Any Harbor in a Storm

This is just a small idea I got and just for fun. I have no right to One Piece, give your worship where it belongs: To Eiichiro Oda!

As always. I'm not that used to English, but Death by manga have removed the worst grammar mistakes.

Note:

The Snipe is a wading bird, but it is perfectly capable of flying! They are well-camouflaged birds and difficult to hunt, that's where the term 'Sniper' comes from... A Sniper's someone so good they're able to hit a snipe... If we follow up on that, Usopp might be the only one capable of beating Tashigi ;)


The Isle of Amnestia

It was pouring and there was sleet in the rain, too. Her left side hurt from slipping on the icy pavement and she was getting drenched.

She'd only been five minutes late. Five fucking minutes and then they'd shipped off without her because of the alarm siren! She knew the ship had to go to the secured cave island in the bay, to keep safe from the oncoming storm. But five minutes?

She took off her glasses and wiped water from her face and tucked her wet hair behind her ears. Didn't bother putting the glasses on again, she couldn't see anything in the rain anyway. She sighed. She'd have to find a place to stay during the storm until the Marine ship could pick her up again.

As she turned around to get back into the town she slipped again on the sleety quay and landed in a muddy puddle of icy cold water.

'Fucking crazy icy hollow hell of an island with its damn bloody weather and crazy fucking storms! Damn all landlubbers and their slippery fucking streets!' She yelled and started getting up.

Three people were looking down at her with an impressed expression.

She swallowed.

'Hi! Nami. Hi Sanji... Zoro.' She mumbled. Zoro was standing in the rain, almost as wet as herself. Sanji was carrying an umbrella over Nami and himself. They all grinned down at her and then Zoro! offered her a hand.

'That was a rather interesting word of a phrase.' Nami said when Tashigi had gotten up. 'Now I believe, that you actually are a crude Marine.'

'A pretty wet girl is never crude!' Sanji defended Tashigi.

'What are you doing here?' Zoro asked.

'Um. I didn't get back on deck before they had to sail to the safety cave on Amnestia.' She mumbled.

'Same as us.' Nami sighed.

'Yeah, thanks to Mr. No-Sense-of-Direction here.' Sanji grumbled.

'I didn't ask you to come running after me!' Zoro growled at his two crewmates.

'As if we want you to stay here all alone! I'd like to come back to a whole town, and there's two days until the Log Pose sets!' Nami said. 'Come on, let's find a place to stay.'

Tashigi tagged along. They went to the lower part of town and looked around for any open bar or restaurant.

There weren't any. Everything seemed closed down.

'This can't be right! Why would a town close down all it's bars?' Nami was getting her feet wet and more and more impatient. 'They can't earn any money like that!'

'Everybody's probably out on the Amnestia isle. That's were all the sailors and pirates have gone, so that's where the money are.' Tashigi suggested tiredly.

'But there must be placed for people like us who don't get back on their ship when the siren starts!' Nami argued.

'Is there both Pirates, Mariners and other sailors out on Amnestia?' Sanji asked curiously.

'Yeah. Nobody fights there during a storm. Everybody sits down together and try to pass the time. Usually with a lot of food and drinking. Hence the name Amnestia.' Tashigi explained.

'So. We've just missed out on a really good party?' Zoro asked.

Tashigi shrugged. She wasn't really into drinking contests with pirates and Marines.

'Hey, there's light from that basement club over there.' Sanji pointed.

They when over to look at it.

'Bad Kitty Club?' Nami commented. 'I have a bad feeling about this!'

'I don't care. I want to get out of the rain.' Zoro said and went down the stairs.

The others followed.

The room they entered was nicely clean and softly lit, and there was soft music in the background blended with happy chatter and laughter from the costumers.

But suddenly Zoro swore angrily turned around and grabbed Sanji and covered the Cooks eyes.

''What the fuck are you doing you stupid Moss-ball.' Sanji yelled and started fighting the Swordsman.

'Sanji! This is probably the only open place! Promise to behave and don't faint or bleed on anybody, or do anything that will get us kicked out!' Zoro said between his teeth while trying to keep the Cook pacified.

Tashigi stared around and realized why Zoro was anxious to keep the Cook down. All the waiters were very pretty and mostly well-shaped girls, though there seemed to be one or two boys. They were all in various short dresses and uniforms, varying from a buxom nurse in long white boots to a lithe lady in tight fitting snake costume. There was even one in Marine uniform, though not any kind of uniform Tashigi knew of, with a very short skirt instead of trousers. Nami started giggling.

'Sanji, please be still until we find out if we can stay.' Nami said and waived for a waitress.

A small Cat-girl arrived and bowed politely.

'Please to meet you, honored costumers. What can I do to serve you?'

'I this the only open place in town? We didn't get back to out ships and we're trapped here until storm's over.' Nami asked.

'I'm afraid so. There is the storehouse down the harbor for situations like yours though. It's free for all, but divided in man and woman areas.'

'Are there food there?' Zoro asked from behind Nami.

'I believe they serve free soup and coffee, honored costumer.'

