A/N: Okay, so this chapter isn't much, but I thought you guys deserved an update while I'm trying to decide how to go about the future of this story. I've started to piece together a string of islands for their trip, it just depends on how well those string together how quickly this story will straighten up and start being updated regularly.

"When I sai' ya hafta buy me somethin', I wasn't jokin' ya know! An' ya agreed ta do it!" 

Law adjusted his hat, shooting Kana a questioning expression over his shoulder. 

"What is it exactly that I'm supposed to be buying you, then?" 

The blonde furrowed her brow, easily keeping up with his long strides as they made their way down one of the many streets through the small village. An already darkening bruise decorated her cheek as a result of the barfight, an equally pleasant gash down her arm and hidden beneath a layer of fabric that had been tied securely around the wound. Her bruised knuckles were kept from view by the gloves she always wore, which only seemed to worsen the slight ache they let off. 

Initially, Law had commented that they should head back to the submarine in order to place stitches and disinfect the wound of anything that the broken bottle that caused it might have been carrying, a suggestion that had instantly been shot down. Not feeling the urgent need to help her with something that had been the direct result of her stupidly fiery temper, Law had made no attempt to persuade her differently. 

"I dunno." 

His lips let out a weary sigh, a headache starting to threaten to form in the back of his head. 

"What?"

"I dunno," she repeated. "Are ya deaf or somethin'? I dunno what yer gonna buy me, yer just gonna buy me somethin' since I couldn't stick 'roun' and drink my sake. It's yer faul' Cap'n Bastard, so yer gonna buy me somethin'. It's tha' simple." 

He resisted the urge to raise a hand and massage his temple. Her massacre of the Japanese language wasn't even the most concerning thing at the moment. Her lack of comprehensible logic was what had the headache forming. How exactly was he supposed to bring her along on the ship when just listening to her was this troublesome?

"I have a name." 

Her lips twisted up in a slightly mocking smile. 

"Eh, do ya? That's a shame, Cap'n Bastard's so suitin', ya know?" 

He opened his mouth to respond, but cut himself short when her eyes suddenly lit up as she darted past him. A sigh escaping his lips once again, he watched as she cut through the crowd and down the street. Following her was like following after a vulgar child- annoying difficult and illogical. Despite this, he found himself trudging forward and shrugging his way through the crowd, eyes barely keeping track of her frizzy ponytail visible above the majority of darker-haired villagers. 

What they found when they'd made it through the group was the narrowing streets of a bustling market. The shop that had caught her attention in particular was one settled snugly between two others, a hammer and sickle sign hanging above the heads of the crowd, visible for blocks. When he'd managed to slip in behind her, she was already settled before a stand showing off a variety of tools, her hands plucking what appeared to be a simple, metal rod from the surface. 

"I though' I'd 'eard of this island," she declared happily. "They've got a good market 'ere, famous in my circles. This, ya know what this is?" 

Law, his curiosity sparked, shook his head. 

"It's what yer buyin' me," she declared. "'ere, take it. If'n yer insistin' on 'eading ta the Gran' Line, I suppose I gotta be ready. So, yer gettin' this." 

Holding out his hand, he furrowed his brow as the tool was settled in his palm. Instantly he almost dropped it in surprise as he noted the fact that the weight was double- at the very least- of what he'd expected of it. Secondly, that it was abnormally balanced, the majority of the weight falling to one side. When he shot her a questioning look, she grinned. 

"Alrigh', ya buy it, an I'll explain? Deal, Cap'n?"

Debating his curiosity against his logical side, as well as over the fact that he could most likely use this purchase to persuade her to simply go back to the ship and not cause anymore trouble, he eventually nodded and did as requested. When the item was officially theirs, she held out her hand expectantly. 

"Give it 'ere!" 

He noted with interest that as he handed the tool back she took it without problem, as if it's weight was equal to that of a feather. Instantly, she spun it in her palm, flicking her wrist towards the ground. One side of the weapon suddenly elongated, the tip dropping towards the floor. A click hit the air at the same time and she proudly turned her hand, pointing the weapon towards the air. The end stayed out and suddenly, Law knew what he was looking at. It was a collapsable pole weapon, something that could easily be stored on her belt and was heavily and made with strong enough metal that a sword wouldn't just cut through it. The blunt tool was something he could easily picture the brash Kana wielding in a fight.

"The Grand Line?" he questioned, referring to her earlier comment. 

She shrugged, twisting the weapon around and messing with it in her fingers until it had collapsed once again. 

"I still think it's a stupid idea," she declared. "Bu'... it dun soun' like the worse thing ya could decide ta go crazy 'bout."

