Sorbet Kingdom is one of the biggest kingdoms in south blue affiliated with the World Government. The island is known for its tropical weather, palm trees, and a few forests.
To the north lies the castle town where the royal family lives with the working citizens, statesmen, and merchants. To the south, a dozen kilometres from the capital exists Elderly Village, which had been rebuilt in the past after King Bekori burned it, hoping to get rid of the deadweights who weren't able to help him pay the world government's tribute.
His actions didn't go unnoticed; his segregation and enslavement of his people brought the freedom fighters to his door. A quick defeat followed, and Bekori, the former corrupt king, fled the country.
Two years ago, he returned once more to power with vengeance. Inspired by what happened in the Goa Kingdom, he enacted his plan to burn the rebuilt Elderly Village once more.
The few ministers, citizens, and wealthy merchants protested against this tyranny, but he paid them no mind and killed a few of them to prove his point.
However, this time his actions led to retaliation by a Sorbet citizen, Kuma, whom the former Queen Dowager sought for help.
After hearing about the tragedy that was about to happen, Kuma, the calm church priest, faced Bekori and blew him and the castle to bits and became a king chosen by the people of the island.
But peace couldn't be maintained for long, as Bekori, who miraculously survived, started slandering Kuma as a king, which led to him gaining the title of Tyrant. This time, he brought along with him three marine battleships, expecting Kuma to abdicate and hand himself over.
Kuma didn't want this corrupt king to return to power once more; he had done too many horrors to the land and its citizens. Not to mention that his daughter Bonney lived there.
So he made a decision and sank Bekori alongside the three marine ships. Kuma, after this, became a fugitive, and Bulldog, the former king, returned to his old seat, restoring peace to the land.
The southern edge of the island is home to a tropical forest, with palm trees and relatively rough terrain. Under the shade of tall trees, there was a group of people standing looking at the sea.
The group was made of four men standing behind a blonde-haired woman. The men wore simple clothing: brown and black jackets, simple shirts, and either blue or black pants.
The woman who appeared to be in the lead wore nurse clothing with high stockings and glasses. Over her outfit, she wore a short coat.
"I'm afraid that this might lead to trouble…" one of the men spoke with worry.
"Shh, stop distracting me," Alpha, the blonde woman, clicked her tongue and looked with the spyglass. Far out on the sea, she saw two ships, one trailing the bigger ship, approaching the island.
"So the reports proved to be true…" she lowered the spyglass, then turned to her subordinate. The way she looked at them was as if she was determining their worth.
"Several Marine ships spotted them, of course, the reports would be true." One of the men spoke but soon had to lower his head under the woman's glare.
Alpha huffed after seeing the man's reaction, then looked at the group entirely.
"We have only recently acquired the girl. I don't want anything to endanger the mission. Two of you will follow them. I want one of you to be stationed in the town, and the other one will monitor them at a distance."
She looked at the men before her, her face hardening after each word she said.
"There's so much at stake here. The higher-ups delegated this mission to us; there can be no room for error."
"Y-yes," they gulped. The group never got used to working under this two-faced demon. If it weren't for the danger of becoming a fugitive, they'd have ganged up on her a long time ago.
"Now, go!" She made a dismissive gesture with her hand, then walked back through the forest.
Alpha, after a few minutes, started running faster as if she was in a hurry. Unlike her nurse disguise, the speed she travelled at, with her high heels indicated that she was a trained fighter.
Fifteen minutes later, she emerged from the forest, walking gracefully, yet a frown could be seen on her face. The arrival of that ship that should've been in the New World spelt trouble for her mission.
The child arrived only one month ago, a month before she heard about what happened on Dalness Island, and because of her status as a Cipher Pol agent, she was privy to more classified information such as Kizaru's retreat.
Alpha walked forward and stopped before a church surrounded by a high iron fence with a gate in the middle. The building behind the enclosure was rectangular, with a gable roof, a rectangular bell tower at the extremity of the front facade, and an annexe small building juxtaposed to the back.
Alpha stood before the gate, silent for half a dozen heartbeats. Then mechanically, her face morphed. Gone was the frown and the superior look; in its place was a warm smile that could melt the heart of anyone.
