Hello readers! This is my first story here on Fanfiction, no not my first story in general. I hope you guys enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. The OP Characters are not mine they are Oda's but the O/C is. Please Review and let me know what you like, hate, love, improvements, and what you would like to read more off. THANK YOU! ENJOY!


Chapter One

"Damn that Straw Hat..." A lone Marine ship sailed steadily strange seas of the Grand Line. The White Hunter lay on the front of the ship, in a sun chair next to a table standing a coffee pot and two tea cups. Smoker let a huff of smoke out and continued to glare at the clouds above. An image of a boy with a scar under his left eye, holding a straw hat on his head and smiling like he won the lottery kept coming to his mind. The Straw Hat's Captain's words' still rung in his ears like a bad tune, "You're a good man!" Growling, Smoker took the two cigars from his mouth and took a drink of coffee. "Out of all the things to say he had to say that." The newly and unhappily appointed Commodore placed the cigars back into his teeth and sucked on the toxic end. "Brat sounded just like her," he rubbed his face and let the smoke out of his mouth.

*A small girl covered in dirt glared at the boy standing above her. "I won't let you hurt him!" The girl shouted as she rushed to stand in front of the dog she had been holding onto. The boy crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes.

"I'm not interested in hurting you and you're dumb mutt." The boy studied the girls' stubborn features, and then finally he resolutely gave her his hand. The girl blinked then slowly nodded. She shifted to show the whimpering dog behind her.

The boy had been walking when he had heard a dogs' whine and yelp of pain. That was when he had seen her. This courageous girl. She had run at the group of boys surrounding and tormenting the dog and tackled one of the boys. He had watched as she pounded his face into the ground. All the other boys where so shocked that they watched until they realized that she was alone. The other boys had pulled her off and held her arms as the leader got to his feet. Even so, the girl fought, utterly fearless. That's when he had to step in. Together they had worked together to chase off the rotten pack of miscreants.

"You should take better care of your dog," The young boy pointed out shaking his head of white hair.

The girl stuck out her tongue and glared, "He isn't my dog." The girl turned her head back to the shaggy dog. "I just heard this dog crying, and when I saw what those jerks where doing to him," she shook her mop of black hair. "I just couldn't help myself. Next thing I remember is beating in the punks' rotten mug." The dog whimpered and nudged his head on the girls' hand. She started petting him at his request. "Thank you." The boy blinked. "Without you, I wouldn't have been able to help this poor guy. You're a good man!" The girl looked directly at him and grinned so much he could have sworn he could see all of her teeth. *

The sound of footsteps caught the Commodores' attention, causing him to glance over his shoulder. A woman wearing a topical button up and jeans, walked steadily by.

"Tashigi," Smoker called, the woman stopped and watched as her higher up poured coffee into the second cup of tea. A tired sigh pasted between them as the woman backtracked and took the seat next to her Commodore.

"Thank you, sir." Sitting down, Tashigi pushed her glasses on her head and laid her sword across her lap. She reached for her cup and sipped from it softly. The cup clinked as she put the cup back home on the table. "I'm sorry I failed sir." Smoker just grunted and watched his second in command. "I couldn't stop Crocodile and I helped the straw hats." A strange sound filled the silence; it was the sound of a fist tightening on the sheath of a sword. Smoker's sharp eyes focused on his lieutenants' knuckles as they whiten in Tashigi's harsh grip. Her face was hard, and her eyes harder as she saw something that only she could see. "I pointed that Straw Hat in Crocodile's direction because I couldn't do it myself. And then after the battle, I had a chance to capture the straw hat pirates…but I let them go." Her eyes closed in defeat.

A puff of smoke floated high in the sky until it slowly vanished. "Don't feel bad Tashigi," another puff of smoke went to follow its' brother. "You followed your own sense of justice." Smoke took another drink of coffee.

"No! I didn't, that's the problem. I let them go because they could do what I couldn't. I felt like I owed them. People like them shouldn't be free." Smoker looked back at his Lieutenant. She was clutching her sword in both hands and looking at it as though it were her enemy and her best friend.

Huff. Another puff of smoke. "Tashigi. You could learn something from those pirates." The short haired woman looked up in surprise at her Commodore, her eyes widening and her mouth slightly open she looked almost like an owl. At that moment her glasses feel on her nose causing her to blink in shock and almost loose her balance. Arms' flinging, she finally found her balance and stared at her higher up. "Those Straw Hats' have strong hearts. They never give up, and neither should you."

Tashigi blinked and nodded causing her glasses to fall further down her nose. Pushing her glasses back up she stood up, "You're right." She punched her fist in front of her and glared forward.

Huff. Huff. Huff. More smoke. "You came out here for another reason, didn't you." It wasn't a question.

Lieutenant Tashigi jumped and looked at Smoker with a guilty expression. "Well sir," she scratched her head nervously. "I got a call from Command."

"Ooh," Smoker watched as more smoke floated up toward the clouds.
"They activated the tracking device in our transponder snail." Smoker's eyes swung toward Tashigi, anger falling from him in waves. "They felt that with our continued failure to capture the Straw Hats', and… this is my guess, your insubordination at your promotion." Smoke started to rise from the Commodore's shoulders. Tashigi gave a nervous laugh, sweat started to form on her brow. "They are sending Captain Adonna to help in our pursuit of the Straw Hats, sir."

Silence… "WHAT!" The entire ship shook.