Chapter 1:

Far away, starting at the horizon the Jacinth River snaked through the hills of farmland and into a large lake separated from the ocean by a large Marine Base. The villagers called the man-made lake, Lake Kizaru, after the famous and well-loved Marine Admiral who was born here.

In between the Lake Kizaru and the hills, there was a rustic and white washed village called Bianca Village. Its bright color and flat rectangular houses made it stand out despite it being enclosed by the young forest growing out of the Jacinth River and the looming Marine base. The houses were painted white because of the the color made the houses seem cooler in their eternally hot and muggy summer as well as giving the homely town a clean appearance to attract visitors.

This island was called Verde Island and because of its specific climate and location in the world, was a Summer Island, and island stuck in eternal summertime. It was primarily inhabited by farmers and to a lesser extent some nomads of the Summer Archipelago that Verde Island belonged to.

There was only one village on the entire island, despite it being quite large and arable. This was because of the dangerous animals and beast living on the other side of the island that had been on Verde Island before humans had colonized it. Many of the villagers were afraid of venturing into the South side of the island, the Jungle, preferring the safety of living near the Lake Kizaru under the protection of the Marines. However, there were rumours that the Marines did drills and training in the Jungle.

One of the few two-story buildings in Bianca Village was a restaurant owned by the old singer, Paco, whose singing was only known by the older folks but was now famous for his delicious Cream Cakes and salivating meat dishes.

Paco was in his 60's but if you ignored his potbelly that stemmed from eating too many sweets, it would've been easy to believe he was younger because of his youthful face combined lack of a receding hairline that men his age were envious of. He had retired back to Verde Island, his birthplace, years ago after a long career as a singer. Although he had never married and to some peoples distaste had become fat with age, he was happy with his life and well loved by his community.

So when a young teen showed up to his door, famined and in need of good rest, he took one look at her and opened his door, welcoming her without hesitation.

After her first paycheck, a month worth of working, her dirtied white outfit he found her in was replaced with loose and colorful pieces that made him smile. He told her he was happy that she was adjusting. But that meant it would be all to soon before she would grow up and leave the nest. Paco, ever watching after his ragtag group of employees come and go, smiled fondly. He always missed the kids but above all else felt proud when he read their letters telling him about their lives.

Momo, the young girl, seemed to always feel alone around everyone else, but what she didn't know was that many of the young people working out Paco's Bar and Grill felt that way once upon a time. He hoped she'd come to see that and accept them before moving on to her next adventure.

Over her time with them, Paco could tell she was similar to his younger self, there was a spark of curiosity and need for adventure and novelty that overwhelmed her mind and body. He watched Momo shy away from his employees even though a few girls made an effort to take her in, but could see that underneath her mousiness, she had embers burning bright in her eyes.

He could only really help Momo in his own small ways, like providing a roof over her head, and giving her a job, but in the end nothing he couldn't would help her open up. What Momo really needed was a friend who would accept her for who she was who she could trust in hard times; it was dangerous to travel in the Grand Line alone, especially for a young lady. It seemed she only would even attempt to talk with Banshee, a woman who contrastingly to her namesake, was quiet and motherly to the younger girls.

Momoko Pascal, liked Paco. The old guy was a genuinely all-around nice person, and she could tell he was liked by everybody. Hell, when she asked what she owed him, he smiled wistfully and explained his dream of mentoring the younger generation and helping them achieve their goals as his former teacher when he was younger did for him.

Although she was grateful, she thought the generosity was strange but not disingenuous. Even back home, her companion and only friend started looking after her as loyalty to her father. Also, despite what Paco told her, she still felt indebted to the man, and years later, she would curse the kind-hearted Paco for forever changing her life.

Momo, after her shift, took off towards her spot by the Jacinth river. When she had first arrived on the island after she had run out of money to continue traveling by ferry, she had spent two nights cradled in the bushy willow next to the slow water, a sign of her clear desperation; she admittedly had never been great at making plans and had quickly run out of Beli while traveling. There was no familiar mountainous terrain so the cold coming from the cool mist of the water during the early day and warm nights was the only comfort she had that reminded her of her wintry home.

