Our journey across the New World Sea to reach Dressrosa to say the least, was full of expected mayhem. To this day, it seemed we were yet to experience a voyage without something wanting to either kidnap us, or kill us. In the short time we were at sea, we'd suffered an attack by sea monkeys as well as a nightmare fiasco in a floating circus.
Besides our uncanny luck in finding ourselves in trouble, as well as the amount of mayhem Luffy managed to get us into on a daily basis, it was a miracle that we had survived up to this point. Considering Luffy's being a magnet for trouble, the crew and I were on the brink of hiring a priest, to see if they would have any luck of cleansing this hyperactive man-child we called a captain of whatever curse he held.
Aside from our adventurous run-ins with several suspicious characters, the weather had been as cooperative as you would expect, considering we were sailing within the New World. From stormy seas, to hurling snowstorms, we had been plagued with bad weather since our departure from Punk Hazard. So when we had woken up this morning, besides Zoro of course who had volunteered for the nightshift, we were pleasantly surprised by the shining sun and clear skies that greeted us. We all, including Law and our Wano Kingdom companions, had taken the chance to dress lightly and have breakfast out on the grassy lawn, enjoying our last few moments of peace before we would have to disembark at Dressrosa, seeing as the island was within sighting distance at the present moment.
I had chosen to sit on the low hanging swing as the others sprawled out over the expansive deck, taking advantage of the cooling shade the branches and leaves the young tree on deck provided. Whilst I enjoyed the warm weather as well as the next person, I wasn't willing to stay under the bright sun for long periods of time, not wanting to burn or sweat so early on in the morning. Zoro seemed to not mind either way, seeing as he was leaning against the deck wall not too far from where I'd sat, his swords at his side as he napped peacefully, the sun's rays brightening his tanned skin to an even darker bronze, a shade that suited him too well, seeing as I was having a hard time looking away from the dozing man.
As we all made light conversation, we were interrupted by the News-Coo, the seagull-like bird which made the daily newspaper runs. Law was quick to grab the paper and read it out loud, as Nami went to pay the creature that patiently waited for its payment. It seemed that Doflamingo had honoured Law's requests, despite how unwilling I thought he would have been. Printed in bold on the front page was the condition Law had laid out for the return of Caesar.
The abdication of Donquixote Doflamingo from his position as both the ruling monarch of Dressrosa, and as a Shishibukai for the World Government.
"I should warn you," I started, interrupting the momentary silence that befell the crew at the news, "Doflamingo isn't the type of person to take such demands lying down, despite how desperate he might be for Caesar's return. He's the type of person that has contacts everywhere, so for this to have gone so easily, means that there's another game he's playing, especially with how conniving of a person he is. I can't imagine he would give up the two things that grant him power in this world so easily, even with the separate influence he holds in the Black Market" I muttered, my gaze still focused on the printed text that verified that he had renounced his seat. I wasn't too willing to believe the black and white words, knowing the influence the sunglass-wearing weirdo had in both the news agencies and the World Government.
"I wouldn't expect anything less of him, Lana-ya" Law stated with a hard glare at the picture of Doflamingo that had been printed alongside the article, his clenched fists crinkling the edges of the paper. With all the commotion, Zoro had woken up to our glum expressions, his eyes trained silently on both Law and I as he regarded what was being discussed.
The tense atmosphere that had developed was broken by the ringing of the ship's Den Den Mushi, and without hesitation, Luffy picked up the receiver, barking out what had quickly become his catchphrase over the years.
"Moshi, moshi. This is Luffy, the future pirate king!"
-----------------------------
Walking away from the chaos that had ensued at Luffy's words, everyone rushing to chide the idiot for his honesty, I headed down to the dormitory that Nami, Robin and I shared below deck, wanting to change my attire into something a bit more practical and battle-friendly. Considering the unavoidable events that would soon take place, the blue knee-length sundress Nami had forced me into this morning wouldn't be very sensible to fight in.
I was quick to change into a beige blouse with a sweater vest over, along with a comfortable pair of black trousers. It seemed my timing couldn't have been better, because as I was slipping on a pair of combat boots, Sanji's call for disembark rung through the sound system that ran throughout the ship. Exiting the dormitory, I was met with Zoro, who had seemed to be in wait as he stood leaning against the opposite wall.
