A/N: One Piece is Property of Eiichiro Oda. This is a work of fanfiction only Zelda and other original characters are mine.
This chapter has been edited combining chapter one and two.
"Talking"
'Thoughts'
Flashback
Chapter 1
Bang!
"The Future King of the Pirates has arrived!"
All four patrons turned to see who had kicked open the door to the drinking establishment. Much to their relieve and humor, rather than a large man, bearing scars and an eye patch at the entrance stood a scrawny boy with short hair and a smile that displayed a missing tooth showing that he could be no older than nine years old.
"Hey lady! Give me a pint of grog!" the child ordered as he walked up to the counter and caught the attention of a woman who while she looked like a young woman in her early thirties was actually in her mid-fifties.
The woman who was tending to the bar couldn't help but snicker at the sight of the boy struggling to climb up on the stool.
"Aren't you a little young to be drinking alcohol? How about a glass of orange juice or milk instead?" the woman offered as she leaned down to look the young boy at eye level.
"No self-respecting pirate drinks milk," the boy pouted.
"oh you're a pirate I take it?"
"That's right, I heard that pirates come here so I came to check out the competition. Someday I'll be King of the Pirates just like Monkey D. Luffy!" the boy boasted.
"Well you're no Monkey D. Luffy, I can tell you that much," the bartender told him as she placed a glass of juice, that the boy took a sip of despite his earlier protest.
The boy put down his drink and stared at the woman who was tending the bar on Sabaody Archipelago, "How would you know lady, aren't you a waitress? Are you Shakky? From the sign?"
"Actually Shakky is my mother," the bespectacled blonde answered. "She retired some years ago, she and dad decided to take up sailing once more in their golden years."
"As for Luffy," she signaled for the boy to move in closer and whispered. "I was part of his crew for a time."
"No way! Were you really a Strawhat Pirate!?" the boy exclaimed. "How long were you a pirate? Did you find the One Piece? Do you have a bounty? How much are you worth?"
The woman pressed her hand againt the boys mouth in an effort to quiet the child down, whose inquires had garnered a round of laughter from the bar's patrons.
"Hey Zelda, careful what you tell that boy or you might end up with an admirer," one of the men laughed from a nearby table.
"She may not look it brat, but Zelda really did travel the grandline all those years ago," another patron called out.
Zelda, the bartender, couldn't help but join in the laughter much to the boy's embarrassment. "Would you guys stop teasing the kid, why don't you focus back on your game of checkers?"
The child looked at the woman with a bit of scrutiny, "If you really were a strawhat, then how did you meet Captain Luffy?"
"Let's see it was more than thirty years ago…."
The pirate in the iconic straw hat approached the blonde woman.
"You're Strong! Join my Crew!" Luffy shouted.
"Um okay," she agreed not putting up a fight to the boy's request.
"Wait that it?!" the young boy objected. "What kind of story was that? There wasn't any ships or treasure hunting or sword fights! Start from the beginning."
"The beginning…okay let's go back further…."
"Roger's time in getting shorter and shorter," Silvers Rayleigh informed the woman who was serving him a drink.
Shakuyaku, most commonly known by her nickname Shakky, was the bartender of Shakky's Rip-off Bar, where the two were the only occupants of the establishment.
"And you're sailing again tomorrow," she mentioned before taking a puff of her cigarette.
"Is there anything you don't hear about?" he asked rhetorically, taking a sip of his rum.
Putting out her cigarette, the black haired woman took hold of the hand of the pirate sitting across from her and intertwined their fingers.
"In that case the sooner we go upstairs, the more rounds we can get in," the woman teased with a wink causing a sly grin to grown on Rayleigh's face.
Downing the rest of his drink, the man pulled the woman around from behind the counter and brought her in to his hold,"Well let's not waste any time down here, put the closed sign and meet me upstairs."
"Whoa, whoa, lady I thought this was going to be a story about pirates, not some grown-ups making kissy faces" he said interrupting her story.
"What's the matter kid, afraid of a little romance?" she teased as the boy stuck his tongue out at her in return.
"I'm eight," he answered dryly.
