"This country has cool clothes!" 

Cross cheered, showing off his red samfu-- a very, very soft fabric, plain and not too intricate but those simple designs were sewn with yellow or gold thread. it looked magnificent, but apparently, this was but a cheap pair of spare clothing. 

Cross was nearly flooded in it, despite the shirt being one of Luz's smallest old clothes. he didn't seem to mind, expressing how he wasn't going to wear it for long.

Titus, pulling on the green changshan he was offered to change into. It fit him perfectly, and he was oddly comfortable in it.

"This is..." Titus recalled, looking over his new clothing, "I've heard of clothes like these-- this culture exists on a certain island in the Grand Line... the country of Kiku." 

Luz smiled a little bashful, his changshan a shade of dark blue contrasting oddly with his hair. "I am glad the clothes are to your liking. I hope they'll be fine for you until your clothes dry."

"It's so soft!" Cross luxuriated in the fabric, rolling around in hype, "can I keep them?"

"Huh?" Luz was taken aback, "Yes, you can-- but--!"

Cross was jumping around in glee at the permission given. His overanimated response was so unprecedented Luz had not idea how to respond to such a situation.

Titus sighed. 

"Thanks so much for that. I'll return mine once my clothes dry," Titus promised, "thanks for lending us these clothes."

Luz nodded back politely, "it is only my pleasure."

Titus looked back at his clothes-- in this country, they wore these clothes made out of thin but soft fabric-- that wasn't the most considerable clothing for such a rainy country. 

It had short sleeves and short trims for ease of movement, but compared to the original clothing back in the country of Kiku, these clothing had more seams and incorporated a national colour of gold into its pieces.

"The land of Kiku..." Titus mumbled, speaking softly to Luz, "why would this country so far inside West Blue adopt its culture?"

Holding the clay cup of tea, Titus sipped slowly, enjoying the calm and the patters of the rain.

Luz looked up nervously, pleased to hear such interest in his country-- "our elder... Elder Yun originated from that land, so he has incorporated his wisdom to our survival in this wet country. We live as an isolated country, but we are self-sufficient due to his contribution to our history. The clothing is but a tribute to our homeland."

Titus gripped his cup a little harder-- his eyes widening in a sort of understanding. The land of Kiku was a land of Ninja-- how could such an exotic culture be passed down like this? That was utterly absurd-- no, it sounded impossible.

A Rouge Ninja Country, Titus came to the startling realization. No wonder not much was known about the country-- this was a land of ninja-- a hidden village.

And if Titus knew anything, he shouldn't get anywhere involved with ninja villages. They were not hospitable to visitors-- they were hostile, very, very--

The bad feeling he got before was right. They shouldn't stay any longer-- they shouldn't stay a moment longer in this country!

"Cross!" Titus stood up quickly, fear filling him as he panicked, "we have to--"

A blade-- a diamond-shaped blade with a metal hilt-- a kunai, Titus knew-- pressed against the skin of his neck. The sharp vertex pricked the portion under his chin-- drawing blood that flowed a bright, bright shade of red. 

Titus dropped his cup, raising both hands up in a surrender. The glass shattered against the floor in a devastating fracture, tea spilling wastefully across the floor. 

Cross had retreated a little toward the fireplace, alarmed. Even Cross knew not to mess around now-- his smile was strained, his expressions stale as his eyes fixed against Luz's sharpened gaze.

He chortled nervously, "what's wrong?" he tried to sound gullible, "did Titus do or say something mean to you?"

Luz sucked in an irritated breath, the blade drawn closer to Titus' exposed neck. The blond kept his calm, arching his neck back, avoiding the blade from reaching important blood vessels.

"This island... Shikke island, you see, is one of those.. hidden villages," Luz spoke up nervously, his hand clutched Titus's arm with bone-crushing determination, twisting the arm back in a painful angle that prevented struggle, "when the storm falls and the rains pour-- the island is supposed to be completely inaccessible to outsiders."

Titus now knew the reason for this hostility.

"So when we get any visitors in this time... we assume them to be intruders," Luz seethed, "the both of you are hereby considered infiltrators-- spies from the Kikuchigumi."

His ceiling opened, and two masked ninja in black apparel dropped to the ground.

The Kikuchigumi, Titus recognized that name full well, the leading Ninja Nation that tolerates no Rouges. If this island-- if Shikke Island was composed of a defected clan of that notorious nation-- chances of survival was near impossible.

Titus grunted, knowing full well just how badly they've messed up now.