She pushed the door and entered. Her high heels echoed on the cobblestone path. She ascended the few stairs, then opened the several-meter-high wooden main door.
The space inside was unlike the exterior as one would've expected from a religious building. The inside was artificially brightly lit; every window had thick curtains that blocked the light or were closed off entirely by wooden planks.
The wide space had been remodelled; the chairs were removed, and a number of toys flanked the length of the building until they reached a few centimetres elevated platform on which the dais where the sermon would take place.
"Miss Nurse, is that you?" purple eyes peeked through a hole in one of the big play boxes.
"It's me, dear." Alpha smiled warmly and walked to the door on the right side.
"Is it time for my medicine? Can't you change its taste, pleeaaase!"
Alpha put a hand under her cheek and laughed sweetly.
"Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that. The medicine will lose its effect, and you won't be cured."
"Hmmm, alright… but remember to bring me a lot of meat next time, and I mean a lot, like a small mountain…" the young voice spoke with excitement.
"I won't forget, darling. Wait for me to fetch your medicine," Alpha said sweetly, then walked to the side door, unlocked it, and entered.
Immediately after she locked the door, her smile disappeared. She calmly walked behind the desk and sat down. Alpha looked at the old-looking den den mushi for a few seconds, then picked up the receiver.
A few seconds passed, then a voice came from the other side.
"Report your status."
"Alpha, Sorbet Island. Sapphire scale."
The other side went silent for a moment, then spoke.
"What's the matter? Why did you call?"
Alpha took a deep breath. "We might have a situation where you have to report to the saint."
"What happened?" the other side grew serious.
"Nothing has happened yet, but we sighted the Kuja pirate ship heading to this island…"
A sound of finger-tapping came from the other side. "For now, focus on your mission. Evade any contact and post a few agents to keep an eye on them, but remember to do that from afar. Or, if close, they must be under a well-prepared disguise."
Alpha nodded. She had made the right decision already.
"Roger that."
"Focus on your mission. Its importance is beyond your imagination. As for your message, I'll relay it to the saint." Then abruptly, the call ended.
Alpha sighed, then stood up. She walked to the wall cabinet and took a yellow bottle and a small vial. She opened the yellow bottle and took a sip.
An acid-bitter flavour, similar to lemon zest pith, spread through her mouth. She smirked, then filled the small vial and promptly exited the room.
"Little Bonney, it's time for your medicine!" she smiled while calling sweetly as if she were the child's mother.
____________________
"Ah, finally we've arrived!" Andretta stretched her lithe figure, enjoying the evening breeze.
"I see that you prefer land more." Alexander walked with Hancock from behind her.
Andretta lazily waved her hand. "It's not like I dislike the open sea, but having firm ground under your feet once in a while is affirming—we are not fish, after all."
"That's true." Alexander nodded. Sometimes he missed the seemingly endless land between.
"Don't lie! Admit that you're a beast who likes to run on all fours." Axe's head popped behind Alexander's back as he smirked at Andretta.
Andretta didn't burst out in anger. Instead, she chuckled and looked meaningfully at Axe's bruised eye. "Ohoho! Isn't it Mister Panda Face? How's your face looking today? Mind if I take you to the zoo?"
"You little bitch!" Axe's smirk wore off as he stepped from behind Alexander, weapon already in hand.
"Enough!" Alarin's voice immediately sent shivers down their spines. They stopped in their place and looked at the green-haired man, who had smacked them enough to know where they stood against him.
Alexander and Hancock chuckled. Their fights always amused him. "Let's go and check out the nearby town first," he said, then looked at Sabine.
"You said an experienced shipwright lives here, right?"
Sabine, who came with Alarin, nodded her head. "I remember Father talking about him. He said that the man was a skilled shipwright and had six hands…"
"Okay then, let's head for the nearby town and see what we find," Alexander said. Then he and Hancock took everyone, including Daisy, Rindo, Ran, and Cosmos, leaving a few Kuja pirates to guard the ship.