"Fine, I skip to nine months later. Now where was I? Oh right…"
"You look ready to pop any minute," the mustachioed man joked in an attempt to ease any anxiety the pregnant woman was feeling.
"I know that Doc, you think if my water hadn't broken I would be here in the first place," Shakky drawled.
"I have to say for a woman in labor you're awfully blasé about the whole thing, then again we've pump you with enough drugs to knock out an elephant," he chuckled as they waited for the contraction to get closer.
Wincing when another round of pain hit her, the forty year old Shakuyaku placed a hand on her rounded middle that over the past nine months her belly had swelled out from her body.
"Oh my, looks like it's almost time, nurse get the hot water and towels ready," the doctor ordered.
Shakuyaku or Shakky as her friends called her, for years had maintain a special friendship with the Pirate King's first mate, Silvers Rayleigh.
At first things hadn't been too serious, the two were old acquaintances having run into each other a few times when they were both starting their careers as pirate. Her, a young woman trying her hand at a life of Piracy and him, an older and more experienced pirate whose crew was often chased by the marine, Monkey D. Garp.
Years later the two were reunited the day the Roger Pirates happened upon Shakky's bar. In the beginning the two pirates were mainly looking for physical companion ship and found it in each other. One of the things the two had agreed to when they started sleeping together was to keep things casual.
Things had changed in the last couple of years, when Shakky had found herself wanting more than just to have passionate wild sex with the famous first mate. Much to her own chagrin, in their last couple of meeting she found her heart beating rapidly whenever Rayleigh would walk through the door of her business.
It was during their last rendezvous that the first-mate had left the woman in her current condition. Her pregnancy was something currently known only to herself, the doctor and the nurse in the room assisting with the delivery.
His status as a parent was something she had yet to make Silver Rayleigh aware of and she doubt he would know any time soon seeing as she hadn't seen him since their night together, not that Shakky was worried. She knew from past experiences that Rayleigh came and went as he pleased and he would be seeking her out once more and they would pick-up where they left off as was their habit.
"You better get over here, fast!" Shakky called out to the doctor as she got ready to finally meet the child she had been carrying and talking to for months.
Cries filled the hospital room. Once out in the world the baby was held upside down, the doctor having had a hold of babe, proceeded to smack her rear, the shock from the slapped causing the newborn to cry and take her first breathe.
"Congratulations madam. You have yourself a healthy baby girl," the Doctor announced.
After being cleaned up and wrapped in something warm by the nurse, the newborn had been placed in her mother's arms. A feeling of calm washed over both mother and daughter as Shakky held her child close.
"Have you thought of a name yet ma'am?" the young nurse asked.
"Zelda, that going to be her name," the new mother told the other two in the room "My little Zelda."
The newborn couldn't help but cry as Shakky took the little hand into her own. It would take some time but she would somehow accustom herself to the cries.
"Now, now Zelda. It will all be alright." The new mother cooed in an effort to calm the baby.
For the first couple of years the mother and daughter duo settled into a routine. Shakky still managed her bar, where she continued rip-off her customers, pirates and civilians alike, while raising her young child with stories of her days as a pirate on the high seas.
The subject of the child's father never crossed their mind until a couple days after Zelda's third birthday.
Shakky had gotten Zelda a much needed pair of glasses. Excitedly the toddler ran to the bathroom to see how the spectacles looked.
This was the first time Zelda had looked at herself in the mirror and analyzed her reflection as a sense of questioning overcame her . She looked at her features and couldn't help noticing the difference between herself and her mother.
Zelda could tell that her mother was beautiful in a mature way with her pouty lips, short black hair, not to mention she somehow manage to keep her figure even after having a baby. It was no wonder why there was no shortage of bar patrons hitting on the retired adventurer.
Where Shakky had black hair, Zelda was strawberry blonde. Their eyes were different colors and their facial features lacked similarity.
Running back to the main room of their living quarters above the bar, Zelda ran to her mother's lap and asked "Mommy am I adapted?"
"Adapted?" she questioned before realizing what the girl meant. "Oh you mean adopted, no you're not. Why would you think that?"
"Because we look different, like- like I have yellowy hair and you have black hair, and, and I wear eye glasses and you don't."
