Free Heart

Ch 51 - I am Trying to Blend In.

"Someone remind me how this happened again?" Nami growled as she, Usopp, Emmy, Carue, Vivi, and Zoro crouched under a green tarp and crept down a busy street of a port town in Alabasta called Nanohana.

"We landed at Alabasta to find Mr. 3's boat anchored here too so we have to get supplies in the nearest city without getting recognized by anyone..." Emmy summarized, "Oh! And I don't know if this has anything do with us being under here but...Luffy ran off without us to find food."

"I can't believe he ditched even you," Usopp sighed, "He must've been really hungry."

"Well, we were sailing on no food for half a day," Emmy said.

"Partially your fault, Usopp," Nami hissed, "Like this 'brilliant' idea."

She had a point so the first mate held her tongue, despite knowing that the navigator was partially unleashing her frustration out on the sniper.

"There's no telling where Mr. 3 is, so we hafta move without standing out!" Usopp protested.

"Yosh," Sanji said from outside the tarp. He was free to move since he was never spotted by the wax man. Chopper strolled beside him in his four legged form, "Turn left here. There's a quiet corner we can hide in."

"Annnnnd left," Usopp directed and everyone under the tarp moved in unison.

Sanji guided them to the outskirts of the city where there was a ruined building with only three of its four walls still standing. Everyone came rushing out of the heated tarp as soon as Sanji gave the signal that it was safe for them to come out. Emmy used the bandage wrapped around her left arm to wipe the sweat from her brow. Her cuffs were still on her wrists and the one on the left acted as an extra security to hold the bandages in place. When Zoro was wrapping her bandage, he had raised an eyebrow at the sight of Emmy's scars butt said nothing.

"Vivi-chan," Sanji said, "We're safe from view for a little while now."

There was no answer from the princess, who had stayed mute ever since they disembarked their ship. Now that Emmy was out of the tarp, she finally had a chance to study what was bothering the princess.

"Vivi-chan?" Sanji asked.

Vivi's back straightened and she snapped out of her thoughts. "Yes! Yes? You were saying?"

"Vivi-sama..." Emmy said. She came up to the princess and covered her hands with her own, "It's okay to be happy, even if it's just for a brief moment. You don't have to feel guilty."

"Eh?" the pirates asked.

Vivi looked at the first mate and she let out a sheepish smile. "Thank you, Miss Maid...I was just relieved that from what I've seen in this town, things still seem to be all right. But..I know I can't rest easy...I haven't forgotten my duty."

"Yeah, this town does seem quite peaceful," Nami mused.

"Oy, Vivi. What is your plan to stop the rebel army?" Zoro asked bluntly, "What should we do?"

"Eh?" Now it was Vivi's turn to be confused.

"I don't know the details but it seems we are running against the clock," Zoro said, "So we'd better act quickly...Whatever it is we need to do."

"W-W-We?" Vivi repeated, "But...The agreement was only to bring me to Alabasta-"

Tonk!

"Come on now," Nami huffed with a light punch to Vivi's forehead, "Are you still saying that?"

Vivi instinctively went to move her hand to cover the attacked area but then realized that the first mate was still holding onto both her hands. "Nami-san...Miss Maid..." she whispered.