Hey, this is my first story, so please forgive my errors. I wasn't really good at understanding how to edit, so I deleted this same story and just uploaded it again like it was new... :3

I have a very dear friend of mine who is editing this, so it will be done slowly... I decided to build the tension by cutting the story into sections! MWAHAHAHAHA!

This story is actually based on a dream I had with my OP character and the One Piece crew. I don't know the time setting, though... But it should still be fun!

Anyway, I hope that you shall enjoy and I'm always waiting for reviews.

I could feel the wind on my back and the sun on my face, and for once I felt at peace. I pulled the tiller left and headed toward the island in the distance. It had been a while since I had stocked up on supplies, what with last islands's inhabitants had chasing me off the island because they had thought that I had brought them bad luck. I wanted to stay on one island, without fear of suspicion or hate, but that was highly unlikely. No one enjoys the company of a pirate.

I arrived on the island, Calmareen, arond midday, while the markets were still open. I bought a few wares, knowing that I would stay until at least tomorrow. I broke open a spiny fruit that was speckled like a leopard, except that it was blue and white. I started to eat, watching every one that passed me. Many people looked at me, some even stared, but the only ones who were kind enough to be truthful of their feelings were the children. Some were terrified of me and ran away, but some were curious enough to come and talk to me. One even pet me on the head. But none stayed long enough for me to really talk to them.

I picked up all my purchases and started to head back to my boat when I heard a commotion behind me.

"You there! The Lilly! Don't move."

I recognized the Marines with no difficulty, dressed the way they were. There were at least 30 of them, all pointing their loaded pistols at me. I grinned and bared my teeth.

"We do not wish any violence, but if you do not come with us quietly, we will be forced to kill you." Shouted one of the Marines in the middle, who, unsurprisingly, looked like all the others.

"So, the government has gotten serious about capturing pirates. You must be busy. Shouldn't you just pay attention to the big cats?" I asked, still grinning ferally.

"Someone with 800 million beli on their head is no small cat. I've warned you," he cocked his gun slowly, "come with us and you won't be injured."

"For some reason, prison isn't a good incentive for coming with you guys. So, if you'll excuse me!" And with that I turned around, morphed myself into my panther form and ran for it. I could hear the first shots being fired, but I had already turned the corner and run into the alley. In front of me were more Marines, but they were easy to escape from once I had ducked into someone's house and escaped to the roof. I ran from roof to roof, until I reached the harbor. I then realized with a horrible sinking feeling that I couldn't make my escape by sea, since they had sunk my boat.

"Bastards."

I turned around and saw the Marines had followed me, like ants to sugar. I looked back over the side of the building. It was a good ten meters high, but I could jump it easily. I leaped over the side and suddenly felt a searing pain in my thigh. The echo of a shot followed me until I hit the ground and started running. I was slower than before, since the shot had lodged into my thigh and I had started to bleed profusely.

I tuned down an alley and felt someone grab my back and pull me into the darkness. They clapped their hand over my mouth with a handkerchief and then before I could even think about struggling, I lost consciousness.

I woke up in a small, wooden room that was lit by a small candle. I tried to sit up, but a gentle hand pushed me back down.

"Rest. You've only slept for one day. You need to rest."

I turned my head to look at a little old lady. She was wrinkled, with white hair and brown beady eyes. The smell of herbs and spices overpowered the room, hurting my nose. I clapped my hands over my nose and started to breath with my mouth.

"Who are you? Where am I?"

"I am of no importance. You are in my room."

"How did I get here?" She didn't look like she was strong enough to lift a chair, much less me.

"I found you in here. You were bleeding trebly, so I had to heal you." I lifted my head and looked around the room. No one else was there, so I pushed myself up slowly, careful not to tear the bandaging on my leg and went to grab my clothes.

"You're leaving already?"

"I have to. I don't want you to get in trouble for having saved my life, and the only way to do that is if I disappear."

"Well, at least wait until darkness. You'll never get out alive while there's still sunlight. Rest."

I went back to the bed and sat down.

"Why did you save me? You must know that I'm a pirate."

She looked straight at me, the wrinkles enhanced by the light of the candle, "Because that is what I do. It doesn't matter to me if the person is a saint or a devil, I have to save them."