Shakky wasn't offended by the question, in fact she found the situation rather humorous. She answered her daughter honestly, "Zelda that's because you take after your dad."
"Dad?" she inquired. "Who's that?"
"An old friend of mine. You'll meet him one day, as a matter of fact he might make an appearance soon, since his crew is no longer sailing the grand line," she said having kept up with the latest news.
++++++ Another Mouth to Feed +++++++++
"Get ready for me Shakky! You'll be to tired to open the bar tomorrow after the night I have planned for us."
After Travelling around the grand line for a final journey with thr Roger Pirates, Silvers Rayleigh had returned to Sabaody Archipelago and his first stop was Shakky's Rip-Off Bar. While he was still a pirate in spirit, Rayleigh was ready to settle down and live a more quiet life now that the Roger Pirates disbanded and his best friend had turned himself in to the world government.
He hadn't had the heart to see his Captain and friend be executed choosing instead to return to what he considered, after a talk with Rogers and a much delayed realization, to be the love of his life.
Looking up towards the top of a mangrove root, a small smiled crept on the former first mate's face as he took in the familiar sight of the rip-off bar. It had been at least a couple of years since he had been there.
Opening the door, Ray looked around to find the place empty. It was still early in the day so that was to be expected.
"Shakky! You around?" he called out. "Shakky? Where are you?"
"We're not open yet mister," a voice answered.
Not seeing anyone around, Rayleigh approached the bar and looked over the his surprise saw a little girl about two or three years at the most, putting away cups under the counter.
"You mind getting her for me?"
"What business do you have with mom?" Zelda asked being weary of the stranger.
"I'm sorry did you just say mom?"
Sizing up the man on the other side of the bar, the child got a good look at him, just as her mother had taught her. It was obvious that the man wasn't the same as their usual clientele. Puffing up her cheeks and putting her hand on her hips she spoke to the first-mate as she would to anyone who would come into the bar.
"Yeah, mom as in mother, my mother. Who the hell are you?" the little girl inquired.
Rayleigh was a bit taken back with the way the little girl before laughing out loud. "You know in my day kids didn't speak to their elders like that."
With a small huff, she retorted, "Well this is my day sir and we do."
With a big smile, he asked, "and just who might you be?"
"If you want to know it'll cost you 500 berries."
"What do you know, You're Shakky's kid after all, I'm Ray, a friend of your mom."
Rayleigh sat down at the bar, putting down his bag next to him. The child didn't look much like Shakky he notice. Rather the little girl had long strawberry-blond hair and dark eyes, similar to his own. While Rayleigh wasn't naïve he still wanted to confirm his suspicions with Shakky herself.
"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Ray," said the familiar voice of his friend Shakuyaku.
With a smirk on his lips he greeted the woman. "Shakky you're looking good as ever. Though I never pegged you as the kind to have a kid around."
Shakky place a drink of grog in front of Rayleigh, as she patted the young girl's head in reassurance, "I see you've met Zelda already."
"Spirited young thing isn't she," he commented. "Though if you have her hanging around here she would have to be."
Shakky looked down at the young girl who was standing next to her,"Zelda, that's enough for now why don't you take some of your crayons and take a break. Mama has some business to take care of."
With a quick nod, the little girl hopped down from the step stool she was standing on and opened a box that was stored under the counter and ran off to one of the other tables. Rayleigh couldn't help but laugh, he knew it had been a few years but he hadn't expected to find his friend as a mother.
"Don't you think Zelda, looks a little familiar?" Shakky asked.
Rayleigh just stared at Shakky not saying a word as he had a feeling of where she was going with the subject. Looking towards the small girl as she focused on her drawings, he had to admit that Zelda did share a few familiar features.
Putting his drink down, he calmly replied, "I thought as much…so how did this happen?"
"I'm surprised Rayleigh, a man of your age not knowing," she replied with a slight bit of sarcasm.
"Okay, okay point taken. Were you ever going to tell me?" he couldn't help but ask
"You would have eventually come back so there was no rush," Shakky told him as she got out a cigarette and lit it up.
"So what now?" he asked, genuinely unsure how to go about the situation.