Sometimes Paco would ask her if she missed her home, she told him yes, yes she missed home with all her heart. But what she didn't tell Paco was that over the past few years, and maybe her whole life, home had slowly changed from a place to a few people scattered over the world she loved. Ever since her father took his job offer to the New World and left her, she felt lost and eventually left her cold island.

Every week during the past two months she had been on Verde Island, when the wind drowned the life sapping humidity out of the air in the high afternoon, she would visit her willowed spot, and write 2 letters: one to her friend from back home, and one to her mother. Paco would always smile knowingly when he handed her, her letters. He know she was homesick and was giving her space.

Momo knew she wasn't in the best shape, she was still tired from sacrificing food to extend her funds enough to get her this close to the start of the Grand Line, and she felt a loneliness she'd never had before because she had always had company. The few times she talked to her fellow waitress, Banshee had done nothing to lessen that loneliness even though the woman was nice and always worrying over her, a trait that reminded her of her friend from back home.

That was when she, bundled up in the willows lying in her mess of a life, was disturbed by a boy who snuck up from behind her and poked her, or in his perspective gently tried to get her attention. In response, she jumped out of her perch in the willows and dived into the water, screeching in surprise.

When Momo resurfaced slightly embarrassed and equally irritated, she was caught again in surprise by a freckled boy her age looking down at her from the edge of the river, extending his hand to her. He looked disgruntled, black hair disheveled, "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to ask you if your boss is still angry that I dined and dashed yesterday."

Oh, now she remembered him, Portgas D' Ace, the girl Banshee had told her that the boy was a dangerous pirate with a bounty on his head. Which was no surprise really, most pirates even in the beginning of the Grand Line had a bounty of some sort. Momo didn't take his hand, instead staying with her face popping out of the water even as she started to feel weak after a minute she determinedly tried to stay in the water silently until the pirate left.

Sure he was hot like Banshee had told her, tanned, tall, and freckled, but also was most likely dangerous. However, people usually don't attack unless provoked and even if she could defend herself in a fight, she definitely didn't want to get noticed by the Marines before she started her own adventure.

Silently, Ace continued staring at her with a dead-fish expression. It must've been awkward for him but for her, she was inwardly panicking while simultaneously training her expression to passivity. The water lapping at her body made it torturously painful to fight the urge to pass out.

She maybe lasted 5 minutes before sprinting to the surface and laying and panting on the moist soil underneath the willow. The boy patiently repeated his question and she groaned while he snickered.

"Who cares," She responded to his question, tired and now uncaring about pissing some pirate boy off, "I don't know why you followed me from the restaurants but Paco-san doesn't care. He'll probably make you help out in the restaurant for a while if you came back. I dunno if you'd be stupid enough to do that since your a pirate."

Ace looked offended, "Hey, I'm not stupid, but I went to the other restaurants and yours is the only good one."

Momo felt a bit of sympathy, "Why don't you work for Paco-san for a while, your not that bad, he'll like you."

He looked into her eyes seriously, his eyes bright with fire, and Momo had never had been in a situation this hilarious and pathetic at the same time in her whole life, "Really? He's okay with pirates?"

She shrugged, "I don't know, I'm just drifting but I can tell he likes travelers, he took me in."

Their eyes met, and Momo saw that they shared some sort of understanding. Ace, she didn't know him, but she could tell he was on a journey like her.

With that, she shrugged off the lethargy the water gave her, and waddled down the road into town her cloths dripped and made a watery trail, she needed to change, which thankfully the restaurant was a two minutes walk from the river. She knew Ace was following her like a puppy, she didn't know why he chose to follow her of all people, but he must've been desperate for food, she had been in that situation weeks ago.

She could remember the despartation she felt while the captain kicked her off the ferry vessel, and told her that she had run off of money, and he didn't want to host a stowaway. She had been hot, exhausted, and famished. For the next days she slept conserving energy by the river before giving in and begging Paco-san for food. While she expected him to kick her out, he defied that very notion and helped her without gain to himself. Paco-san, although he didn't like pirates, would probably help Ace too.

When she got to the Bar and Grill she looked behind her to see if she still had her shadow, but the boy had disappeared. She ignored the twinge of disappointment in her gut and waved to Banshee.