I lay down, thinking about what she had said, closing my eyes easily and falling into a light slumber.

I was woken up in the darkness of the night, with even the candle extinguished so I could not see the room. It didn't matter, since my eyes could pick up even the smallest amount of light.

"Time to leave, my dear."

I thanked the healer handmade my way to the only door. I left a few hundred beli on her table, but I didn't tell her about it. It was only natural for me to leave it. I exited through the only door and found myself in a small alley way. I used a ladder at the end of the street to climb up to the top of the houses to see how I would leave. I looked to the sea and saw a boat that was big enough for me to hide in, but small enough to be above suspicion. I crept back down the ladder and slinked to the harbor. My thigh hurt every step of the way. I hoped it would heal fully; after all, a crippled pirate is usually a dead pirate.

I sneaked onto the boat without any problem, but I wasn't so sure that I would be able to sneak down into the bottom of the boat without being seen. I managed to go halfway to the bottom of the boat without making any noise, and thankfully, no one sprung out from behind the doors to catch me, so I was safe for now.

I placed my pack with all of my worldly possessions under my head and curled myself up in a dark corner so that I could rest and let my body heal.

I woke up the next day with the sun bearing down on me. Around me were four figures that were blurred by the bright light that was shone straight into my eyes. I closed them tight, as I felt like they were being burned by the sun.

"Hey, she's awake!"

I opened my eyes again to find the face of an eighteen year old boy staring into my face. Under his left eye was a scar.

"Who are you?"

"I… my….. my name is Lilly." I managed to stutter. I rubbed my eyes so that they would adjust faster to the light. I could finally start to see the faces of the others clearly. To his left, just behind him, was a girl his age, with carrot red hair and a tattoo on her left arm. To her left was a young man, with green hair and three dangling earrings in his left ear. To the left of the boy who was starring me in the face was a small reindeer looking animal with a blue nose. I had seen many strange thing on my journey, but nothing like this. It started to come closer to me, trying to touch my arm.

"What do you want?" I snapped at him.

He ran back to hide behind the boy.

"Hey, relax. My name is Monkey D. Luffy and I'm Captain of this crew. This is Chopper." He pointed to the reindeer that was hiding behind him. He then pointed to the girl and the green haired young man, "This is Nami and Zoro."

I tried to stand up, but for that, I was rewarded with a sword at my throat and an immense amount of pain in my leg. I looked to Zolo, who was wielding the sword, "Don't even think about it. We're in the middle of the ocean and we could dump you off the side any minute."

I shranked back, knowing that this person didn't trust me and would kill me willingly.

"Zolo, relax. There's nothing she can do. If she tries anything, we all know that we can kill her no problem. Put your sword down." Luffy was so sure of himself that I didn't doubt him.

Zolo looked like he wanted to argue about what Luffy said, but instead he shrugged his shoulders, went to the side of the boat and lay down to go to sleep. I knew that there was nothing I could do, so I sat there, waiting for someone to help me to get up.

"Hey guys, lunch."

All of a sudden, everyone disappeared to the back of the boat, except for Nami and another woman who emerged from another part of the ship and came closer to inspect me. She had jet black hair and a very pointed nose. She was tall and seemed to exude power.

"So, what do we have here?" she asked Nami.

"A Zoan type, if you ask me. But I don't know what kind she is…" Nami was searching my face for a clue.

"Could you show us?" the woman asked me directly to my face.

Nami turned quickly and stammered, "I don't think that's a good idea, Robin. I mean, what if she decides to attack?"

"I won't." I was tired of being talked about like I was a monster or an invisible person. I got up, slowly, so that I wouldn't make anyone think I was going to attack and changed myself into my panther form.

"So, you're a panther. How interesting." She walked around me. I could feel that she was studying me.

I heard hooves clacking on the boards of the ship and I turned my head slightly until I saw the reindeer, Chopper, trying to sneak to the other side of the ship. I looked at him and started to speak to him in animal speech.

"So, you're afraid of me."

He stopped dead in the middle of the deck. "Why shouldn't I be afraid of you. You're a hunter and I'm game."