In his years as part of the Pirate King's crew he had come upon all manner of life and death, managing to prove his self deserving of his Epithet 'Dark King' but the thought of having a child baffled him to no end.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt for you to spend some time getting to know the girl, after all she is your child too ." She told him.
Downing the rest of his drink, Rayleigh thought the suggestion over. Standing up, Ray pulled a chair over to the table covered in paper as he sat down in front of the young girl.
"Looks like we'll be getting to know each other, and see how much you take after your old man."
"I'm not going to call you daddy," she said with a bit of attitude, implying that she had been listening in on their conversation as she continued to draw .
Although he had only just met the child, Rayleigh couldn't help but feel a slight bit of disappointment at his daughter rejecting him on the spot.
Rayleigh was brought out of his momentary funk when he noticed a green crayon being waved in front of his face.
"Here…you can draw something too," Zelda told him feeling bad after she saw the way his face fell when she told him she wouldn't be calling him dad anytime soon.
Taking the crayon from the small hand, Rayleigh took a piece of paper after a bit of encouragement from the child mother.
"How about if you call me Ray for now?" he suggested trying to get the girl to open up to him.
"Maybe sometime the two of you can go to the amusement park," Shakky interjected as she blew a puff of smoke.
Putting down her crayon Zelda perked up at the suggestion, "Really? Will you take me?"
"Well I don't know about that…." Rayleigh thought out loud.
"Please Ray? I've never gotten to go before."
Looking at her big eyes and smile, the retired pirate knew then and there that he was going to have a rough road ahead of him as he found himself giving in to the child's plea.
"Sure, what can go wrong at an amusement park?"
Five months later, Rayleight took Zelda and the promised trip. It had taken some time as the girl had to wait for the former pirate to come back home as he had disappeared the following day.
"How come Ray leaves all the time?" she asked her mother. Ever since Rayleigh had come back into their lives and started living with them, he had the habit of leaving for days at a time and then coming back as if he hadn't gone anywhere.
"That's just how he is. You have to remember Zelda, it's not easy for a pirate like him to stay in one place so long."
Finally Ray had returned and had taken the girl for some overdue father-daughter time.
"Ray can I get a balloon?" she asked getting some money in return before walking to the person in an animal costume.
"Hey Big bro check it out," Unknown to Zelda she had caught the attention of a couple of con men had spotted the child wandering on her own. "Looks like it's time we got in the human trafficking business."
Before she knew what was going on, one of the human traffickers came up from behind one of the stalls, putting a cloth soaked in chloroform over her nose and mouth. Zelda was quickly knocked out and taken the small girl in a knapsack and dragged her off to their headquarter where the con mem stored their merchandise.
"You were kidnapped?! Right from under Silver Rayleigh's nose? Was it a devious plot to get revenge on the Dark King? Were there explosions and, and lots of bullets flying? Did you die?!"
"Considering I'm talking to you right now, I'm pretty sure I lived," Zelda answered the hyperactive child.
"It's too bad I wasn't there, I would have beat up those kidnappers with my thunder kick," Raj, the young boy boasted kicking the air.
"You hear that fellas," one of the four men at the bar announced to the other three. "You best watch yourself around the lad, or else he come after you with his lightning punch."
"Not lightning punch! Thunder kick!" the boy hastily corrected.
"Okay, okay, tough guy just try not to break anything with your thunder kick. Now where was I? Oh right, the kidnappers…"
"Bwhahaha" cackled the two kidnappers as they moved with haste into their hideout not far from the amusement park.
"What are you two morons smiling about now? You better have gotten some loot or it'll be toilet duty for you," their boss warned as the man smoking a cigar put down his newspaper wondering what his two henchmen were planning.
The shorter of the two lackeys spoke up, "It's like this boss, we were getting some cotton candy over at the amusement park when we came up with a great idea. You're always saying you want to get in the slave business, well look what we got. Moose, bring the burlap sack."
The bigger of the two henchman followed, "Er uh sure thin' Rocky."
Moose, the larger kidnapper, turned over the bag roughly causing the sleeping child to fall out and land roughly on the floor accompanied by the sound of glass breaking as the girl landed on her reading glasses.
