[UNDER EDITING] ᗷEIᗪOᑌ→ OᑎE ᑭIEᑕE

Chp 4: Hell's Kitchen

(Artist belongs to: https://mobile.twitter.com/sakonlieur/status/1333062575605510144)

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"Okay, everybody ready?"

Luffy nodded rapidly, a tightly-coiled ball of anticipation, and Usopp leaned in, eager to see a summoning without being distracted by sheer terror.

"Get on with it." Zoro voiced, sitting against the railing where he had been napping. "You've been putting this off for days."

"No one asked for your fucking opinion, Roronoa Zoro!"

Swallowing a laugh at his mock-affronted protest, Nami waved off the byplay with a smile.

Grumbling under her breath, Beidou adjusted the hem of her t-shirt-which had the picture of an adorable panda surrounded by piles of books with the words 'This Is My Happy Place' underneath-and held out a gold key, Usopp watching in slack-jawed awe as ethereal light danced across the Going Merry's deck.

"Cool!" Luffy decided, eyes sparkling as Eisaku lazily wrapped his tail around her wrist for stability. "So I could tell everybody I'm gonna be Pirate King?"

"Well, everyone in range." Beidou allowed, rubbing gently over the lazily-blinking chameleon-Spirit's head so he purred. "And I'm not sure how large that is. I guess we'll see."

"Yup."

"He needs to stop doing that." Nami voiced, a touch queasy when one eye rolled to glance at her as the other followed the progress of Luffy's stretching hand across the deck.

"Bossy." The brunette teased,

"Aw, I didn't get to poke him..."

"You'd have gotten a tongue in your eye for that, so be grateful." She scolded, the rubber boy sticking out his own tongue in disgust at the thought as Zoro chuckled.

"Kinda weird, though."

"No one asked your opinion, Roronoa!"

"So a fighter, a shield, a radio..." Usopp muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Seems like a weird group!"

"Like we aren't?" Beidou snarked, tumbling the crescent moonstone between her fingers.

"All of you are insane." Nami agreed, earning affronted looks from Zoro and Usopp as the claymore-user laughed.

"Come on!" Luffy encouraged, bouncing in place and forcing the swordsman to pin an arm over his waist.

"Really?" Luffy breathed in awe, Zoro face-palming as Beidou rolled her eyes, and Nami snickered.

"Oh, this'll be fun..."

"Noticed that you look like royalty-"

"Don't-"

"Beidou..."

Beidou sighed, shoulders slumping.

"Call me that..."

"Why do they call you that?" Nami wondered,

"Because they're all out to drive me nuts." The claymore-user huffed, though Usopp snapped his fingers.

"Or maybe they think you're a long lost princess that was kidnapped as a baby and stuck in with pirates, but a curse prevents them from telling you, so they're trying to signal your true heritage by calling you royalty!"

...

"Did I hit your head with that barrel?" Beidou drawled, dry as a desert, and Zoro burst into laughter.