Avisa's Sacrifice and a Letter from Lord Dinero

After their talk under the tree, Sanji convinced Avisa to go to bed and get some rest. He had thought about trying to have sex with her beforehand but realized it was pretty late and it was probably a good idea for her to go to bed sooner instead tonight. He would be lying to himself though to say that he wasn't disappointed. Her dancer outfit today had made him extra horny.

That night, he took first watch to lookout for anything suspicious. After that, the moss-head would be lookout and then Brook offered to take the rest of the night. It was a calm night though and everything seemed fine.

While Sanji sat out on the front porch of the farmhouse and lit a fresh cigarette, Avisa's grandmother suddenly came out onto the porch and sat next to him. He looked at her with surprise. "I thought you went to bed."

"I did, but I woke up concerned for my little fish and thought I'd come out here and enjoy the quiet night for a bit."

Sanji nodded. "I'm concerned for her too. This Lord Dinero guy seems like really bad news."

"He is indeed. And I know she can handle things better than most women her age, but she's often so protective of us she can be a little reckless."

Sanji smiled a bit as he commented, "Yeah, she seems to be a very good sister."

Avisa's grandmother sighed. "Yes, she is more like a mother to Jaimie sometimes than a sister. I wasn't always able to take care of all three of them in my old age and Avisa stepped in as the person who made most of the meals in our home and taught Jaimie how to read and write so he would have a better chance at getting a good education. My fish thankfully had a gift for taking the cheapest food and making it delicious. I think it made things a lot easier to live through." Sanji saw her tear up a bit as she added, "And then she went even further by becoming Alexei and saving us from poverty."

Sanji frowned a little as he asked, "Isn't James older? Why didn't he help with things?"

"James had tried to help, but most of the jobs were taken by Dinero's men and there were few professions available to him. That's why he's training to be a doctor on another island."

They both went silent for a bit before the grandmother asked, "What are your intentions with my fish?"

Sanji laughed a little nervously before he said, "I intend to love her. And protect her."

The grandmother nodded thoughtfully. "You seem like a nice enough man. I usually have an eye for this sort of thing but sometimes I get a little overprotective when it comes to her." She smiled at him and added, "You have some manners at least, even if you are a bit of a creep."

Sanji chuckled. "Yeah, I'm known to be a bit of a pervert at times."

The grandmother smirked as she fiddled with her wedding ring and said, "My husband was a bit like that too."

Sanji then thought of something suddenly and asked, "Why is it that you call Avisa fish?"

She smiled brightly and explained, "When she was just a little one—barely able to stay on her own two feet—whenever we went near the beach or sea, she would immediately make her way over to it and dive right in. It scared the crap out of her mother that she didn't seem to have any survival instinct at all when it came to the sea. But she loved the water and became a proficient swimmer. So, I started calling her my fish and it stuck. It's still one of her favourite things to do on the island with her brothers."

Sanji took a long drag of his cigarette as he contemplated this. This meant that when she ate that devil fruit, she had made a sacrifice he hadn't really considered. That was probably why she just wanted to steal it and not keep it for herself. But she was willing to eat it anyways to keep it from Lord Dinero--even if it took away one of her greatest joys. Sanji smiled sadly at the thought. The more he learned about Avisa, the more in love with her he became.

He heard the grandmother groan a bit as she got back up and said, "I should try to go back to bed. But it was good chatting with you lover cook. I think I see why Avisa likes you." She smiled at him and then trudged back into the house.

...

The next morning, the crew decided to help Avisa's family pick poison berries to pass the time. While they were doing so, Avisa went back inside the house to get another pail when she saw Natasha coming up the path to their house. That's weird.

Avisa walked over to her with a puzzled expression as she asked, "Hey Natasha, what brings you here?"

Natasha took off her mask and her face looked grim as she handed Avisa a small white envelope. "I'm afraid this is probably not good news. I was asked by one of Lord Dinero's men to find you and give you this letter," she explained.

Avisa's eyes widened a bit, and her hands shook a little as she took the letter. It simply had her name written on the front, but what made her gasp and put her hand to her mouth in shock was that the lettering was in her brother James' handwriting. She quickly began to tear it open as Natasha said, "I'm so sorry, Avie," and left down the path.

Avisa leaned against the porch to steady herself as she began to read the following letter that was written by her brother:

"Lord Dinero has instructed me to write this letter to tell you that I am his hostage. He wishes for you to see that it is in my handwriting and therefore a truth that cannot be questioned. He asks that if you want to see me again then you should come alone to the top of Lamesa Mountain. If you are found by any of his scouts to have brought anyone, he will not hesitate to kill me immediately. If you come alone, he promises to settle his debt with you and you alone. Your life will pay for your transgressions, and he feels that this is more than fair. If you do not come to the top of the mountain before sundown, he will be sure to kill me instead—most brutally he says.

He also asks that if you have the devil fruit in your possession to bring it, and he may consider not taking your life. In that case, he will find some other form of payment from you befitting your crimes against his men and businesses. He figures his men deserve some recompense also for all the problems you caused them. Justice must be served, he says.

But he is not unfair and promises to let your family live if you come peacefully and offer yourself without a fight. And Lord Dinero keeps his promises."

Avisa started to hyperventilate as she read the letter and her stomach felt queasy as she contemplated what it all meant. She had no time to hesitate though. If she started up the mountain now, she would get there in time, but if she waited and tried to come up with a plan that didn't end with her death, it was likely that she wouldn't get there before sundown and her brother would die instead.

She started walking—determined to get up the mountain as fast as possible. She grabbed a couple weapons and hid them on her just in case she was able to somehow try and escape and she grabbed her pistol especially so that they would get her to give that up and hopefully think that's all she brought with her. She also hoped that maybe her devil fruit powers could help her fight them off and still save her brother, but she also knew that would take a lot of mental concentration. In any case, her mind was made up. She would save her brother at all costs. Even if it meant she died in the process.

Sanji, I hope you will forgive me.