From Now On It's War
Chapter one
Adrenaline

There were very few places where pirates could freely stay and not be thought of as mass murderers, thieves or anything other than evil. It was refreshing, then, to the Mugiwara crew that the port town they had found greeted them warmly and didn't disturb them. For a minor docking fee they were able to stay in the town for as long as they liked, they were free to go about their business as long as they didn't cause trouble, and the locals would even help them if they asked for it. No one in the town was worried about their presence. Nami suspected that pirates liked to keep the town happy; there were no marines, there was plenty of food and also plenty of booze. It was one of the few places pirates could unwind and feel safe while stocking up. No one would have wanted to destroy the small haven. Even Luffy seemed less rambunctious and more subdued since they'd arrived. She simply enjoyed the peace.

Sanji spent a lot of the time in the market deciding which fish to try next, Chopper and Robin visited the various bookstores, Zoro was either sleeping, training on the ship or in one of the taverns. Luffy was content to eat—Nami let him, the food wasn't really too expensive and he could probably eat twice his normal amount before she'd have to reign in the fool. Nami herself found no end of things to do aside from enjoying the peace. The island had an amazing collection of old maps or ships logs that travelers had left behind, and when she got bored of that there was plenty of shopping to be done. For a small island there was a lot there and for once everyone was content that the log pose would take a few weeks to set before they could carry on their journey.

Little did she know that this unassuming and kind island would soon separate her from the rest of her crew.

It was one of the warm days on the spring island that the crew met Sooyou. Nami, having been put into an uncharacteristically generous mood due to the cheapness of the island and the serenity she felt from not having to constantly get her captain out of trouble, decided to treat everyone to dinner. Sanji gushed over how kind and generous she was. Zoro rolled his eyes. Nami was in much too good of a mood to let the two get to her and simply ignored his comments as they entered into the small, homely tavern to the south of the town.

The tavern was much smaller than the others that surrounded it, though it was one of the closest to the port. Many of the surrounding places were full of noise, yet this place sat silently and still. Zoro had passed the place, assuming it to either be run down or not as good as the others since it was nowhere near as popular. But there was a home like feeling to the place and as they'd entered the building they'd found that it wasn't all that unpopular. Though the visiting pirates seemed to enjoy the louder surrounding places, the townsfolk convened in this one. The inside was much bigger than it seemed and everyone was in good spirits. There was a log fire burning near the centre of the room.

The place didn't have any tables big enough for their group, so the owner's wife stuck a few tables together happily for them and told them she'd send someone over to take their order soon. Sanji was still gushing over the navigator's kindness and didn't flirt with the woman. That or she was too old for him, or perhaps it was because she was married.

Sooyou was quite tall, barely shorter than Robin, and had cascading red hair to her waist. Nami thought her eyes were blue, but it was hard to tell since she had a permanent smile on her face. It annoyed her how someone could be so happy, but it was almost endearing at how sincere it seemed to be too. She took their orders happily while accepting Sanji's compliments, which he seemed to be gushing more of. She didn't even falter at Luffy's order, instead complimenting him on his excellent taste in cuisine. Nami thought she was strange, but somehow found it hard to think anything negative about her. Despite her height, her innocence was much more like Chopper's than Luffy's and she decided Sooyou couldn't be much older than thirteen.

"Sooyou-san!" cried one of the other patrons who sat near the bar.

Sooyou let out a small chuckle as she slipped her notepad into her apron and glided gracefully towards the man. "Why, Sakamoto-san! I wasn't sure I'd see you tonight, is it not your anniversary? Where is your lovely wife?"

The man named Sakamoto let out a deep chuckle and slammed a few berries on the bar. "Ah, Sooyou, you know I love her—right? I wouldn't ask anyone else! No one else knows!"

Sooyou laughed as if the pair were sharing a private joke and moved behind the bar. "Of course I know this, Sakamoto-san, what can I do for you?"

Sakamoto gave her a sly grin. "I want to buy her the best bottle of vintage you have, but on my small wage… of course I would never ask for it for free!" he cried upon seeing her expression. "But instead I intend to win it! If I can out drink you then you give it to me for free!"

"And if you can't win?" Sooyou asked, though she pocketed the money anyway.