Under his lead, they slowly walked through the forest. They traversed through the terrain and weren't bored, as Axe and Andretta turned everything that came their way into a competition or a bicker that earned the glare of Alarin.
Twenty minutes later, they walked out of the forest. Before them was a small town. Its building architecture was strange, as they were somehow inspired by the form of various ice creams and popsicles.
"What a strange place!" Alexander murmured.
"Look, they are looking at us," Sabine added, as several civilians noticed their approach, wariness apparent on their faces, which wasn't strange at all when unfamiliar faces come to small towns.
"Stop being weird, you're scaring them." Andretta lightly elbowed Axe.
Axe had to grit his teeth as he looked at her. "Why do you keep messing with me? Are you in love with me?"
He snorted and walked off ahead of the group, asking questions about a local bar where they could quickly find clues about the man they were searching for.
"Me, in love with this brute?" Andretta looked at Sabine and asked incredulously.
Sabine looked at Andretta. The way she asked seemed a bit strange to her. What's more, there was a light blush she noticed.
"Hmm, you may be a fitting pair after all..." She chuckled and then immediately ignored the loud shouting that followed from her crewmate.
"Captain, there's a local bar where they might know something." Axe returned with some information to Alexander.
"Good, we might as well go there. Alexander hasn't eaten yet," Hancock expressed her agreement.
"Haha, sure, let's go." Alexander, under the strange gazes of his crewmates, slid his hand around Hancock's waist and strode forward.
"Why does she look upset?" Axe asked Sabine, noticing the sulking look on Andretta's face.
Sabine looked at him, then an amused smile sprang on her face.
"Oh, it's nothing," she left him bewildered.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?" he unwillingly asked Andretta.
"IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" She shouted in his face. Axe regretted worrying about her, then he opened his mouth.
"WHY SHOUT AT ME THEN, YOU CRAZY WOMAN?" he began shouting as well.
"Me? Crazy?"
A loud cursing started at the back. Alarin, by this point, had already given up on trying to straighten their behaviour. When they got back to the ship, he would discipline them more.
A few hundred steps inside the town, they found the bar mentioned, positioned on the left of the street that cut straight through the town.
"They're starting to annoy me," Alexander said as he looked at the circular white-painted building made entirely out of stone, its shape resembling an ice cream cup with how round the roof was and the chimney that extended beyond what should have been the norm.
"They are indeed persistent…" Hancock added.
"Do you want me to go and catch them?" Alarin asked. Ever since they had stepped on this island, they had sensed a pair of eyes staring at them from a far distance. They were the only ones to notice it—the rest of the crew's Observational Haki hadn't reached this stage yet.
"No, leave them be for now. Maybe they'll leave after we enter this bar," Alexander said, then pushed the double door, entering with his crew in tow.
Once inside, they were met with the silent stares of some old men. Alexander looked around. This place looked like any other bar he had seen before, except for the spotless white walls and the counter made of stone.
He didn't say anything and walked close to the counter side where a few tables were arranged. Sabine and the Kujas immediately grouped them, then they sat, taking an entire corner of the bar to themselves.
"These old men's stares are quite scary," Sabine muttered.
"Leave them be, that's how most old people are," Alexander laughed, but he had to admit their stare was fearless and quite intense, with raised eyebrows and bulging eyes that looked at them, especially Hancock, with disregard.
"Where's the bartender?" Axe loudly shouted.
"I'm coming!" A voice came from behind the door curtain behind the counter.
A few seconds later, a man in his thirties lifted the curtains and emerged. He was tall and fit with an average-looking face, wearing a brown apron on top of a yellow-black striped long shirt.
Alexander noted that the man somehow was sweating; he attributed it to him working in the backroom.
"How can I help you?" He smiled and spoke calmly, but how his accent was pure, without any local dialect alternation, didn't escape Hancock's notice.
"Serve us the best dishes and drinks that you have. Make sure there's plenty, and don't worry—we'll pay," Alexander said.
Cosmos, from his side, immediately threw a pouch filled with coins at the man, who deftly caught it mid-air.
"Right away, sir!" he smiled and went back inside the backroom, supposedly where the kitchen was.
"Didn't know, after all this time, bartenders would become so polite," Alarin muttered.
