Chloe's eyes glistened as she held her fists in front of her chest. Monica was silent, but slyly smiled at her.

"You finally want to admit that you find me attractive!" Chloe exclaimed with an outburst. "I am, after all, the most eligible queen in the sea!"

Monica's mouth dropped open. "Ah dios mio, chica. You might need to give that a rest! I'm a bit old for you."

Chloe's shoulders slumped, but she was sooned embraced in a hug.

"But," Monica said, her arms wrapped around Chloe tightly. "I have decided to help you in your crazy quest to become pirate queen."

"You whaaaaaa?" Chloe said, wobbling backwards and nearly falling off the boat.

"Si," Monica said with rosy cheeks. "I used to think pirates were nothing more than the savages of the sea. If someone hired me to take one down, I'd do so without batting an eye. But after tonight...I've come away feeling a bit differently."

Monica lowered her body so she could see eye to eye with Chloe. "Even if I was out of my mind, I still heard the words you were saying, chica. They sounded like true comradery to me. And using those wicked diablo powers to cleanse me of the poison, dos buenos."

"I don't know how you did it," the swordswoman said, "But I'm free and it feels like a burden has been taken off me."

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"Wow…" Chloe murmered. "I can't believe that either…"

"You see," Monica said, her eyes turning towards the sea. "The murder of my brother is a blood stain on my family name. My mama has never gotten over Hector's death. Every night I'd hear her weeping for him."

Chloe placed a consoling arm on Monica's shoulder blade as the female swordsman continued her tragic tale.

"I vowed in my family's name that I would avenge him," she said softly. "and I taught myself the way of the sword. Before that, the only thing I had done in the name of mi familia was beauty pageants."

"I can see why…" Rosemary snarked in Chloe's head. "But she'd still lose to me."

Chloe tried to shush the demon.

"But with a lost scroll," Monica said, "I managed to combine my looks with a sword. With it, I managed to defeat many foe...but alas..., I couldn't manage to defeat Django.

Her long hair falling over her eyes. "It had driven me mad with vengeance...until with that cursed injection, I snapped."

"But you're better now," Chloe peeped up.

"Yes chica," Monica said looking up at her with a smile. "Now that you've shown me some kindness, I can fight that monster on my own terms."

"With your own pirate crew!" Chloe exclaimed pumping a fist in the air. "You're gonna help me become pirate queen and we're gonna bring down Django!"

Monica grinned and tilted her head. "That's what we'll do indeed, chica!"

The two of them high fives each other as Ramone and Abacab called them inside for breakfast. "Who's up for some flapjacks, mateys?!" Captain Abacab called out to them.

The only thing that smelled better to Chloe than the salty spray of the sea was fresh syrup. Together they entered the cabin, awaiting their meal and their next destination.