Nami now realized she'd been wrong about the girl's age from the very beginning. The way she spoke, and even the simple fact that she intended to drink alcohol—she didn't think any parents would let their thirteen year old daughter work in a bar during the evening anyway.

A few of the other men cried upon hearing the challenge, and to the crews surprise, seemed to be telling the old man Sakamoto that he had no chance in winning. Of course, they knew better than anyone not to judge a book by its cover; the townsfolk were probably a lot more knowledgeable about her than they were, and if they had confidence that she could out drink this old man then they had no reason to think any different.

But even after Sooyou slammed her empty glass on the bar before Sakamoto was half way through his it still surprised them. Sanji gushed another compliment and Zoro seemed more interested than ever. Luffy laughed hysterically and Nami wondered if he suddenly thought she was 'amazing' enough to 'join their crew'. She hoped not; the girl seemed pretty useless.

The red haired waitress handed over a bottle of wine to the old man anyway, claiming it to be a gift for them. The expression on his face held no surprise and he did not seem ashamed of himself for receiving the wine for free. Nami decided Sooyou was characteristically giving; somewhere they would disagree and Nami held her purse closer to her.

"This place is interesting," Robin mused as Sooyou disappeared to another room. They could hear her laughter joining with others and they suddenly realized the bar was joined to another more rowdy one next door.

"Everyone here is very happy," Chopper said as he peered around.

"Too happy," Zoro grunted, he didn't seem annoyed though, even he had to admit it was refreshing and relaxing. "Good grog though," he said, downing the rest of his.

"The food too!" Luffy said, fidgeting impatiently in his seat for his dinner. "Sanji! You should get some of their recipes!"

"Is there something wrong with what I cook already, you ungrateful shi-"

"I'd be happy to give you some of my mother's recipes if you like them so much, straw hat-captain-san!" A chirpy voice came. Sanji swallowed his insult and gushed an apology at the waitress instantly. "Oh I hear much worse than that… I probably say worse than that." Sooyou's brow creased for a moment, before she smiled again and put their food down. She barely blinked when Luffy all but inhaled his food.

"Your mother's recipes?" Sanji asked.

"Yes, you met her before. She cooks the food. She likes to share her creations," Sooyou said. "Most of the people here know how to cook her food." She finished with a laugh. "But they come here anyway and pay for the food. It feels almost like cheating them out of money."

By the way some of the younger men were leering, Nami bet it wasn't the food or drink they came for—though both were good, she thought that it was probably the company more than anything. The older people seemed to enjoy her conversation; everyone noted that she was very charismatic. She gave subtle compliments and accepted even the strangest ones that the men would give her. Even some of the women were entranced by her; but they always smiled when she gave them her attention. Nami briefly wondered if she'd eaten a devil fruit that caused some sort of magnetic personality until she overheard a conversation about her joining in a swimming competition at the weekend.

Luffy pouted. "I don't want to leave. I like this place." He didn't mean it—he wanted to be pirate kind after all, but everyone seemed to get along. Maybe being around the happiness would get tiresome eventually, but for now he enjoyed it.

Nami grinned as a sudden idea came to her. "Sooyou-san!" She called. The others stared at her quizzically as the red head scurried over with her ever present grin. "If Zoro here can beat you at a drinking competition… could we get our food for half price?" It wasn't expensive anyway. Nami gulped down the slight guilt that lapped at her for taking advantage.

"Why are you involving me in your scheme, witch!"

Sooyou laughed softly. "If I win?"

"I pay you double."

Silence seemed to fall over the room before the other patrons erupted into yells telling Sooyou to accept the challenge. Zoro grumbled to himself but agreed when Nami said if he won she would cancel out the majority of his debt to her.

"That sounds fair," Sooyou agreed.

The result had been decided as soon as Nami had told Zoro she'd erase his debt; and it didn't surprise the navigator when the swordsman won. Sooyou didn't even seemed to mind and laughed happily as she put her glass down.

"This is why pirates are so much fun!" she grinned at them. "You've only been here for a week right, so you have just over a week before the pose sets?" It wasn't so much a question as a statement, and it dawned on Nami that people kept an eye on all the pirates who visited much more closely than they thought. "Feel free to come back for another meal soon, okay? I'll give it to you for free if you indulge me in another drinking contest!"