"Moose, you moron! You'll bruise the merchandise," Rocky chastised before giving his partner a whack on the head.
"Shut up! Both of yous," their boss commanded as he got up from his chair to get a closer look at Zelda.
"Aside from a cute face, the little bitch looks too small and scrawny to even lift a broom let alone be of any use for manual labor," he analyzed as most slaves were used for hard work.
"I suppose we ciuld sell her to a factory, they're always looking for kids to work in the small spaces."
"What do you think boss? Did we do good?" Moose asked.
Rather than answer the boss of the group headed for the door, "I want at least fifteen brats for our first sale."
Once the boss gave the go-ahead, Rocky and Moose took the small girl and locked her in a small storage closet.
"Um shouldn't we tie her up Rocky? What if she gets out?" he questioned earning him a slap from the short henchman.
"You idiot, that's why we'll be locking the door. What's a squirt like that going to do when she can't even reach the door handle.? She's not even conscious. Now move it you lummox, the boss said he wants fifteen more urchins."
The two men left none the wiser as to the hell that would await them the moment they step outside their hideout.
Rocky and Moose had only walked a couple of feet away from the entrance to their hideout when their path was blocked.
"Move it guy if you know what's good for you," Rocky threatened,
"You two took something of mine…" The man said in a serious tone.
Rayleigh had been aware of the men, the only thing keeping him from using Conqueror's Haki on the men was the large amount of children and families surrounding in the amusement park. Keeping a close eye on the duo he followed until they were in a more sparse area to knock the men unconscious.
Surprisingly they lead him to their hideout not that far from the park entrance. The former first mate could have easily knocked the two kidnapper unconscious then and there but he wouldn't let the men who had abducted his child get off so easily.
"Listen buddy, we don't know what your talkin' 'bout. We are legit Business men," Rocky said trying to brush Rayleigh off.
"Has anyone ever told you that you're a bad liar?" Ray asked rhetorically.
"You obviously aren't gettin' the hint buddy. Moose show this guy what's what," the short man ordered.
Moose and Rocky didn't even take a step as all they caught a glimpse of was a blur that left them with several broken bones and what would be years of extensive physical therapy to numb the pain.
"Rock, I don't think tha' was an ordinary sucker," Moose said breathing heavily.
"Shut up Moose!" His partner said barley understandable with the swollen lip and missing teeth.
. ++++++ Another Mouth to Feed ++++++
In the same timeframe that Rocky and Moose were getting their punishment outside, inside the gangster's hideout from within the small room Zelda began to stir as she awoke.
"Ray?" she called still unsure of what was happening as she slowly opened her eyes to find her guardian nowhere to be found.
Sitting up the young girl tried to figure out where she had woken. Her vision compromised due to her broken eyeglasses and lack of bright light, Zelda could barely see her surroundings but knew she was no longer at the amusement park.
Spotting a door the child made an attempt to leave the room but found that the door had been locked."Help! Let me out! I'm stuck!"
While trying to get someone to hear her shouts to be rescued, the strawberry blonde girl started banging on the door and the walls of the closet, accidently bumping into one of the shelves causing a box to fall over and open.
From within the box a rather large banana-like fruit fell in front of Zelda, who as far as she could tell looked like an ordinary piece of fruit.
Unbeknownst to the youngster the fruit wasn't just any fruit but a devil fruit the Neko Neko no Mi also known as the Cat-Cat Fruit, Orange Tabby Model. Anyone who consumed the fruit would be transformed into a cat and inter-species hybrid forms.
"Food!" the girl cried feeling fatigued from her situation.
Had her glasses not broken and she had a better light source, the youngster would have noticed the swirled pattern on the fruit and not have consumed it. As far as Zelda was concern she only wanted something to satisfy her hunger, with a growl from her stomach Zelda didn't hesitate to eat the strange fruit.
All the girl ate was one bite and Zelda felt like gagging, "Ugh! This banana taste bad!"
Despite throwing away the rest of the devil fruit, the one bite she had already swallowed was enough to change her life.
