Chapter Text
The Prisoner
The boat rocked gently beneath her. She sat on a wooden bench below deck, her hands bound behind her back with ordinary metal cuffs. Every time the ship shifted with the waves, the cuffs pressed against her wrists. She stared at the wooden floor for a moment.
Then sighed.
"Fantastic."
The smell of saltwater drifted through the cracks in the ship, mixing with damp wood, rope, and something that smelled suspiciously like old fish. She shifted against the wall and glanced toward the stairs leading up to the deck. Voices carried faintly from above. Marines. Of course. She'd been captured less than a day ago.
A stupid mistake. A stupid, stupid mistake. Although, technically, she wasn't entirely to blame. Someone had betrayed her. Someone she'd trusted. Someone she'd considered a friend. She still wasn't sure exactly how much the Marines knew. She'd been told about a safe route through a Marine-controlled port. A quiet entrance. Minimal patrols. No reason to suspect anything. She'd believed them. That had been her mistake. The moment she'd stepped into the port, she'd known something was wrong.
One Marine had spotted her. Then another. Then another. Within seconds, Marines had started appearing from streets and alleys where they shouldn't have been anywhere near. They had been waiting. She'd looked around once, realization settling heavily in her stomach. They knew. Someone had told them. She'd fought, obviously. She'd gotten away from the first group. Then the second. Then the third. Unfortunately, there was always a fourth. A Marine had tackled her hard enough to knock the air from her lungs. She'd hit the ground. More Marines had surrounded her. And now she was here...
Being transported to some small Marine base that was apparently close enough to hold her while they figured out what to do with her. It wasn't exactly an impressive operation. From what she could hear, there weren't that many Marines on board.A few footsteps above. Some muffled conversations. The occasional clatter of equipment. Nothing that sounded like a heavily guarded prison transfer.That was good.Very good.It meant fewer people. Fewer people meant fewer problems. She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. She could already feel herself thinking about escape. She wasn't going to sit around and wait for the Marines to decide what happened to her. Absolutely not. The ship continued through the water for another hour or so before it finally began to slow. The change was subtle. The rocking became gentler. Then she heard ropes being thrown. Orders being shouted. Footsteps moving quickly across the deck. They'd arrived. She opened her eyes. A few moments later, someone came down the stairs.
"Get up."
She looked at him.
"Good morning to you too."
The Marine stared at her.
"Move."
She sighed. "Charming."
He frowned but didn't bother answering. She stood, stretching her shoulders as much as the cuffs allowed. Two Marines followed her as she climbed the stairs. The sunlight hit her eyes the moment she reached the deck. She blinked. The Marine base was already visible. It was small. Very small. A handful of buildings stood behind a low stone wall, with a few Marine flags hanging above them. There were watch posts, a small dock, storage buildings, and a couple of ships anchored nearby. Nothing impressive. Nothing that looked like a major Marine stronghold. Probably just a local base. A place meant for patrols, supplies, and handling small problems. Apparently, she was currently considered one of those problems. She looked around carefully. Not because she was interested. Because she was memorizing everything: The dock, the entrance, the number of Marines, the buildings, the paths between them, the windows the doors. Where the guards stood. Where people came and went. It wasn't much. But she didn't need much. She only needed one opportunity. The ship reached the dock. A Marine stepped forward and grabbed her arm. She glanced down at his hand. Then up at him.
"You know, I can walk."
"I know."
"Then why are you holding me?" He didn't answer.
She smiled faintly.
"Right."
They led her off the ship. As soon as her feet touched the dock, she continued studying the base. Small, quiet, understaffed. At least compared to what she'd expected. That was promising. The Marines brought her through the entrance and into the main building. Inside, everything was even simpler. A few hallways. Several offices. A storage room. A staircase. She noticed a Den Den Mushi sitting on a desk as they passed. A couple of Marines carrying boxes. Someone arguing about paperwork. Someone else complaining about lunch. It almost felt normal. Almost. She kept walking. She didn't need to memorize every room. Just the important things. She glanced over her shoulder once. A Marine noticed.
"What are you looking at?"
She smiled. "Nothing."
He didn't look convinced. She turned back around. They reached a staircase. The Marines started leading her down. She took the first few steps.
Then...CRASH! as if someone fell.
Something heavy hit the stairs somewhere below. She stopped.
There was a brief silence.
Then a muffled voice.
"...ow."
She blinked.
