're usually very prompt. Is there a problem?"

"No sir," Sanji responded, playing along. "Uh, may I ask who this is?"

"Do you think this is funny? This is Mr. 0, you numbskull. Now what is your situation? Are Princes Vivi and all of the Straw Hat Pirates dead?"

"Yes sir. Very dead. Very, very dead. They put up one Hell of a fight, though. Especially their cook."

"Whatever. I've sent the Unluckies to your location with an eternal pose to Alabasta. Be sure to get here on time. We'll be beginning the next phase of the plan."

"Yes sir," Sanji replied. There was a small flutter that drew the chef's attention to the window. There were two animals, a vulture with aviator goggles and an otter in a pink onesie. The three mammals stared at each other in confusion for a second before the bird knelt down to reveal the gun strapped to its back.

"Oh shi-!" Sanji ducked behind the table as the bird open fired. Bullets riddled the walls and the table, but the furniture must have been made of some strong stuff because none of the projectiles fully pierced them. The otter dashed forward, two half shells with three blades each in its paws. Sanji was able to avoid its first strike and counter with a kick to the face. The rodent hit the far wall with a thud, blood dripping from a wound on its head. It'd have a concussion if it wasn't dead.

The vulture continued trying to shoot the cook, but Sanji sprinted across the room and flipped onto his hands before locking his legs around the bird's long neck. With a sharp twist, the bird would never fly again.

"What the Hell was that?!" Mr. 0 yelled through the den-den. Sanji picked up the receiver from where it was dangling over the side of the table.

"Nothing!" he said quickly. "Just a couple of the pirate bastards weren't as dead as I thought they were. I've taken care of it. No need to send any help."

"Right... Just don't screw it up." Sanji was about to hang up, but Mr. 0 spoke again. "Oh, and Mr. 3? Do something about that cold of yours. It's making you sound like a brat trying to hide a North Blue accent." The snail went to sleep with a soft "ca-cha". Sanji pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a long drag on it to ease his nerves.

"Glad that's over. Bet I could cook these two up and the idiots would love it. Hmm? What's this?" He knelt down to pick up a small item the weird otter had dropped. He then did his noodle dance. "With this, I'll get a kiss from Vivi-cwan for sure!"

"Oh thank God!" Nami yelled, all but kissing the wax-covered ground. Vivi seemed to be in a similar state of euphoria. Though happy at being freed, Zoro and Gin were still a little ticked that their posing had been for naught. They'd looked badass, dammit!

At that moment, Carue ran through with Usopp on his back. Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine followed, pretty winded from chasing them so much. Gin and Zoro ran toward them, ready to get revenge for being captured. The female hopped into the air, floating out of their reach. That was fine, though; she wasn't their target. Meanwhile, the girls, Usopp, and Carue went to Broggy to try to free him from the wax.

"You really think you can best me?" Mr. 5 asked Zoro and Gin while picking his nose. "With my Bomb-Bomb Fruit powers, you'll never even scratch me."

"Then what happened to your ear?" Zoro taunted. He went for a slash, but the agent was able to deflect his swords with an explosion.

"I was caught off guard then," he defended. Gin came in from the side, but Mr. 5 was able to duck out of the way of his tonfa. The two continued their assault, tiring the agent. Something seemed wrong. He'd hadn't needed to dodge for this long since Ms. Valentine had become his partner. Where was she?

The answer to that question was that she had been called two dozen feet away and was talking with her little sister about her choice to abandon the company. Ms. Valentine was arguing that they should stay, but both her determination and her belief that they would make it out alive even if their mission was a success were crumbling.

"Big Sister," Ms. Goldenweek pleaded. "I know you feel indebted to the company. I did, too, but we both know that after you and Mr. 5 failed to stop them at Whisky Peak that you were on Mr. 0's list. This catastrophe is only making that more likely. Let's just leave."