When Zoro and I had decided that we would start our relationship, we had both been in agreement that we would, for the time being, keep what we had between us a secret. We simply felt that with the mayhem and drama we were currently faced with, it would be best if the others weren't aware of our situation, wanting to enjoy the moments we had between us without the stress of the others knowing. Despite the secrecy, it didn't stop him from sneaking in kisses every now and then, when we were sure that no one was looking.
"I really did like that dress of yours" Zoro proclaimed with a small smirk as he pushed off the wall, closing the small distance between us with a few strides. I leaned back against the closed dormitory door with his approach, my hands placed behind me as I coyly looked up at him from through my lashes, grinning as he leaned forward to place his arms on either side of me, effectively trapping me against the door.
"Mhh, I noticed" Sanji and Brook's yells of excitement at my attire when I had showed up for breakfast had certainly been expected, seeing as they couldn't really control their perverted nature very well when it came to the opposite sex, especially when I was wearing something so out of the norm. What I hadn't expected though, was the dust of pink along Zoro's cheeks as he greeted me that morning, clearly finding it difficult to maintain eye contact with me. He bent down so that his lips hovered over my own, the small brush felt as he smirked, my own only smaller and more shy as he maintained eye contact. I was finding it difficult to look him in the eye, especially when his gaze felt so heavy and intimate.
"You really know how to get me going don't you?" He chuckled, his eyes hooded as he held my gaze, before closing the distance to place a deep kiss upon my lips. He maintained the contact with sweet kisses, his hands moving to encircle my waist, pushing me gently against the dormitory door. The touch and how he held me was one thing that always pleasantly surprised me, for he acted in the exact opposite way someone would expect from the brute of a man.
He had always been kind, respecting any boundaries I had and was never too pushy when it came to close contact, but if I was to be honest, I really hadn't known what to expect from him when we decided to give this relationship a go, but to find that he was always a gentleman was something I cherished and enjoyed greatly.
As he continued trailing kisses along the edge of my jaw and down my neck, the only thing I seemed to be capable of doing was holding onto his shoulders so I wouldn't fall to the ground on weakened knees. Just when he'd inched lower to the edge of my collared blouse, his hand caressing my clothed hip, he pulled away, breathing out a husky chuckle just below my ear, the sensation sending involuntary shivers at the feeling of his warm breath.
"It seems we've got company" He stated with a smirk, glancing to the side. My attention turned to see Kin'emon, who stood at the end of the hallway with a hanging jaw and steam seeming to blow out from his nose and ears with blushing cheeks. I looked on in mortification at the idea of being seen during an intimate moment, my grip on Zoro tightening as I drew closer to him with embarrassment.
"Zoro-Dono! Lana-Dono! I-I wasn't aware you both..." He left his sentence trailing, though it didn't require a genius to figure out what he was implying.
"U-Umm" I turned to Zoro, who didn't seem all that worried over the fact that someone had just witnessed us practically snogging in the middle of the hallway. If anything, he seemed smug, only watching the flustered Samurai babble in silence, his hands not having dropped from where they were placed on my hips.
"Everyone was questioning your whereabouts. I will inform them you are busy!" He bows hastily before zooming off in the opposite direction.
"Wait!" My hand outstretched in the direction he had run off, in some half-baked attempt to stop the man before he could blabber to the others, but could only groan seeing as the samurai was no longer in sight. I turned to Zoro with a frown, whacking him lightly on the chest at the large smirk he'd donned, his amusement with the situation only worsening my mood.
"This is your fault you know" I muttered sulkily, my face bright red at the embarrassment of being caught in such a compromising position. It seemed he couldn't control his amusement any further, as he only burst out laughing, reaching to hug me tightly as I looked away with a pout. It seemed my annoyance was funny, as he only continued to chuckle, placing a chaste peck on my forehead before nudging me towards the stairwell that led to the main deck.
"It can't be helped, but I can't say I'm not happy that at least one pervert knows you're off-limits" He stated with a wide smile before walking off towards his room, leaving me with a gaping mouth at his confidence.
"When did he become so confident?" I questioned, standing there in a flustered mess. To think not more than a month ago, when I had confessed to this Marimo, he wouldn't even hold my hand without second guessing himself.
