This is the start of a full re-boot of Celestial Daughter. I welcome you to my One Piece story, folks. It will be NOTHING like the first attempt. I will try to update AT LEAST every month, hopefully sooner, but maybe not so often when the Fall semester rolls around. I really hope you have fun reading this. Please send some reviews in.
Rowan's eyes scrunched as she stirred from her restless sleep. The crew was being rather loud. She frowned. "Great, another one..." She rolled out of bed and started getting dressed in the clothing her captain insisted she wear: tight, leather pants, matching jacket, and unrealistic high heeled boots. She frowned at her reflection, then at the mask she refused to don, and left her small room.
Once on deck Rowan realized that the fight had already begun. She jumped off the ship and made her way to one of the new crew members. Rowan sighed and rolled her eyes when she realized that she couldn't remember his name.
"Hey, new guy."
He turned and stared. "Yes?" His voice sounded scared.
"Who did he challenge this time?" Rowan's own voice simply sounded bored.
"The Straw Hat crew!"
Rowan didn't know too much about the Straw hats. She did know that the captain was said to be insane and that he had the highest starting bounty of anyone from the East blue.
"Isn't the swordsman Roronoa Zoro on that crew?" She asked.
"Yeah, that's right." The guy sounded less scared and more confused.
Rowan nodded and made her way back to the ship. Sitting at the top of the mast of the Sexy Foxy, Rowan watched as Foxy cheated his way to victory. 'If I could get on the Straw Hat crew I wouldn't be stuck here anymore.'
"Excuse me, Straw Hat Luffy, can I have a word?"
Rowan made her way through a group of her own crewmates. The Straw Hats looked at her dumbly for a moment before the blonde-haired man started trying to flirt with her, but she easily brushed him off.
"Luffy, I have a request."
"Who the hell are you?" The orange haired young woman stepped up.
"My name is Rowan. Five months ago, I left home to become a pirate so that I could learn the identity of my father and find him. For the past three months, I have been stuck here with these fools because the man I was sailing with before was an even bigger fool. Please, if you can beat them and get your lost companion back, will you take me with you upon your second victory?"
"So, what, you want to jump from crew to crew?" The same girl asked in a very scrutinizing manner.
"If my loyalties were so easily swayed then I would simply leave. I chose to be a pirate and I won't back down from this just because I cannot stand the idiot captain of this ship." Rowan looked directly at Luffy. "I am not asking to be part of your crew. I am only asking that, should you be able, you free me from Foxy. You don't even have to take me from this island."
Luffy looked at her for a moment before allowing his gaze to go around her. He was deep in thought for a moment before glancing back at her.
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. Even though you talk really weird, I can't pick you."
The blonde man frowned while the orange haired girl applauded her captain's decision-shocked that he was being logical.
Rowan watched them leave with a deep frown on her lips. 'What the hell was he looking at?'
"Straw Hat?"
Luffy turned to his right and saw the woman from before. "I already told you..."
"I know. I know why you can't take me from Foxy." She smiled widely at him. "I do hope you win the next two rounds, Luffy."
He smiled from ear to ear. "We will!"
"We won't if Sanji keeps pissing off the ref!" The long-nosed man cried.
Rowan smirked. "Let me help you out." She made her way over to a very angry Sanji and pushed her breasts up to their perkiest, despite the fact that they were not too impressive. "If you win, your captain said I could join!"
Sanji's eyes lit up immediately and he ran back onto the field screaming something about doing anything for her.
"I didn't say that."
She smiled at Luffy. "I know."
"Rowan! What the hell?"
Said woman's eyes rolled dramatically.
"You're supposed to be on our side!"
"I hate this crew, Porche. You're all morons and I hope your boat sinks."
The Straw Hats stared dumbfounded for a moment before Foxy fell in despair.
"Why, Rowan? Why must you be so cruel?"
Luffy burst into a fit of laughter.
"Rowan, it is required that all Foxy pirates wear the mask!" Porche angrily thrust one of the masks at the taller woman.
"Kiss my ass." Rowan walked away without another word.
"I can't stand her! Captain, why do you keep her around?"
"For her muscle." Foxy stated matter-of-factly from his place on the ground.
Luffy looked curiously at Rowan who was ordering a plate of food. She didn't look like much.
Rowan watched from the crow's nest as Zoro and Sanji won the Groggy Ball match. She was astounded by their strength.
"For humans, they truly are amazing." She sighed sadly. "I wish I could have gone with them, at least long enough to be away from Foxy."
"Hello, my beautiful Rowan." Sanji smiled sadly at her.
"Hi, cook." She smiled at him. "Are you ready for the next match?"
"Yeah. We have to get Chopper back."