"But where would we go?" Ms. Valentine questioned. "We don't have a ship or any real skill at navigating. We certainly can't stay here."

"I was kind of hoping we could go with these pirates," Ms. Goldenweek answered shyly.

"What?! Why?!"

"I don't know. They seem nice enough, though I've only talked to one of them."

"There's no way for me to talk you out of this, is there?"

"Nope."

"Ugh. Fine," the Devil Fruit user relented. "If you're leaving, I'm going with you. I've got to keep my little sister safe, don't I?" She activated her powers, floating over to where the swordsman, former Krieg pirate, and bomb-man were still fighting. The former two were littered with small burns, but were otherwise fine. "10,000 Kilo Press!"

The floating woman dropped rapidly. Mr. 5 never saw the attack coming. He'd been expecting her to be aiming for either the man with the tonfa or Roranoa Zoro. Her target was neither. She landed on him like 10,000 kilograms of bricks, instantly knocking him unconscious.

"Well," Zoro began, his swords still prepped for battle. "Either your aim is crap or you just switched sides."

"I take great pride in my aim, thank you very much."

"I suppose this means you want to leave Baroque Works?" Gin questioned.

"To be more accurate, my little sister is leaving and wants to join you. I'm just tagging along to protect her."

"Good for you, I guess." Gin and Zoro shrugged.

"Gum-Gum Pistol!" Luffy's arm shot out, but Mr. 3 changed into wax to prevent damage. "Just stay solid, Wax Guy!"

"My codename is Mr. 3!" the agent yelled. "Wax Harpoon!" Luffy twisted out of the way of the attack, leaving the harpoon to embed itself in a tree behind him.

"Gum-Gum Gatling!" A multitude of rubbery fists converged on Mr. 3, but the wax-man threw up a sphere of wax that caught the attack.

"It's no use," he taunted. "Your strength cannot best my intellect."

"Then what if we add my strength to that?" Mr. 3 was nearly trampled by Coby in Dino Mode, only his ability to turn into wax saving him from broken bones. "For all your talk of intellect, you're really just a one-trick pony, aren't you?"

"Fine then! I'll show you my greatest attack!" The man covered himself in wax before molding it into a large suit of armor that covered all but his head. Spikes protruded from the shoulder plates and boxing gloves of wax made up the hands. "Behold! My Champion Armor! Ms. Goldenweek, please color it for me."

"Can I take a break afterward?" the girl asked.

"Yes, I suppose." Mr. 3 allowed the redhead to climb up, unaware of her true purpose.

"Colors Trap," she declared, "Sadness Blue." She painted the symbol on Mr. 3's face, the only open area. The effect was immediate. A look of utter despair came over his features and he curled up on the floor, still in his armor. Ms. Goldenweek hopped off him and walked over to Luffy and Coby.

"Hello," she greeted the captain with a rice cracker in hand. "My name is Grace, Grace Marigold."

"Hi. I'm Monkey D. Luffy."

"And I'm Coby."

"Captain Luffy," Grace continued. "I've chosen to leave Baroque Works because I believe what Ms. Wedn- err, Princess Vivi said about the boss's promises being lies. Can I join your crew?"

"You want to be a pirate?" Luffy asked.

"I don't have much of a choice. I can't say on this island."

"Do you have a dream to chase?"

"I want to become a painter. One so famous that even the Marines acknowledge my ability."

"I like you," Luffy smiled. "You're welcome aboard."

"I won't go unless you let my sister on, too."

"Who's your sister?"

"That would be me," Ms. Valentine answered, stepping into the conversation with Zoro and Gin, her parasol out. "I'm Amy Palant, Grace's adopted older sister."

"She knocked Mr. 5 unconscious, Don Luffy," Gin informed him. "I think we can trust her."

"So what's your dream?" Luffy asked the blonde.

"My what?"

"Your dream. What do you want to do with your life?"