------------------
After that little incident below deck, and confirming that Kin'emon hadn't blabbed to the rest of the crew, we'd come to the agreement that Nami, Chopper and Brook would stay onboard the Sunny to keep watch over the situation from afar and guarding the ship, whilst Robin, Usopp, Law and I being assigned to returning Caesar to the agreed drop-off point. The rest of us were none the wiser to where the place was, but Law seemed familiar with the terrain, so he'd been named 'leader' for the rest of the mission. This, of course, left our Monster Trio (Luffy, Sanji and Zoro), as well as Franky and Kin'emon, to be the 'SMILE factory' destruction team, which was where Doflamingo, aka 'Joker', manufactured the artificial Devil's Fruit that Caesar was so desperately in need for.
"Okay, you lot. I'm only going to say this once. Don't you dare draw attention to yourselves. I'm sure Law and I went over everything at least twice, so none of you have an excuse for messing things up. Luffy, do I make myself clear?" It seemed that the only person that wasn't listening to a word I was saying was of course Luffy, who only looked listlessly into the distance with a finger up his nose. He mumbled a reluctant 'Yes ma'am', clearly pouting at the instructions I knew he hadn't even bothered to remember, before the group walked away. Robin had to hold me down with the aid of her Devils Fruit as I moved to follow the idiot with the goal of beating him.
"That idiot is going to get us all killed" I groaned, losing the willpower to go after him after a few moments of struggling. Noticing I had given up, Robin eased her Devils Fruit ability, her arms disappearing in a flutter of sakura petals.
"I don't know why you bother, Lana-Chan. We all know Luffy-San is going to do what he always does" Brook stated as he swung his cane about, having been observing the struggle impartially.
"Yeah, being a shit-stirrer" I couldn't help but mutter as we watched them shrink into the distance, their suit-clad bodies only a mess of black and white before they completely disappeared. I had been so riled up with making sure they wouldn't cause a mess, that I hadn't been able to fully appreciate Zoro in his suit, looking rather charming with his open blazer ensemble. Making a mental note of cornering him when he got back, I waved off Robin who continued to hover over me, probably thinking I would make a break for Luffy again.
"Well, that is one way of putting it. Good luck on your endeavours everyone" Brook nodded before walking off, presumably to fetch himself a cup of milk before he settled down for first watch.
"We should be heading out ourselves, it's going to take us a while if we want to do this inconspicuously" Law stated, nudging Caesar forward as we too began the trek to Green Bit, where the 'Caesar-exchange' was going to happen. We allowed Law to lead the way, pulling out sunglasses to hopefully conceal our identities a little. As we walked through the busy high street, observing the pedestrians as they conducted their business, it was safe to say that the rumours of this island didn't really do it justice. I'd previously heard about the citizens that resembled walking toys, but to see them with my own eyes was slightly daunting. Though, considering how strange the New World was, I should expect these sort of situations to become more frequent.
We thought it was best to scope out the area before heading to the rendezvous point by disguising ourselves as tourists, deciding to grab some food at the nearby café that had the Green Bit Bridge in its view, a structure we would have to cross if we were to reach the meeting point in time. The waiter had greeted us enthusiastically, his eyes lingering on Robin and I before Usopp and Law called for his attention, which seemed to bring him to lead us to our seats on the outside porch. As we moved through the crowded seating area, I hadn't seen the passerby until I had accidentally bumped into them, toppling over slightly before the person's arm had reached to steady me.
"Oh, I'm so sorry about that" I muttered as the person helped me to my feet. Due to the awkward positioning, the person was standing behind me, preventing me from seeing their face. I could tell that they were a great deal taller than me, and I only hoped that the person didn't have a nasty temper. The last thing we needed was a scene being made.
"No worries, Miss" The man chuckled, his hand brushing over my shoulders before turning away. I looked back to see a large top hat concealing his eyes from the public view, a long tail coat enveloping their tall figure. As he walked away, my eyes continued to follow him. Something about that mop of blonde hair and top hat were strangely nostalgic.
"Oi Lana, don't wonder off!" Law shouted from the table, having already settled down at their table when I'd run into the man.
"I'll just be a minute" I called back, turning to give another apology to the stranger, but only to see that he was already gone, no where in sight.
------------------------------
The first chapter of the year! Finally the Dressrosa Arc is beginning and you all now what's going to happen ;)
I also wanted to say something about what happened in the KPOP community in December. To be honest I've been a SHAWOL since 2011 and the reason why I got into the KPOP scene was because of SHINee, and to see one of the people I've looked up to for 7 years has passed on was extremely saddening. I just hope he is in a better place now.
#RIPJonghyun