"What are you doing over here?" Nami frowned at Rowan.
"I'm only here to wish you all luck."
"Whatever." Nami puffed. "Let's go guys."
The others went to their changing areas but Luffy stayed behind.
"Why do you listen to Splithead?"
"He is my captain. I don't like him. I don't respect him; but I will do as he asks. It's not in my nature to back down from my word. I gave my word to follow my former captain and he lost in a duel. It's just that simple."
"If he hadn't taken Shelly from the old man I would have helped you."
"Thanks, Luffy."
When the roller race was done Rowan turned to leave. Dr. Chopper was back with his friends and it had been a beautiful, tearful reunion. To say that she was shocked to hear a gunshot sound was an understatement. To say she was baffled by the fact that it was to start another Davey Back fight was even more so. Rowan made her way through her current crew to the Straw Hats.
"Luffy! What the hell!"
"I promise this is the last one."
"Maybe he has a good reason."
"Not likely."
"Luffy!" Rowan's voice rang out over the others and pulled their attention to her. "Why are you fighting him again? You have your crew."
"You talk weird. I want you on my crew. I'll help you find your old man."
Rowan's eyes widened in shock. "Luffy, you don't even know me. Why would you take such a risk for me?"
The boy simply laughed. "I told you: you talk weird."
She sat in her room on the Sexy Foxy. What the hell kind of man would risk his friends for a stranger because she 'talks weird'? She ran her hands through her red hair. It had been taken down from its usual high bun and cascaded down her long back to her buttock. Rowan closed her eyes and tried not to get her hopes up too high... But what if Monkey D. Luffy won? What if he took her away from Foxy and helped her find her father? She could finally ask him all the questions that burned in her soul.
"Please," she whispered to no one, "let him win."
As part of the Foxy crew Rowan was told by her captain she had to stay away from Luffy and the others. He knew not to let her near them or she would find a way to help. It broke her heart when they lost the first round. When the second round was lost, Rowan's entire body felt heavy. Not only would she not leave the Foxy crew, but Luffy's crew would be broken.
"I'm sorry." Rowan frowned as she made her way to Luffy. "If you hadn't stayed for me then you wouldn't be in this mess."
Nami sighed. "No, if our captain wasn't an idiot we wouldn't be in this mess. It isn't your fault. Besides," Nami smiled, "I think I have a way out of all this."
With the wager set, and all the pirates gathered together for the final round, Rowan glared down at the deck of the Sexy Foxy. This was too much.
"The hell is on his head?"
"What a dumbass."
Zoro sat to Rowan's left and Sanji sat to her right with Nami on his other side. Zoro's expression mirrored Rowan's. Sanji, on the other hand, was rather happy about Luffy's new afro.
"Did you guys realize how stupid he can be before you joined?" Rowan watched as he flaunted his hair and everybody around her cheered.
"Yep." The Straw Hat crew answered in unison-minus Robin and Chopper of course.
"So, why join him then?" She watched the match get started. "He is insane. He is willing to risk losing everything for a stranger. It makes no sense."
"That's why we joined him."
Rowan turned a confused look to Zoro.
"I was captured by the marines and had a deal with them. Luffy found out they weren't going to honor it and risked his life to save mine; we didn't even know each other yet."
Rowan was astounded by the amount of admiration in Zoro's eyes as the swordsman watched his captain fight.
"He protected the restaurant I used to work at even though he didn't know any of us. He did it because Don Creig said that he would find the One Piece and Luffy wouldn't."
"He protected my village from a devilish villain because it was the right thing to do."
"Luffy liberated my home island from pirates because they made me cry. He saved the flag of Chopper's teacher to protect the dead man's pride."
"Luffy is easy to follow when you think about it. He does what he sees as right." Zoro finished the discussion.
Rowan was glad she could sit the Straw Hats-Foxy was quite certain he would win-but she couldn't help but wonder, 'What have I gotten myself into?'
Luffy chose Robin, Chopper, and Rowan. Rowan immediately cheered and ran to get her belongings from Foxy's ship. "The rest of you can do what you want. I don't want you on my crew."
"Straw Hat." Foxy stepped forward. "You should be careful with that girl."
The Straw Hat crew looked curiously at him.
"I chose to take her from her former crew because she had so many great qualities: beauty, strength, intelligence; but I chose to keep her because she is endlessly loyal. She may not like being on my crew, but she was willing to do anything I asked of her. There have been many times that we have been attacked, however, because of her. Here on the grand line Rowan is known by many as a cursed demon. The girl gained the name of 'Demon of the Grand Line' in only two months. She may never betray you, but she will be the death of you if you are not careful."
Luffy stuck his finger in his nose. "Did you say something, Splithead?"
"STRAW HAT!"