The door to the closet opened, and Zelda ran to the room entrance, "Hey you! Have you see-"
The girl stopped talking when she saw the mean-looking gangster standing at the door giving her an intense glare..
"What do you think you're doing you brat?" the Gang Boss yelled seeing the open box. "You little bitch , you just cost me millions of Berries!"
Fear took hold of the child as tears began streaming from the frighten girl's eyes caused by the gang leaders scary appearance and tone.
The gang boss, was about to backhand the little girl in anger at the loss of the devil fruit he planned to sell at auction. "Stop crying you little worm!"
Reacting to her body's need to fight or flight, Zelda subconsciously activated her devil fruit powers for the first time. Gaining cat-like features, the scared minor clawed the gang leader's arm causing it to bleed profusely.
Just as quickly as she had changed, the small tot had returned to normal still unsure as to what had just happened to her. Given her current situation Zelda didn't have time to think as the gang leader had also seen her become fully human once more.
"Now you're really going to get it!" he yelled at Zelda as he pulled out a pistol.
"Mommy! Daddy!" she cried out truly scared of what the man would do to her.
Almost as if hearing his cue, a hand took hold of the gang member's arm as his pistol fell to the ground in pieces. "Don't you dare lay a hand on her," an eerily calm voice advised.
"Daddy!" the child cried causing the retired pirate to release the boss of the kidnappers who took hold of his obviously broken arm causing to fall over in pain.
Zelda ran past the gang boss and leapt into Rayleigh's arms who lifted her up and buried her tear covered face in his neck as she latched on refusing to let go.
"I thought you said you wouldn't call me dad, guess you were really scared" he joked in hopes of comforting the girl after what he imagined had been a frightening experience for the child.
Sniffling she looked up at him as he carried her out of the hideout.
"I wasn't scared," she pouted. "I just changed my mind is all," she said before hugging his neck once more.
"What do you say we get some ice cream, courtesy of these gentlemen," he said displaying several wallets in his free hand.
Rayleigh had taken their wallets and cash as compensation for all the trouble they caused him when he was trying to have a nice day out with his kid.
"Wow! You ate a Devil Fruit, what did you do with your powers?! Did you start fighting people? What kind of powers did you get? Can you shoot laser's out of your eyes? Or, or, or fly?"
"Seriously Kid, what did you have for breakfast a bowl of pure sugar?" Zelda asked the energetic boy who wouldn't stop asking questions.
"Actually I didn't really do much with them, I didn't even know I had eaten one, until one day I tried to swim and almost drowned," she answered. "Luckily Hatchan was around to save me…"
"When did you meet the pirates?" Raj asked eagerly waiting to hear about the sailing adventurers.
"Pirates….Well there was this one time I met Shanks, captain of the red-hair pirates…"
"Shanks, how have you been?" Rayleigh greeted his former subordinate.
"I need to get my ship coated," Shanks explained
"Leave it to me and my assistant, right Z?"
"Huh, oh yeah sure," the pre-teen girl replied not looking up from her book.
"That's it?" Raj asked.
"There was also the time the pirate Empress and her sisters stayed with us…"
"Zelda come meet our guest," Shakky called. "They're from Amazon Lily."
The girl looked over the counter to see three young females, who had been taken in by Gloriosa, a friend of her parents.
"These girls are sisters. That's Hancock, Marigold and Sandersonia," the former empress introduced,
"Hi" the adolescent girl greeted.
"Seriously? That's it?" Raj asked.
"Okay, how about the day Ray and Shakky tied the knot?" she suggested to the child.
"Shakky let's get married," Rayleigh asked one morning at the breakfast table.
Shakky put down her newspaper and coffee cup as she thought about how to respond to the suggestion.
"Why not, I don't have much going on today," she answered.
"Hey Zelda try to be here around four in the afternoon, your mom and I are getting hitched," Ray told his daughter.
"Hmmm, sure okay," answered the ten year old girl finding her Cereal more interesting than the news of the upcoming nuptials.
"Weren't you even the least bit excited?" the boy questioned.
"Why? All they were doing was signing a piece of paper and maybe having a slice of cake."