After Banshee got the order from one of their elderly patrons, Momo pulled her over, "Banshee, Fire-Fist Ace is still in town. He knocked me into a river."

Banshee laughed and snorted, "But your always on edge hun, how did he manage to surprise you darling?"

Momo looked down at the older lady's shoes and polka dotted skirt, she wanted to warned Banshee about the pirate before she ran upstairs to get a change of clothes, "I don't know, he was just really quiet."

"I can't imagine that troublemaker being quiet when he dined and dashed like he did yesterday. That kid ate a meal fit for a pack of starving men." Banshee laughed, automatically looking years younger and was surprised for a moment when she heard Momo joining her with a soft giggle. After Banshee's laughing dyed down, she fumbled around her portly apron for the keys before handing them to Momo, "Here's the keys sweety, get changed fast okay, you should tell Paco-san about Ace yourself."

Relieved, she ran up the stairs and fumbled open the door to the Paco's house. She had a closet sized bedroom, grabbed her backpack in from besides her mattress. She frusteraly found no clean cloths besides her mom's old sundress, it was a pretty gray color but was a little musty. She wrinkled her nose at the light smell and slipped it over her head, surprisingly it was very light and airy to wear.

She twirled around, it was the first time she had worn a dress in years. Slowly the smell went away as she moved around.

That was when she heard the screams down stairs in the restaurant. She hid when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs, damn, she forgot to lock the door to the 2nd floor. When someone knocked on her door amidst the screams downstairs, she reached for the two flintlock guns in her backpack she had smuggled upstairs the first day living with Paco. She wouldn't go out like this, like a victim of somebody else.

"Hey, are you there? We need to run." Momo heard the deep but feminie voice quavered.

"Banshee?" Momo lowered her guns, grabbing her backpack full of wet and heavy cloths, and dashed out of the closet.

But it wasn't the familiar plump ginger outside of the door, instead a stranger with a maniacal grin on his face. He gagged and handcuffed her.

"Sorry sweetheart, your fat friend Banshee's probably dead already."

Momo screamed, but it was muffled by the tape over her mouth, damn it! Imagining the picture of Banshee and Paco dead made her feel like throwing up, she saw red.

He laughed, while going through her things, "Oh a pretty girl with some pretty guns, when I take you to Boss-san, I promise you were going to play some games and I'm gonna enjoy you."

She broke free, and surged forward, pushing him away. She spat, "You sick fuck!" But alas, he couldn't hear her through the gag.

She took stock of her options, she could go down stairs and potentially meet more of this guy's crew, or she could dive out the window and try to escape.

Momo picked the window, maybe if she outran the nutcase, she could come back and save Paco, repaying her debt to him. But to be honest, she wasn't the bravest nor the greatest person, and she felt like running far far away at the moment.

As she smashed the window and jumped, mid air, she felt a tugging on her skirt. To her dread, as she looked behind her, the lunatic had followed her out the window. She panicked, she needn't to land somehow without using her hands and then subdue the guy long enough to get away and hide in the forest.

As they approached the ground, she smashed her thumb against her other hand, ignoring the strobing pain, slipped her left hand out of the cuffs. When she rolled as her body met the ground, it only hurt in a detached sense since she was high as a kite off the adrenaline.

Momo picked herself out of her crouched position, ripped off her gag, and after taking a deep gulp of air, sprinted into the many alleyways of Bianca Village. At that point in time, she had tunnel vision of escaping to Jacinth River and the forest.

She ran, legs moving slower then she wanted, she tried pushing harder, faster, she could hear footsteps behind her. She panted, scrambling through the roots of the trees.

When had she ran like this last? Probably never, she cursed to herself.

The man had her guns, she felt defenseless, it was lucky that he hadn't used them. In fact she was very grateful that he hadn't shot her down.

Her lungs burned as she ran, reaching the road that went to the forest. Making up her mind, she changed direction towards Lake Kizaru and the Marine Base, the Marines could surely help her and save Paco-san.

She looked behind her, even though she had the head start, the maniac was gaining on her was armed. She knew it was now or never, there was still a few miles to the Marines, and she was desperate.