It was one of the rare days on the island where the weather was overcast and cold. Rain sat in the air though it didn't fall yet, but the mood of the island carried on as normal. Sooyou hated the cold, but she loved the rain and happily volunteered herself to get more firewood from the overlooking forest when her father asked for help. The straw hats hadn't returned since the other night, but she often bumped into one of them when she did her daily chores. She enjoyed talking with them and made a few of them promise to tell her stories of their adventures when they came in next.

Clad in her bright green raincoat, Sooyou went up the sodden mud track which led to the wilds. She wasn't going deep enough to worry about any of the wild animals, and the wood was chopped ready for collection as always. Her father would cut the wood once a week and would usually collect it himself when he needed it. He'd been ill of health lately and didn't want to risk a cold too from the rain, so the task fell to Sooyou.

The girl sang happily to herself as the now falling rain hammered on her hood, getting heavier every moment until she could barely hear herself. Sighing she pulled her hood down and brushed her wet fringe from her eyes as she bent down to pick up some of the wood.

Imagine her surprise when she suddenly found herself smashing into a tree behind. She wasn't sure entirely what had happened; something had hit her in her stomach she thought, but nothing else was around.

Hesitantly Sooyou stood up and reached for the wood again. This time a hand shot out to grab her wrist; the intensity of the grip threatening to crush her arm.

"Ki Sooyou, correct?"

Sooyou stared at the man who stood over her. He was dressed in all black, and his face, apart from his eyes were covered by a mask. There were a pair of imposing swords strapped to his back, and over his body he seemed to have an arsenal of other weapons. Sooyou wasn't even sure how to answer him, but defiantly tried to tug her arm from his grip.

"Who are you?"

"It doesn't really matter who I am," he replied, loosening his grip before slamming her into the ground. Sooyou hadn't even been able to see him move and wondered what on earth she could even do in this situation.

If he could move that fast could she run?

She guessed there was only one way to find out and hurriedly got to her feet and sprinted back towards the mud track. She could feel blood running down her chin and absently sucked on her lip—she must have bitten it when he threw her to the floor.

"Not so fast, little frog," he chuckled, grabbing her before she could run much further and covering her mouth before she could scream.

She was unable to move and couldn't see anything he was doing. She tried squirming but his grip was iron; she bit his hand but he barely flinched himself. Was he going to kill her—or worse? No one would find her! She was out alone and her father wouldn't expect her back for a while either. By the time anyone came searching….

Furiously now, Sooyou threw herself against his grip in order to get free but the sound of scraping steel caused her to freeze. Then she felt something cold and sharp press against her neck; she daren't move any more, she knew one movement and the blade would slit her throat.

"I honestly expected more from a member of the Meishin… especially the Ya." He sounded bored.

Sooyou gulped. "M-Meishin…? S-sir I-I think you have the wrong person… I don't even know what a-a Meishin o-or a Ya is."

"Of course you don't," he sighed. "I forgot you grew up on this god forsaken happy island. I don't know what you see in this place. I would have left. If your father was alive he'd hate this place and regret sending you here."

Sooyou blinked, slowly swallowing the words in her throat. Her parents had always been honest with her; telling her that they'd found her on the beach in a Moses basket. They'd had no idea who her parents were but raised her anyway. As far as she was concerned her own parents had abandoned her, and the people who raised her were her family; no one else. So, it was strange to her to hear someone speak of her blood related father like they knew him. She was curious of course, she wanted to know where she came from, but it unsettled her, especially to hear he was dead.

"W-what do you want from me?" she muttered, looking around furiously to find some way of escape when she saw it. Just underneath a bush, a quiver of arrows and a rather imposing looking bow. There were a mix of other things with it, a few pouches and daggers—obviously he'd been waiting for a long time. She had no idea how to use it—it couldn't be hard she thought—but she had to try. She just needed to figure out how to get to it.

"What do I want?"

Sooyou thought furiously as the man spoke, occupied by his own thoughts than hers. She slammed her foot down on his and during his released grip, shoved her elbow into his side. He dropped his grip more and his blade sliced her side as she moved. Quickly he grabbed onto her coat, and she shed it to free herself.

Sooyou dove forwards to reach the weapon, surprised when he grabbed her long hair and held her inches above the ground. She could feel a pain in her side, but the adrenaline in her veins dulled it to a throb more than a real pain. She had to try harder!