One of the Marines beside her looked down the stairs.
She raised an eyebrow."Your friend okay?"
"Keep moving."
"Well, excuse me."
They continued down the stairs. At the bottom, someone was standing against the wall. She noticed him immediately. He was tall. Very tall. Tall enough that, for a second, she wondered if the ceiling had been built specifically with him in mind. He wore a Marine uniform, though it looked slightly disheveled. His coat hung loosely around his shoulders, and there was something about the way he stood that seemed almost awkward, as if he wasn't entirely sure what to do with all that height. In his hands was a pair of seastone cuffs. The Marine escorting her stopped beside him.
"She's all yours."
"Thank you." His voice was polite. Almost too polite.
He gave his colleague a small nod, and the other Marine walked away without another word. She watched him go. Then looked back at the tall Marine. She certainly didn't know that his name was Rosinante. And she had no idea how important that brief encounter would eventually become. For now, she had other things to worry about. He was still holding the cuffs. She looked at them. Then at him. Then back at the cuffs.
"So..." The tall Marine cleared his throat. "I just need to..." He stepped toward her.
She immediately stepped backward. He stopped.
"Relax," his voice was soft. "I'm not going to hurt you."
She stared at him. "You're a Marine."
He blinked.
"That's already enough." For a second, he didn't seem to know how to respond.
Then he gave a small, awkward nod. "Right."
He took another careful step toward her. She didn't move this time. He stopped in front of her. Up close, he looked even taller. She had to tilt her head slightly just to look at his face. He seemed almost painfully aware of how close he was standing.
"I'm just going to put these on."
She glanced down at the cuffs. "Those aren't the usual ones."
"No."
She narrowed her eyes. Seastone. Great! The Marine crouched down in front of her. He reached for her wrists. She instinctively tensed.
He paused. "Sorry."
She stared at him. "Do you apologize to every pirate you arrest?"
He hesitated "...No."
He carefully took hold of her wrists, removed the old handcuffs, and brought her hands together behind her back. The cuffs were heavier than the ordinary ones she'd been wearing. Cold, too. She felt the weight immediately. Click. The first cuff locked around her wrist. Then the second. Click. She pulled against them experimentally. Nothing. Of course. The Marine stood again and checked the cuffs one more time.
She looked at him. "You know I'm not a Devil Fruit user, right?"
His expression remained polite. "I'm just following orders, ma'am."
She stared at him for a moment. Then laughed quietly.
"Of course you are."
He looked relieved that she wasn't arguing anymore. He stepped aside. After putting her behind bars.
"Please wait here."
She glanced around. There was a small holding room just beside them. No iron bars. Just cheaply made wooden ones and simple room inside. She looked at him.
"You're not even going to lock me in a proper cell?"
"It's temporary."
"That's reassuring."
He opened the door. She stepped inside. Before the door closed, she looked back at him. He was already moving toward the side of the hallway, putting himself out of the way. Still polite. Still awkward. Interesting. The door shut. She turned around. The room was small. There was a simple table pushed against one wall with two chairs beside it. A narrow window sat high above her head. The walls were thick stone. There was no bed. No toilet. It wasn't really a prison cell. More like a temporary holding room. She slowly walked around it. She'd barely finished looking at the window when she heard footsteps outside. Not the hurried footsteps of ordinary Marines. These were slower. Heavier. Severals voices followed. She frowned. The door opened. The tall figure standing there wasn't Rosinante this time.It was Sengoku. She blinked. For a moment, she simply stared at him. Out of everyone she'd expected to see down here, he wasn't exactly at the top of the list. She looked past him into the hallway. Then back at him.
"You came down here?"
Sengoku stepped into the room. "We're not moving you through the entire base."
She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because you're a captured pirate who has already demonstrated that she can cause trouble."
She smiled.
He closed the door behind him. The room suddenly felt smaller. Sengoku stood across from her.
"You'll remain here until we determine what to do with you."
"How long?"
"That's not for you to decide."
"Shame."
His expression didn't change but Rosinante had a small corner smile. He began asking questions.
Where had she come from? Who did she work for? Did she have allies? Where was her crew? How had she entered the port? She answered some.
Lied about others. And refused to answer a few entirely. She didn't tell him about the betrayal. Not because she trusted the person who'd betrayed her. Quite the opposite. He studied her for a moment.
"You'll be kept here for now."
"So I'm basically waiting."
"Yes."
She sighed. "Fantastic."