________________________________

It wasn't until they were fully stocked up on their supplies and preparing to set off that the long anticipated problem she would cause finally occurred. Busy loading their supplies and receiving orders from Law on where each item was to be placed- he had a specific layout in mind that they knew better than to argue with- none of them thought to question where the loud blonde had gotten off to. Law, having escorted her back onto the submarine himself, had pushed thoughts over her whereabouts to the back of his mind as well. 

The explosion was what told them something was wrong. 

It wasn't on the ship and if it hadn't been for the force of the waves the explosion created, they might not have thought much of it at all. As it was, the ship was violently rocked side to side, causing many of the crew members to stumble and almost drop the crate or barrel they'd been moving. Law- realizing his mistake then- sprung to the railing of the top deck in an attempt to get a better view of the large cloud of smoke thrown up only a few blocks from the port. As he narrowed his eyes, shielding them from the sun with one hand, he just barely managed to make out the angry shouts hitting the air. 

"Dammit." 

Without an ounce of hesitation, he dropped to the second deck, his hand lightly gripping the hilt of his sword as he eyed the streets with still narrowed eyes. Only moments later, a figure burst from one of the alleyways, darting towards the docks with a large, annoying grin on her face. 

"Wasn't my fault!" she declared loudly. "Promise, Cap'n!"

Dismissing her words, he turned his attention to the loud shouts echoing from the street behind her. A second later two more figures burst from the alley, a third at their tail. The white uniforms they doned caught his attention instantly, his face dropping into his waiting hand. 

"Marines," he mumbled to himself. "How did she manage to find marines?"

In the entire time they'd been on the island, none of them had seen one officer. Yet, within the short amount of time that they'd taken their eyes off of her, she'd not only managed to locate them, but managed to blow something up and tick off every single one of them. 

He'd been right, she was going to be extremely troublesome to have aboard. 

"What the hall did you do, Kana-chan?" one of the more vocal crew members called out. 

A sheepish expression crossed her face as used the large crates belonging to the merchant ships that had been unloading as footholds, leaving the marines staring up at her for a moment, baffled, as she scrambled high above the wooden boards of the docks. 

"Did ya know sake can catch fire? I didn'!"

It was at that moment that Law decided to study the marines a bit closer. They'd gotten over their initial confusion at why she would be climbing the boxes and had started to follow her up. Their uniforms, he noted, were slightly scorched, one of them in particular having black soot coloring their uniform and face. He turned a skeptical gaze to Kana as she reached the top box and threw herself towards the railing of the submarine. The crewmember who'd called out to her before instantly leapt forward, catching her hand with his and barely keeping her from plummeting back to the ground. 

She simply grinned as he scrambled to haul her up over the edge. 

"Sake?" Law questioned.

He'd relaxed the moment he'd realized there was little chance the marines would manage to follow her strange path to the ship and that combined with the fact that they'd pulled up their loading ramp after the supplies had all been hauled onto the lowest deck, made for a short amount of time before the irritable marines managed to figure out how to get aboard. 

"Eh, perhaps there might'a been a bit'a gunpowder as well," she relented, turning around to give the marines a mocking salute with two fingers. "Wasn't my fault, though, 'onest."

The marine whose face Law had noted to be slightly colored with soot, scowled, eyeing the distance between the last box and the ship railing with narrowed eyes. 

"Like hell it wasn't!"

Kana shrugged carelessly, her smug expression never falling. 

"Not my fault yer a smoker," she retorted. "Who smokes near barrels of powder, anyways? Yer more of an idiot than I am!"

Flushing crimson, the marine tensed, preparing to throw himself across the open space. He only stopped when the two officers with him each grabbed an arm to hold him back. 

"What sort of person spills sake on gunpowder?" he retorted. 

She simply shrugged again.

"I never claimed ta be graceful, jus' sai' it wasn't my fault."

Law, having been watching the argument with growing impatience, threw out orders to get the ship moving. Bepo instantly rushed beneath decks to start the engine of the submarine as the others set about dropping any lines connecting them to the dock. Ignoring any further insults thrown by the marine, Kana dropped ungracefully to the deck, her lips lit up with that smug grin she'd been wearing. 

"Well, tha' was fun." 

The faces of almost every crew-member questioned how skewed her definition of fun happened to be. Law, to his credit, simply sighed and tugged on the tip of his hat, his other hand releasing the hilt of his katana. Perhaps he really should just leave her somewhere. 

A/N: Welp, there ya go! They've finally set sail, which means the story can officially start!