The Bartender

They were both the elder sibling. They were both orphans. They both had tattoos for a special reason. However, one was a pirate, whereas the other was a pirate-hater.

Scanning the horizon with a squinted eye, he adjusted the ridiculously orange cowboy hat on top of his head with a faint smile. Land was just right ahead. Travelling in the sea had its perks, but then again it was nice to actually feel your feet back on solid ground, rather than inhaling sea-salt every other day.

Once he docked, Ace leapt off the tiny boat that carried him, slightly puzzled to find a relatively deserted town in front of him.

"There should be bar somewhere…" He thought to himself, just when he spotted swinging doors leading to it. The doors were pushed open as he took in his surroundings – neat, empty and quiet. Perfect.

The bartender was a young lady with striking blue hair, tattoos adorning her arms and collarbone. Raising an eyebrow at a rare visitor, she wiped an already clean glass before candidly asking for his order.

Propping his head up with an elbow, he was seated in front of her and with a polite nod, he said, "A beer, thanks."

She gave him a cryptic smile, pouring his drink without further comment. Ace didn't take it to heart – he wasn't a rich bastard after all. The barmaid was still staring at him with a rather peculiar expression, well it couldn't be helped since he was the only customer in the bar at that moment.

"I haven't seen you before." Her eyes pierced through him, as though he had an aura of suspicion around him. Ace decided that she really needed to be more welcoming if she had as little business as this. Downing his beer, Ace flashed her a grin.

"I just landed."

"Landed?" She asked sharply, freezing in her position.

"Who are you?"

Ace wasn't perturbed by her unusual behaviour; people seemed to find it hard to trust him sometimes.

"Ace. And I'm a pirate, if that's what you wanted to know." The instant he let out the word 'pirate', she violently responded by dropping one of the glasses, shattering it into tiny pieces. To Ace, it could have been better if he weren't so blatantly blunt – he forgot that pirates were classified criminals.

Regarding her carefully, he began picking up some of the glass pieces. "… I'm guessing you're not fond of pirates?"

Nojiko seriously considered kicking him out for the sake of her sister's plight, but paused in mid-step. No, perhaps after he paid for that drink…

Nami wasn't back yet, and her sister was a tad worried. Her eyes had trailed along Ace's tattoo beneath his shirt, wondering about the meaning behind those letters. Tattoos weren't for the fun of it, it was a mark you carried, a permanent etch on your skin, it had to hold some kind of significance. That didn't matter now, however, he was a pirate and that's that.

"Nojiko! What's that?" Nami pointed at the tattoos adorning her sister's arm with a kind of half-curious look.

"Oh it's nothing, just some decoration that's all." Nojiko had responded in all calmness.

Nami hates pirates. She had told herself firmly, standing for her little sister. However, all thoughts were interrupted by the sound of clashing and the swinging doors being literally kicked out of its hinges.

"There we go again." She said dryly, completely forgetting about Ace's presence.

What stood out from the entire crowd of fishmen was a young woman with bright orange hair, almost but not quite similar to the barmaid in appearance. Her face was sullen, apathetic, as though she did not give the slightest care of their apparent celebration. Upon seeing Nojiko, there was a hint of a faint smile before going back to her nonchalant state.

Ace minded his own business, swirling the leftover liquid remaining in his mug. Judging by the commotion, he assumed they were the pirates the barmaid had despised to such an extent.

One of Arlong's crew noticed Ace's silent figure, nudged him with a drunkard laugh. Annoyed, Ace pointedly ignored him.

"Ya haven't seen you before, paid your monthly fee yet?" The fishman drawled, holding onto the counter in unsteadiness. Nojiko stiffened, until she pretended nothing happened.

"What's your name?" Another piped out.

It couldn't hurt to say his name now. "Ace."

"Nami! Is he a friend of yours?"

Without glancing at his direction, the woman by the name of 'Nami' said in a monotone voice, "No."

"Ah, no humans are suited for our navigator huh?" The obvious captain of the crew spoke, roaring with laughter, in which Nami gave nothing more than a small grimace.

Forcing a bitter smile, Nami replied, "I have high expectations."

Arlong nodded in agreement, "As expected from Nami! More beer!"

Slumped on the counter, a mocking crew member poked Ace's sleeping figure – apparently his narcoleptic tendencies had worked up again. Thinking he was either dead, ignoring them, or dead asleep, he kicked Ace off the chair where he landed with a great thud. Hurriedly, Nojiko dragged him behind the counter where he'd begun to gain consciousness…

"Shut up." She warned him beforehand, when he attempted to question his current position.

Letting out a malicious laugh, Arlong stood up. "Nami, don't you ever forget our promise, eh?"

"I keep to my word." Nami said with little emotion, pushing past everyone, out of the bar.

"She hates any form of pity." Nojiko said quietly.

"Ya two sisters?"

"Not biologically, but yes."

"Siblings don't have to be connected by blood." He reasoned. They settled into silence after that. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a lone sandwich resting on her hand, half-raised.

"She didn't eat." Nojiko only said knowingly.

Tipping his hat, Ace stretched, cracking his back. "Thanks for the food."

"Hmm."

"You wanna be a pirate?" He asked, with a hint of cheekiness.

"No thanks, captain." Her answer was just as dry as the rest.

There was an unusual glint in his eye. "I'm sure we'll meet again."

"I highly doubt that."

"Are you a fortune teller?"

"…No…?"

"Then don't go deciding your fate." With a boyish grin, he vanished just as quickly as he appeared.

And that was how a certain freckled man left a lasting impression on the blue-haired bartender.

It's a pairing I never thought I'd write, it was somewhat of a challenge but I'd really appreciate your feedback! :) Nojiko IS pretty cool by the way~