"I've always wanted to follow in my parents' footsteps and become a chocolatier, but right now, I just want to keep my little sister safe."

"What's a chocolatier?" Coby questioned.

"It's someone who makes chocolate for a living."

"So you make chocolate?" Luffy asked excitedly. Amy nodded. "Join my crew!"

There was an explosion of fire that melted the still-spinning Giant Candle Set. Broggy, now free, stood up and stretched himself. He thanked the Straw Hats before they heard Dorry groan.

"He's alive?!" they all gasped. Dorry sat up, blood oozing out of the slash across his body.

"Old Giant Guy!" Luffy cheered. "You're not dead!"

"The weapons," he explained. "They saved me. They've grown dull from our hundred years of fighting." At that moment, Broggy broke down into happy tears and mindless babble. No one could blame him, though. He hadn't killed his best friend after all.

They were celebrating when Sanji walked into the clearing, a smoking cigarette in his mouth. His presence put the giants on guard since they did not know him. The crew's reactions were mixed.

"Sanji!" Luffy called out happily. "There you are!"

"Where were you during the fight, Mr. Oh-I'm-so-tough-I'll-go-kill-a-dinosaur?" Usopp questioned angrily.

"What went wrong, swirly-eyed bastard?" Zoro taunted. "Get lost?"

"Thanks for nothing!" Nami and Vivi yelled. Gin, Coby, Grace, and Amy stayed silent.

"What did I miss?" the blonde chef asked in confusion.

"There was a big fight," Coby answered. "We won and gained two new crewmembers. This is Grace and her sister Amy." Sanji became a noodle.

"Our crew becomes more bearable with every beautiful woman we add!" He quickly became a gentleman. "Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am the ship's chef, Sanji." He knelt down and kissed Amy's hand before doing the same to Grace.

"Be careful," Coby warned the new girls. "He's a pervert."

The effect was immediate. Sanji looked as if someone had shot him in the heart with an arrow. He bent over, seemingly ready to die from the blunt but true statement.

"Sanji, right?" Amy asked with a sickly-sweet smile, drawing his attention to her. Her voice mirrored her faux-sweetness. "If you peek at, flirt with, or even look at my sister in that way, I will pin you down, sit on your balls, and use my Devil Fruit powers to slowly increase my mass to 10,000 kilograms. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Sanji yelped, paling at the threat to his manhood and family jewels.

"I like this girl," Gin murmured to Zoro.

"Of course you would, you sadistic bastard," Zoro muttered back.

"Hey, giants?" Nami questioned. "How long does it take the log pose to set on this island?"

"One full year," Dorry answered.

"We can't wait here for a year!" Vivi shouted. "By then my country could be gone!"

"Then is it a good thing I found this?" Sanji spoke up, holding up an eternal pose to Alabasta.

"Where did you get that?!"

"Well you all didn't let me explain where I was. Yes, I got lost after the giants stopped fighting, so I wandered around the jungle until I found this building. I think it was made of wax."

"That would be the base Mr. 3 made," Grace commented.

"While I was there, a den-den started ringing, so I picked it up and talked to this Mr. 0 guy."

"You talked to Mr. 0?!" Grace, Amy, and Vivi yelled in shock.

"Yeah. He thought I was this Mr. 3 guy, so I told him that we were dead. He seemed to believe me. Then these two weird animals, an otter and a vulture, showed up and tried to kill me. I won, of course, but the otter dropped this."

"You beat the Unluckies?!" the three former Baroque Works agents yelled, again.

"That means we can leave, right?" Gin said.

"Yes," Nami answered. "Personally, I want to get off of this God-forsaken island as soon as possible."

"I agree," Vivi said. "We need to get to Alabasta."

"Then let's get ready!" Luffy yelled. "Uh, does anyone know the way to the Merry?"

End of Chapter 24

Like I said, a lot of dialogue. again, sorry about that. there will be a little more action next chapter.

Read and Review!

-SwordOfTheGods