Screw It, I'm Going Out to Find It!

Chapter XLI: Accidental Not Accident

Ruby blinked, looking rather surprised. The celestial dragon laid unconscious on the ground, a small trail of crimson leaking from his nose. Luffy, for what it was worth, managed to look sheepish at the result of his actions. In fact, he began to make the worst mockery of feigning innocence that Ruby had ever seen; he shuffled to the side, trying to escape, while whistling and letting his eyes roam everywhere but the celestial dragon.

Ruby, for her part, was nearly forgotten. If she mimicked Luffy's actions, she would likely be successful. However, the sight of the mermaid still with a metal collar around her neck had Ruby inching in that direction instead. Luffy's act, as she guessed, was not at all effective. Those who had been with the celestial dragon turned to him and shouting ensued. Ruby even spotted one pull out a responder snail and make a call.

When they reached the mermaid, Ruby began to investigate the metal collar. "Stop," the mermaid hissed, pushing Ruby back. "Please, it will explode." Ruby flinched back. The collars were designed to kill the person if taken off? She shook her head; they couldn't just leave her here.

Penny's voice by her side made her jump. "Weddit user AnonymousRat has posted several secrets they found by hacking into —"

"Get to the point, Penny," Ruby urged, glancing over to the men still shouting at Luffy.

Penny skipped forward in her monologue. "Their account was deleted and posts wiped, but I managed to uncover what they had uploaded about these collars. They are designed with —"

"Penny," Ruby snapped as she watched a group of marines rush into the scene. "Just do it!"

With a nod, Penny picked up a rock and swiftly struck the collar. The mermaid grew terrified, shutting her eyes tightly as she waited for the collar to go off. When there was no reaction, Penny continued by unlatching the collar and letting it fall to the ground with a soft thunk. The mermaid marveled at the device fallen onto the mossy ground. Tears, once unshed, began to run down her cheeks as she rushed forward to hug Penny.

Now that the immediate threat was gone, Ruby had enough time to process the fact that she was looking at a mermaid. Moreso that this mermaid was on land.

"Hey!" Ruby's eyes locked onto one of the men pointing in her direction. "They freed the mermaid!"

Without hesitation, Ruby rushed between Penny and the crowd across from them. Crescent Rose found its way into her hands, and she steadied her stance. This had been what she was waiting for, wasn't it? She was fighting for justice, standing against corruption, but she was surrounded and outnumbered.

"Three Mace Style: Exploding Nevermore!" Momentary confusion washed over the crowd before marines were sent flying.

"Ruby!" Blake somersaulted, landing in a crouch near her. "I knew that was your voice."

"You heard me?"

Blake shook her head. "Not exactly. What's the situation?"

Ruby's gaze hardened. "They're selling people, Blake." While Blake kept her gaze forward, Ruby's words took her off guard.

The ground rippled by them, and Jaune emerged from the root. "I'm guessing that's someone you saved?" Jaune nodded toward Penny who was standing protectively in front of the mermaid. Jaune grinned widely. "Get her to the ship. We'll take care of this."

Ruby grimaced at the slowly growing group of marines. This was her fault, and now her friends were cleaning up for her. "But I started this. I can help —"

Jaune cut her off by placing a hand firmly on her shoulder. "You're part of my crew. As your captain, your actions are my responsibility. Right now, though, you need to get her somewhere safe."