I sighed, flicking my tail from side to side, "I don't want to be a hunter. I want to play. I've never been with a person who could play with me, who wasn't afraid of me."

He looked sad for me. "I'll play with you."

I got so excited then that I pounced on him and started to lick him all over his face, ignoring the pain in my leg. I heard screams and shouts, but I didn't care; there was someone who wasn't afraid of me.

"Don't worry," I heard Chopper scream, "It's okay. She's playing. See," He pointed to my front paws that were wrapped around his body, "Her claws aren't out. She doesn't want to hurt me."

"Even so, I want you to let him go, Panther." I looked up and saw a young man that looked more like a boy with the longest nose I've ever seen, holding a slingshot that was pulled back in his hand. He was shivering all over from fear.

I let go of Chopper, who stayed next to me. Still upside down, I switched back to human speech and said, "I have a name. It's Lilly. And I would appreciate it if you would loosen your slingshot and calmed down. I won't hurt anyone here."

He backed away a little bit, but he didn't put his slingshot away. I felt Chopper put his front-hoof on my thigh.

"Lilly, you're bleeding."

"Yes, I know. I guess in opened up again."

"Let me see it." I looked at him questioningly. "I'm the doctor on the ship." He explained, "Zolo, help me bring her downstairs."

"Can't she walk?" Zolo said irritably as he got up.

"I think she can, but she shouldn't as she's probably torn a lot of muscle tissue and if she keeps putting weight on her legs, she could injure herself permanently.

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, then move."

I suddenly felt myself being picked up, but with a gentleness that I hadn't expected. He kept his hands away from where I was bleeding. Once out of the light, my eyes relaxed and I cautiously let my head relax against his shoulder.

Chopper opened the door and Zolo brought me in and lay me on a cot in one of the small rooms, making sure my leg was facing Chopper.

"Zolo, you should go. I need privacy."

Zolo left the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Please, I have to rip these pants so that I can get to the wound. Do you mind?"

"No."

He ripped through the side of the pants with one quick stroke and then turned and brought out a medical kit and placed it next to the bed. He took out some cotton swabs and alcohol.

"This will hurt," he warned me.

"Not as much as it's hurting me now."

A moment passed without anything being said, but overtime he touched my skin, a stinging pain shot all over my body. He noticed my discomfort and stopped.

"Well, I cleaned it, but it's worse than I thought. You ripped the muscle tissue, so I'll have to sow your wound shut and let it heal for three to four weeks."

"Alright, just get it over with!" I started to see spots and the pain wasn't going away.

"Here. I'll give you this. Now relax." He pulled out a big syringe and bottle with clear liquid. I turned away and breathed deeply so that I could calm down. I felt the needle pierce my skin, but moments later, I felt drowsy and woozy. I was knocked out.

I woke up in the middle of the night. I looked around the room that was covered in shadows and I couldn't see anyone. I tried to sit up, but the pain in my leg flared and made me lie back down.

"I wouldn't get up if I were you. Chopper said you could rip the stitching and lose the use of your leg." I saw a shadow move from the corner of the room. It was the green-haired young man. His deep voice surrounded the room.

"I can't lay still. I feel…"

"Like you're suffocating?"

I cocked my head at him. "Yes."

"I'll take you upside if you want."

"I thought you said I couldn't move?"

"Yeah, but I can carry you up."

I just nodded my head and he picked me up so that my injured leg touched his chest, which would prevent him from touching it. When we got on deck, I saw the full moon and the stars. I couldn't help myself, but I started crying. Zolo stopped and put me down really quickly.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No… it's just… Nothing." I couldn't explain it to him, my feelings of isolation that I had always had and suddenly being accepted into this group of pirates without any thought about what I was capable of. He sat down, facing me, making sure that I was in his sight.

"Just tell me when you're ready to go back down."

I nodded my head and laid down, so that all above me, I could see the stars and the moon. With my vision, I picked out even the faintest of stars and watched them as they traveled slowly across the sky. I tried to stay awake, but I couldn't. My crying had caused me to feel drowsy. The last feeling I had before going to sleep was someone lifting me into their arms.

So, what do you think? Hope you like the rest! Please review!