Kunoichi amongst Pirates

Battles in Little Garden

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HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS CHAPTER

'Where could they be?"

Sakura's heart was racing as she zipped through the dense forest, her nimble body leaping effortlessly from branch to branch. Her friends were split into three groups, so she was sure that if she covered the ground of the entire island she would eventually find someone. With her speed and agility, she would be able to cover more ground and could easily navigate through the treacherous terrain.

As she moved through the forest, her senses were on high alert. She could hear the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves, as well as the low rumblings of the dinosaurs that also dwelled on the island. She was hoping that one of these sounds would clue her in on her friend's whereabouts. Luffy was usually quite loud, and Nami and Usopp would be screaming if they ran into any dangerous predators, which was possible every turn of the way here.

She continued to dart through the trees, her lithe body twisting and turning as she made her way deeper into the forest. Her eyes scanned the forest floor below. After a few minutes of searching Sakura caught a glimpse of movement in the distance.

That's when she saw Nami! The girl was leaning against a tree, still, and didn't respond when Sakura called out to her.

"Nami!"

On the ground now, Sakura ran over to her, but still, there was no reaction.

"Finally, I found you!" Sakura called out, relief washing over her. But as she got closer, she realized that something was off.

The figure remained eerily still and didn't move, even when she was right in front of it. When she didn't sense any presence from her, and when she touched Nami, Sakura felt the texture. This wasn't Nami, but a statue carved in her exact image. Just like a clone.

'But who can do this?' It was just wax after all but Sakura was officially convinced that they were not the only people on this island.

Suddenly, she heard laughter from the shadows. She spun around and saw Miss Valentine twirling her yellow umbrella, a smug grin on her face.

"Well, well, well," Miss Valentine sneered. "Looks like you fell right into our trap, little girl."

This was a trap set by the notorious Baroque Works. If she was here then chances were the other agent had followed them to Little Garden, despite what they were told about not needing to pursue them, Sakura should've known better than to trust the words of an enemy.

"You're here..." Sakura glanced back at the wax figure, "What did you do to my friends!?"

Miss Valentine laughed again, mockingly twirling her umbrella. "Oh, nothing much. We were just having a little fun with them,"

"Them?"

"That little girl, the princess, the swordsmen, and your captain..." Miss Valentine's smile widened, "And now you,"

Out of instinct, her fists clenched at her side, "Where are my friends?"

"Do you really want to know?" Miss Valentine strolled across circling Sakura, "I'll be happy to take you to them, though you're a little late to the party. We already made a cake,"