"Geez lady, you're not really much of a story teller," the boy frowned as he finished his glass of juice and was eating the snack Zelda had place in front of him, of course with it being the child's first time at the Rip-Off bar, he had no idea that each bite and sip would mean an extra hour of chores since he had no cash on him.
"You best watch the way you address Zelda shrimp," one of the four men warned.
"Yeah, Laddie, the woman may not look it but she'll make you pay through the nose." A second one added.
"Rip-Off Bar isn't just some cutesy name," a third man chimed in.
The boy looked over at the men and inquired, "If that's true then why do you come here?"
"Now that I think about it, why do we keep drinking here?" one of the men asked out loud.
Sensing possible defection, Zelda slammed her hand on the counter, before addressing the four customers in an scarily calm tone, "Now I know none of you were even thinking about going to drink somewhere else."
The four men gulped loudly, although the woman was easy on the eyes, everyone on groove thirteen knew not to get on Zelda's bad side even if it meant paying exuberant process for cheaply made drinks and snacks.
"As for you," she addressed the young boy, "If you keep putting ideas in their heads, I'll kick you out of my shop and there will be no story about the Strawhats," she threatened to the boy who sat down and quieted down.
"I'll be good," Raj said sitting down to let the woman continue her story.
"Did dad come back yet?"
"Good morning to you too," Shakky greeted her daughter as the young adult walked into the bar, barely paying attention as she made the trek downstairs from her bedroom.
Stifling a yawn, the daughter sat at the counter and laid her head down before muttering, "Sorry mom, good morning."
"Got any plans today or do you plan on just hanging around here like you do every morning?" Shakky asked knowing the likely answer.
Despite being a young adult of twenty-four years old Zelda had no intentions of moving out anytime soon or rather doing much with her time in general. Thanks to her mother's genetics she looked like she was still in her mid-teens, appearing to those who weren't in the know as just another kid living with their parents.
"You know when I was your age I had traveled the grand line a couple times," the parent told her child.
"Trust me mom I'm perfectly content here, besides I don't have plans of Sailing or becoming a pirate anytime soon," She said as she reached over the counter for the coffee pot.
Shakky who was always in the know, had been hearing rumors and news of new pirates everyday. "I'm not saying you have to become a pirate, but you should see the world while you still can. I've heard that several crews are making waves in the pirating world."
"Good for them, but I already know what my life plan is, I'll stay here with you, work at the bar, once in a while help out dad and when you retire I'll take over the Rip-Off Bar."
It was not the first time the subject had come up between the mother and daughter. While Rayleigh was perfectly content to let his daughter remain on the archipelago so long as she stayed away from some of the grooves, Shakky felt her daughter wasn't living her life to her potential.
"I'll be eating out," she mumbled before leaving the bar not wanting to discuss the subject further.
'Why do I even have to do anything, I perfectly happy with the way things are now,' Zelda though as she walked a couple a grooves until she got to one of the smaller eating establishments.
"What will you be having Miss?" the waiter asked as he took out his notepad.
"I'll have two eggs; one over easy, one over medium; three sausage links; a cup of cottage cheese with a drizzle of honey; a fruit cup; unless it's mostly honeydew melon, in which case skip it and make it half a grapefruit; a glass of whole milk over ice and a side of toast barely browned; closer to bread than toast, I'm not joking; with as many local jams as you have in stock... Oh, and a Bloody Mary."
The man looked at the young woman, "Sorry Miss, we don't serve alcohol for breakfast, but we do have a selection of teas and coffee available."
Before Zelda could order her drink a shout alerted all those in the plaza
"Everyone quick a celestial Dragon is heading this way!"
Anyone who had been on Sabaody long enough knew that when a citizen of Mariejois was in sight to bow down and not look them in the eye. Some of the shop owners hurried to close their businesses, and those who couldn't got down on their knees as fast as they could.
A shot was heard as the world nobel shot down his slave.
"Stupid Slave! How dare you make me waste one of my bullets on you!" he yelled. "Now I need new servants, those peasants over there will do," he told his guards.
Chancing it, Zelda Glanced up Zelda saw that the noble had been pointing in the direction where Zelda found herself kneeling. Her thoughts had been affirmed when she felt herself being grabbed by a guard and pulled towards the celestial dragon along with eight other people.