As a young and very dumb kid, she eaten a Zoan fruit, mistaking it for food. She wasn't good at controlling herself in animal form and a warm tropical island probably had the worst conditions to practice flying, but escape was necessary.

She imagined the guys expression as she transformed in an owl and flapped off the ground, "Fucker!" She hooted out.

Unfortunately, she had never traveled more than a half kilometer before, the 2 or more miles of flight would be grueling, but at least physically as a bird, she felt fresh while he must've been burning out.

Great horned owls, didn't normally fly long distances, and never evolved to survive on hot islands, but she would have to make due. In her owl form, it was hard to think, like there was a film over her brain, she was easily distracted. As her eyesight was greatly improved, she could see small animals that her body was begging her to give in a catch.

But Momo didn't give in. In the back of her mind, she had a feeling that Portgas D' Ace's arrival on the island and this lunatic and his band of pirates were connected.

But disregarding that, she needed to focus on escaping and repaying Paco's kindness.

Ace and his first mate Saber were lounged on the desk of their pirate ship, the Piece of Spadille. Their only other crew mate, Masked Deuce, was inside the cabin, writing about their adventures so far.

Ace was hungry. Saber had been cooking for the 3 of them for the past months since they left the East Blue. Although the man tried his best, Ace missed Makino's food, he knew it wasn't fair to compared Saber's cooking to Makino's but in general he missed Fuusha Island a lot, though he'd never admit that.

So when he had gone into town on the closest island, he ordered as much food as possible. Paco's Bar and Grill had probably the best food he ever had tasted.

He felt guilty for dining and dashing after looking at the servers. His server, a kind large woman seemed like the older sister of the smaller and a very thin blond girl, they looked poor, and must've gotten in trouble with their manager.

After talking to the blond girl near the river, he learned that Paco, her manager was a nice guy and didn't give the girl much trouble and would probably forgive Ace too. He had a laugh when he went back to his ship, that girl was so jumpy, enough to fall off her perch and into the water.

At first, he intended to follow her back to town, but after seeing the dripping clothing hugging her frame, he decided to let her have time to herself before bringing his crew and their specific type of crazy to her restaurant. Makino always made sure he was respectful to women and gave them time alone when they were indecent, she'd kill him if he continued to stare at the girl.

Minutes after getting to the ship and finding a good spot to catch some sun, Ace heard screams and villagers coming to the beach down from the village, and saw smoke emitting into the air. He thought of the restaurant and the villagers he'd met, they were good people. He decided to help them, it would be good training, "Saber, Deuce, lets see what we can do."

Saber opened one eye, "Sure Ace," "DEUCE! Come out, we're gonna fight!" He bellowed. Saber readied his swords, and cracked his back and knuckles.

The trio of Spade Pirates ran to the village, with Ace slightly running ahead, he had a bad feeling about the fire and smoke coming from the town.

When they got the Paco's Bar and Grill, it was burning and looted, the gin cabinets smashed and alcohol cleary missing. Some of the employees were dead, lying limp on the restaurant's floor, the manager, Paco was wounding and being attended to be the near hysterical fat server, Banshee. When the lady looked up, a dark look came across her face while blocking Paco from them defensively with her body and hissed, "It's your fault, you Spade Pirates brought trouble to our island, you killed people, you hurt the only family I had."

Sometime bitter started growing in Ace's chest, it was his fault, everywhere he went he brought trouble. Then his heart sank when he noticed blondie wasn't with the duo, "Where's blondie, why isn't she with you two?" He asked, mind spinning guilty.

Paco let out a gurgled shout that sounded painful to the ears, and Banshee glared at Ace, "Momo was upstairs changing when the pirates attacked, one of the guys went to grab her, she's gone, they said they were going to let her escape and lead her into a trap."

"Deuce find blondie. Blondie is short, thin, has curly short hair, we don't know what they're gonna do with her, ask around if anyone's seen her." Ace ordered desperately, he didn't want anyone to be hurt, "Saber, let's go after the boss together."

"Aye aye captain!" The two pirates shouted illuminated by the flames erupting in the village around them.