"Yeah, it's quite strange." Sabine nodded, most bartenders she knew were either old or fat who knew ten thousand profane words, they'd use every day.
"Polite my ass!" One old man sitting close to their tables spoke.
Everyone's attention snapped to him, and when he saw the ladies look at him, he flashed a wide toothless smile.
'He looks ugly.' that's what everyone thought.
"I saw this twerp kick out old Tom and Old Alf when they didn't have money to pay." He spat on the ground.
"Polite my ass, he's just pretending to be nice." He ogled the ladies for a few seconds then went back to his drink no longer paying them any attention.
"O-okay…" Sabine said creeped out by the old man, a second of silence passed then everyone burst out laughing and began chatting among themselves.
"Here you go, sir." The bartender came back after ten minutes carrying too many plates and drinks.
Hancock looked at the food on the table, it didn't look fresh to her most likely prepared from early morning.
"This food doesn't look good, maybe you shouldn't eat it." She said with disgust and pulled Alexander's hand who in turn smiled at her.
"It doesn't matter, a few bites won't hurt…"
"A-alright but don't eat too much. I'll prepare some food when we get back to the ship."
Alexander nodded then took a few bites, to his side Sabine looked at the bartender and called for him.
"What do you need, miss?" He replied while wiping drink glasses.
"Do you know an old man that goes by the name of Sonny? He used to be a shipwright on this island." Sabine asked about the reason they sailed to this island in the first place.
"No, I'm afraid I don't know him, miss," he replied.
"Don't bother with this little twerp." The old man said grumpily then looked at the bartender with a grudge in his eyes.
"He knows nothing, he doesn't know how to serve good drinks or food, he only serves this piss water and food drier than my ass cheeks."
"Came in a few months ago with heavy pockets and bought the bar from old John."
"And now we have to suffer, drinking this shit!"
He turned to Sabine, his eyes semi-closed from drunkenness. "Old Sonny is gone, Water Seven is where he's at."
He picked up his drink and finished it in several gulps.
"Leave, will you? We have only one bar and you suck at running it." He flipped him a middle finger.
The bartender remained calm as he watched the old man shakily get up and walk through the front door.
"This is interesting." Alexander's eyes gleamed, this bartender was clearly hated by the town.
"This is getting annoying…" Hancock said, her palms clenched into fists.
"Hmmm, maybe it's time we know who's keeping an eye on us…" Alexander said then looked at Alarin who nodded then stood up and walked out of the door.
"Don't kill!" Alexander shouted.
"I know…"
Meanwhile, Axe and the rest looked at Alexander with puzzlement.
"What do you mean, Alexander…"
"You'll see…" he smiled meaningfully.
"Sir, I have some fine drinks if you'd like to taste them…" the bartender approached and smiled warmly.
"Oh, and why serve it only now, to us, and not those elderly people?" Alexander asked, amused.
The bartender awkwardly scratched his hair then replied. "Only gentlemen like you with a refined company such as yours could appreciate my few premium drinks."
Alexander looked at his crew, he had to admit that he wasn't wrong, every one of them was unique and beautiful in their way.
He stretched his arm and smiled warmly at the bartender who looked puzzled at first but soon smiled and shook his palm.
"You're a good man!" Alexander said and noted that the man's palm was quite rough.
"I'll be right back, sir, please wait for me…" he promptly left seemingly in a hurry but there was one thing he didn't notice, the smoke that entered his sleeve once he shook hands.
"Let's see how this all turns out…" he put an arm around Hancock who chuckled, everything that happened didn't escape her notice.
A few minutes passed with no sight of the bartender. Then without warning, the door was smashed open.
Alarin entered calmly, his arms filled with blood as he dragged a passed-out man by the hair.
Under everyone's shocked eyes, he threw the man rolling on the floor and looked at the counter.
"Left?" he asked.
"He cut and run!" Alexander chuckled then looked at the passed-out man.
"And this one?"
Alarin shook his head. "He won't talk, he swallowed a poison…"
Alexander looked at the man then looked out the window, eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Don't worry, soon we'll know who is audacious to follow us…"