There were several cries of protest but Zelda knew to bide her time. She knew what to do in her situation thanks to Rayleigh who had purposely let himself been captured several times by slavers and had taught his daughter how to escape should she ever find herself apprehended.
"Hold it! Those three bring them here."
Once more the guards placed their hands on Zelda had been pulled aside along with two other young woman.
"Who knew there could be peasants that didn't make me want to gag upon laying eyes on them. Those three will be my new personal attendants," he declared eyeing the three women up and down with a lecherous look in his eyes as he passed them.
"Let my sister go you jerk!" a young man yelled.
"Izuku Stop you don't know what you're doing," the woman yelled only to be pulled back by the guard holding her.
"Insolent bug, how dare you approach me!" the celestial dragon brandish a gun and aiming it at the young man.
Before he could take a shot, Zelda who had been standing at a closer distance to the world noble than to the young boy made the choice to attack the man in the bubble helmet knocking the gun out of his hand with a twist of the man's arm
"How dare you touch me with those filthy hands you peasant!"
He reached for another gun and aimed for Zelda, As he was about to fire sirens alerted the populace to the rising of the tides. The people began running about as they tried to head for higher ground before the water rose.
"Don't just stand there go defend your master!" the valet of the world noble ordered the armored guards and marines who had been unlucky enough to be assigned to the protection of the spoiled man.
'Looks like these guys aren't even worth the energy needed to change,' she thought.
Taking advantage of the noise and commotion Zelda kneed the groin of the first guard that came at her and tossed him towards the noble, as the other guards ran to help the fat noble up Zelda ran in the opposite direction.
"You idiots! Go after her! No one gets away with disrespecting me! Call an admiral!" the man in the bubble helmet commanded.
Thanks in part to her knowledge of the area, Zelda had chosen an old abandoned building, as a hiding spot to catch her breath and wait until the search for her died down.
Believing the coast was clear Zelda attempted to make her way home, however the rising water meant that her usual path wasn't an option as she had always been warned to avoid the rising water while on her own or else she would drown if she fell in.
Everything looked like it would be okay, until shouts cautioned the woman to the presence of an admiral only a few meters away. Switching direction Zelda tried to backtrack only to walk backwards into a thick wall.
Knocked down she looked up to see what it was that she had bumped into. "Son of a- it's you!"
The person blocking the way need not introduce himself, as Zelda instantly recognized the person who had knocked her down. In her mother's collection of wanted poster she had looked upon the image of the warlord, Bartholomew Kuma many times.
"You're wanted."
Called to the Archipelago by the Marines, the girl believed he was there to assist in either her capture or more likely her death.
To the contrary, due to his work with the revolutionaries, he had decided that the girl could be beneficial to their cause in the future and decided to spare her
Zelda crawled backward knowing that even she chose to change forms in that moment the girl would be no match for the warlord. She tried to back away but found herself unable to move only sinking deeper into the sap that was unique to the island.
Looking down at the strawberry blonde girl he asked her "Where would you like to go?"
Zelda hadn't expected the question. Not giving her another minute to answer he uncovered his hand displaying the paw print on his palms.
++++++ Another Mouth to Feed ++++++
Silvers Rayleigh had been gone for nearly two months, most of that time he had done as he pleased but despite his carefree lifestyle still kept tabs on his wife and daughter.
"Something's happened…" he uttered.
"Nice try but you won't get out of paying what you owe the house," the man from the gambling parlor said.
"Who? Me? Of course not, you know I'm good for the money," he said garnering a round of laughs from the other people at the table who were well aware of the retired pirates losing streak.
'Zelda no longer on Sabaody…'
Thanks to everyone for reading. Any comments or questions please leave them in the review.
Thank you to GodzNo for Reviewing (and you were right I made Rayleigh slightly weaker than he would have actually been especially in his prime.)
Thank you to Puddykatz and Wizard Alchemist for favoriting.
Thank you to Puddykatz, Wizard Alchemist, Cervuss, koreanlover21873, Godzno, LittleAngel2292 and camillevedelsby for following
Edited on 10/4/2017