Chapter 1
"I'm hungry."
"Yeah, me too. We should probably bring more food with us next time."
"Say, Zoro."
"Hm?"
"How far until we reach land?"
Zoro sat up quick, alarmed. "You mean you don't know where we're going?!"
"Nope."
"How are we supposed to get there if neither of us knows where we're going?"
"We'll get there."
"But how?"
"Somehow," Luffy said with a smile. Flopping down onto the small boat's floor, he sighed and turned his attention from a now speechless Zoro to the empty sky above. "I wonder if we can eat clouds."
Zoro sat back again, accepting that they just might starve on the boat. "Don't know." Looking out at the horizon, Zoro noticed something too small and fast to be a cloud. Luffy seemed to notice it too because a moment later he suddenly blurted out, "What's that?"
Zoro squinted as the object got closer and realized what it must be, but how they were accomplishing it he didn't know. Flying through the sky was a person. A real person. They almost looked as if they had been thrown out across the sea head first, though whoever had thrown them this far would need to be strong. Zoro turned towards his captain, wondering if he had realized what the figure was as well, but Luffy was already climbing the mast and shouting, one hand waving the newcomer down.
"Oi! Person!"
The newcomer noticed them too, with the shouting and waving it was kind of hard not to, and a minute later a bronze haired girl had landed on the bow, her feet quietly tapping the wood as serious eyes watched Luffy jump down from the mast. There was a moment of silence before the girl and Luffy spoke at the same time. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Can you fly?"
Sighing, the girl decided to answer the strange boy's question before pressing her own, wondering if his question was the answer to hers. Her voice matter-of-fact and even, she stated, "Yes. I use firebending to propel myself through the air, much like a rocket would." The ruby cloak she was wearing shifted slightly as she lifted her hand and grew a small fire over her palm. She noticed the boy in the back of the boat rest his hand on his sword as he watched her movements carefully, but she kept her eyes leveled with the boy's in front of her as she continued explaining. "The force of a strong fire will push me forward and by changing the direction of the flame, I can change the direction of where I go. The speed I go can also vary depending on -"
"That's so cool?! Oi, Zoro! Did you see this? This lady can create fire and fly!"
While the boy in front was exclaiming and looking at the fire in her palm from different angles, the one in back walked forward, breaking through her shock at the interruption. "So it's like a devil fruit or something? Like a fire-fire fruit?"
"It's actually a natural ability I have - it's fairly common where I come from, though flying with it is unorthodox even if it's not unheard of." At this the boy with the straw hat stood up full again to meet the girl's eyes. His voice filled with barely contained enthusiasm, he spoke again. "You have to join my pirate crew."
Dissipating her fire, the girl stopped and looked the boy over. His grin was wide, almost wild even, and his actions showed how hopeful and confident he was. And yet despite his somewhat silly demeanor his eyes were serious when he had stated his request. She concluded he was a strange leader, but a leader all the same, and a strong one to boot. Still she didn't know enough about him to make a choice, as if she wanted to make one anyway, so she settled for stating the obvious hoping to distract him long enough to fly off in peace.
"I don't know you."
"I don't know you, but I know you're a good person. I can tell." Before the girl could form a reply the boy's stomach growled and he grumbled with it. "Ah, I'm hungry."
This was the perfect chance. If she could distract him with food long enough, she could fly off while he ate. Without thinking twice, she pulled a small sack from her waist and held it out to him with a simple "here." It held 2 days worth of food, but since she was going to reach land tonight, the loss wouldn't be so terrible. She would just need to find more food once she was there. After handing the bag over, the girl readied herself to take off when the bag - now empty - appeared in front of her face.
"Thank you for the meal."
The plan had failed.
"So, are you gonna join?"
The plan had really and truly failed. "No."
"You should join."
"I don't know you."
"But you're a good person. And since I'm going to be King of the Pirates, I'm going to need a strong crew to go with me. You can fly, so you're strong, right?"
"But I don't know if you are a good person."
"Find out for yourself."
"I'm a bounty hunter."
"So was Zoro."
"And I can't take orders from people I can't respect."
"I understand."
"And I have high expectations of those I do respect."
"Okay."
"Including my captain."
"If I become a captain you can't respect, you can leave."
…
"So join."
She looked up from the bag to the boy's face in front of her. His eyes were serious again. Slowly her hand seemed to move on it's own, reaching up to grab the bag.
"Deal."
"Right. You don't have anymore food, do you?" At this the other boy whacked him over the head and sent him flying to the back end of the boat, shouting about how he had eaten the whole bag and no longer had the right to ask for more. Watching the scene before her unfold, the newcomer had a sudden thought.
"Captain, I don't know your name."
"Ah, I'm Monkey D. Luffy."
"Taeyong. Moe Taeyong."
"Nice to meet ya."