"Feisty. Shame I have to kill you. I quite like you."

She didn't want to die! She whimpered, frantically thinking as she stared at the weapons. The bow was useless—but the daggers… he'd just deflect if she tried to stab him and it would mean getting close to him; she had no doubt he'd be able to kill her if he stayed close. No… she had to use the bow, but how could she use it now?

Sooyou gulped down her fear and quickly stole up one of the daggers just as the would-be assassin's foot came down on her knee. She cried painfully at the crunch, but managed to cut her hair just above his grip while he was distracted.

Her move had the desired effect and as he fell backwards, she fell forwards, landing on the bush where he stored his weapons. She hit the ground dazed for a few moments, before she fumbled around for the weapon and ammo. Ignoring her side, she managed to roll onto her back and point the bow and arrow at him. The assassin stopped his tracks, eyes furious as he peered down at her.

She had one shot and had never shot a bow and arrow before. She wouldn't have time to reload before he got to her and disarmed her. What was she to do? Where should she shoot? Did she harm him and risk him coming to the town and hurting someone else? She couldn't do that… but she couldn't kill him either.

Seconds passed like hours as they kept eye contact. If she didn't move soon he would—she knew it, if she hesitated any longer.

Sooyou pulled back a bit more and watched as he tensed. Her arrow left before she could think about where she was aiming—and she cried out as he threw a blade at her. He flew back—though she couldn't be sure if she hit him or where, she was too occupied with pulling the kunai-like blade out of her gut and pressing her discarded jacket to stop the bleeding. Now... now she had to get back to the village before she passed out.

She panted, her breath coming out as steam in the cold rain as she stared at him. Her arrow had hit his neck, almost dead on center and his eyes were lifeless, but open and wild at the same time. She waited, but he wasn't breathing. She allowed herself to relax for a few minutes, refusing to think about what had just happened—she couldn't think about killing him, or what he'd said or who he was or anything until she was home. If she stayed out, she died. She could feel the pain capsizing over her as the adrenaline wore off. What if he wasn't alone? Her knee was broken, her side was cut open and her stomach—but she had to get home and she had to go now!

Sooyou pushed herself up, biting down hard on the sleeve of her coat to stop herself from screaming and moved to head back to the path again. She paused only briefly upon seeing a black envelope sitting just under the quiver of bows. Maybe it was foolish, but either way she picked it up and opened the letter.

J.

The target is K.S. Kill her. Any way you like, anywhere you like.

If you fail, do not return.

Howler.

Was this… Howler the one responsible? She'd never even heard the name—she was certain he was no pirate or marine… but it could have just been a codename. K.S.? This J had mentioned her father—she knew no one held a grudge against her, but perhaps against her father… but in which case how had they known about her? She couldn't think there'd be anything to suggest a link between them. Maybe it was just the wrong K.S. she thought. It was plausible—J seemed to mention something she should be familiar with. Still… Sooyou folded up the letter back into the envelope and stored it in the pocket of her coat before she began to painfully drag herself back towards the town.

The rain was much colder and unpleasant than she'd ever thought it could be. As it hit her exposed skin from where her top had ripped it stung, and the smell as it mixed with the blood trail she left behind made her queasy. It wasn't strange in this weather that no one was out in the streets. She could hear jubilant laughter from the places she passed and she briefly wondered if it was stupid of her to not enter there. The owners would get her parents right away and she'd be fine—but… she was scared. What if J did have friends and they were in there? She had to get home.

Her vision was blurry but she managed to stumble her way through the door of the tavern. The place fell silent—she wondered what everyone thought. Did they think she was someone to cause trouble? What did they think when they realized it was her, covered in blood?

Sooyou tried to say something, but all she could do was take two painful steps forward before she lost all strength in her body. The adrenaline was running out, and warm arms caught her as she fell forward. She thought she could hear people calling her name, and though her eyes noticed movement she couldn't see anything. It was like she was underwater—everything above the water seemed to be another land. Sound and sight was distorted, and her head was foggy like she'd held her breath for too long. Slowly her eyes closed and she almost felt as if she was sinking, pressure built on her chest and made her numb almost as if she'd dove too far down in the water and the water pressure was crushing her. Sooyou sunk deeper and deeper until there was nothing.