Sengoku turned toward the door. Then paused.
"One more thing."
She looked at him.
"We're gonna know who was your informations teller someway somehow."
She smiled. "I'm sure of it."
He gave her a long look. Behind him, the tall Marine was still staring at her. Then he moved. Both men left. The door closed behind them. She stood there for a moment. Then looked down at the seastone cuffs.
"Well, not we wait" She walked over to a corner and sat down.
The Escape
Two days later. That was how long she ended up staying there. She learned the sounds. The footsteps. Which Marines talked too loudly. She even learned when meals were brought through. It wasnt enough to escape. But it was enough to make a plan. Then, on the evening of the second day... Smoke. The Alarm rang. Then she smelled something burning. She stood. A shout echoed through the hallway. Then another.
"FIRE!"
She walked toward the bars. Footsteps thundered past. Someone yelled for water. Another Marine shouted something she couldn't make out. Something about an Invasion. The smell of smoke grew stronger.
She smiled. "Well."
She looked at the door. "That's convenient."
The chaos outside grew louder. The door opened suddenly. A Marine rushed past without even looking at her. She waited.
One second.
Two.
Three.
That's her Chance. She started kicking the cheap wooden bars holding her cell together.
Once...Twice...Again...CRACK.
Nobody noticed. Everyone was too busy dealing with the fire. She moved quickly. Not running. Not yet. Running would attract attention. She slipped around a corner and entered one of the offices. Desks. Paperwork. Drawers. And...Keys. Her eyes widened as she sees a bagel on the desk. There were several key rings sitting on a desk. She grabbed all of them as she put the bagel in her mouth.
"Thank you."
Then she spotted a Marine coat hanging over a chair. She grabbed that too. She hurried back into the hallway.
One key.
Nothing.
Another.
Nothing.
Third.
Nothing.
"Come on..."
She tried another. Click!
The first seastone cuff opened. She stared at it.
"Oh."
She quickly tried another key. Click! The second cuff fell open.
She grinned. "LUCKY ME!"
She shoved the keys into her pocket and ran. The hallway was still chaos. Smoke drifted through the building. Marines were shouting. She reached the next door that looked like a back door exit.
Locked. She tried another key. Nothing. Another. Nothing.
"Seriously?"
She tried another. Click!
The door opened. She pushed it forward. And stopped. Outside. Rain poured from the sky. Heavy, cold, relentless. She stared at it for half a second.
Then..."Oh my God." She laughed.
She stepped outside. The rain hit her face. For the first time in three days, she could breathe without smelling stone walls and Marine uniforms.
She laughed again. "Finally."
Then the alarm started ringing louder. She froze. "Not quite."
A Marine shouted from inside.
"THE PRISONER ESCAPED!"
She glanced back.
"Yeah, I noticed!"
She took off running. She laughed as she disappeared into the storm.
"You're welcome!" And then she was gone.
Caught
Two Weeks Later
For the next two weeks, she kept moving. She avoided Marine territory whenever she could. Changed clothes. Used fake names. Boarded different ships. Slept in hidden places. Never stayed anywhere long enough for anyone to remember her face. But one thought stayed with her. The betrayal. Someone had sold her out. Someone she'd trusted. And eventually, she was going to find out who. Unfortunately, finding someone required information. Information required connections. And connections required finding people who knew things. The Doflamingo Family. Dangerous people. Violent people. Pirates who didn't exactly have the reputation for welcoming. Still, she needed information. So she went. She expected trouble.
She expected Doflamingo.
What she didn't expect... Was him. The moment she stepped into the hideout, she noticed the familiar and new figure among the others. Tall. Awkward. Trying very hard to look like he belonged there. His hair was messier than when she saw him last time. Different look, outfits and most of all. Makeup, with a clown smile. Her eyes narrowed. She didn't recognize him because of his face. She recognized his hands. Their were rough but strangely elegant, with long and worn knuckles, Thin scars and faded burn marks crossed his skin, souvenirs of his countless accidents. It was far from perfect but every little imperfection every pale scars made it unmistakably his. Those same hands had put the seastone cuffs around her wrists.
The awkward Marine. The one she'd passed on the stairs. Except now... He wasn't wearing a Marine uniform. He was standing among Doflamingo's men. And his attittude was cold and serious.
Her eyes met his.
He froze...
She smiled. He immediately looked away. She almost laughed.
Oh.
This was going to be fun.