'What do you have here?' Nami asked.

'We can provide almost anything a costumer could wish for!' The Cat-girl beamed happily.

'Okay. We'll stay.' Nami decided. 'Sanji! You are to breath regularly and deeply, or I will never talk to you! Zoro, let him go. Come on Tashi-chan, lets get something to drink and eat!'

'Have I died and gone to heaven?' Sanji asked breathless. 'This is the fulfillment of all my dreams.'

Zoro smacked Sanji in the head.

'I thought you dreamed of finding All Blue, Ero-Cook, and I only see one fish in here.'

'Do you have a table somewhere warm and a little out of the way?' Tashigi asked

'I know just the place, honored costumer.' The Cat-girl bowed again and led them on.


They were seated on soft plush couches in a dim corner near a roaring fire. Nami bossed them around placing the wet Tashigi and Zoro closest to the fire and making sure that Sanji was turned away from the main room of the club.

'I don't suppose you have any specific wishes regarding which waiter you prefer assigned to your table?' Cat-girl asked.

'Oh, the only thing more wonderful than having a waitress as beautiful as you, would be if all you wonderful ladies would wait on this table!' Sanji exclaimed.

'No, we don't care!' Nami cut in. 'What do you have?'

'I'm free now and ready to take down your wishes, honored costumers.' Cat-girl giggled and beamed.

'Warm sake, rice-balls and some kind of meat.' Zoro said and started working himself out of his wet coat.

'What is it with you and rice-balls?' Sanji grumbled. 'You can get anything here, and you want rice-balls?'

'I like rice-balls.' Zoro shrugged and turned to help Tashigi out of her wet jacket.

'A lobster-salad and a fruit-salad, please.' Nami said. 'A big glass of orange juice and then a bottle of rum.'

Sanji sighed and then started to explain precisely which kind of seafood dish he wanted to eat, down to the amount of spiced used for the different food items.

'Uh, and a Gewurztraminer, though a Muscat would do if you don't have it.' Sanji finished with an smile.

Cat-girl looked a little stunned, but nodded immediately and then looked at Tashigi questioningly.

'Um. Hot Cocoa! And bread, cheese and two apples.' She asked.

Sanji looked at her exasperated.

'What is it with sword idiots and boring food?' He muttered.

'We prefer to call it Spartan.' Tashigi grinned to Sanji.

'And Tashigi likes apples.' Zoro added.

'How do you know that? And since when have you become a gentleman, helping a lady and knowing what she likes?' Sanji glared at Zoro.

'Since I spend a week living of her fish and apples, pork and apples, berry and apples and apple-apple dishes.' Zoro replied calmly.

'A body needs vitamins.' Tashigi mumbled.

'Sweet Tashi-chan! How were you able to stand that idiot for so long?'

Tashigi smiled and reached over the table and patted the Cooks hand and then told with a stage whisper.

'He let me play with his swords!'

Sanji rolled his eyes and sighed Nami just laughed. Tashigi looked at Zoro out of the corner of her eyes. He was frowning at Sanji, but she could also see his version of a small smile.

They're ordered drinks came and the table fell silent with everybody fussing over their order. Tashigi noticed Nami was sitting very still with closed eyes, slowly enjoying her orange juice. Sanji was fussing over his wine, he had to wait for their Cat-girl waitress to come back with the correct glass for the wine she brought, but then he was engrossed and mumbled about nose and petrol and flowers. Zoro had glared at the small ceramic flask and bowl and asked the waitress to be ready to get a large bottle when he finished that one, but then he surprised them all by actually pouring the sake in the bowl before drinking. Tashigi smiled and curled up around her Cocoa enjoying the warmth. A little guilty she looked at her companions and then found the small bag and grabbed the reason she'd been late to the Marine ship. A Book.

Soon she was in a world of hilts, crosspieces, guards, pommels and filigree.

The book was removed from her hands and she looked up. Zoro frowned down on the pages she'd been reading.

'That's Ichimonji, Right?'

'Yes. She's a perfect example of the return to a more simplistic style and more focus on the blade and the feel of...' Tashigi began but stopped herself at the look on both Nami's and Sanji's face.

'Food's here.' Zoro grinned shortly and gave her the book back.


A/N What, no elaborate animal descriptions? No, not this time. I have been pondering on the other crew members, though.

Nami is an orange cat, Felis catus, half tame and with a cat smile. Brook a long boned and twitchy but family friendly Arab Horse, Equus ferus caballus. Franky is a mix of Spanish fighting bull, Bos taurus, and an extinct giant Auroch (and a little of them mechanical Bucking Broncos). Usopp is probably a Big Hairy Armadillo, Chaetophractus villosus, (Though I thought about suggesting that he's a Pink Fairy Armadillo...*Snigger*) And Chopper is a reindeer, Rangifer tarandus ... I like reindeer, especially as salami.

And Luffy...

Luffy, Luffy, Luffy. Our beloved Luffy. There's is so many monkey species and I couldn't really decide on them. Guess he's the same monkey type as the Monkey King ;)