Hello! This is my first fanfic ever, so I apologize if there are any mistakes, even though I have tried (VERY) hard not to make them and correct any existing one. I want to say a big thank you to my amazing beta reader: banshee-hime, without her this story would have ended up really shitty! So, thank you, yomi-chan, you're the best!
I also want to tell you that this won't be one of those 'Oh wow, magic happened and I'm in another world, so let's go on awesome adventures or fall madly in love with a dangerous person' OC stories. I will realistically explore the plot, the world traveling part, its effect on the canon happenings, each character's development, etc, and will NOT guarantee a happy ending to the "main" character. (I say this cuz', although the story will mostly revolve around her, the OC introduced in this chapter won't be the most important person as I haven't got any great feat prepared for her, at least not yet).
Being as invested as I am in this, I won't give it up but do not expect fast updates since I prefer quality over anything else.
Pairings are undecided and any romance that should be included will be a slow burn. If you have any pairing in mind (gay pairings count), please do say, I'd love to hear your suggestions.
Warnings: injury, swearing, character death, torture, and rape.
Actually, I'm still considering that last one but the rest will, indeed, appear (either implied, mentioned or graphically described) in later chapters, when the plot thickens and a lot more OC's come to play.
Anyway, without further ado... enjoy!
A sparkly, burnt smell lingered in the air from the extensive hours spent soldering metallic sheets to each other, those coming together to form a gigantic, cylindrical machine now located in the middle of the ample laboratory, surrounded by numerous other projects. It had a relatively small entrance in its wall, below some painted markings, and its inside prolonged into various tubes that came out from the top.
Countless books, papers, and tools were dispersed all over the lengthy counter, some even falling onto the floor, a sign of the creator's hard work, who, no doubt, felt incredibly lucky to be given an opportunity to turn his dreams into reality.
A while back, he had begun investigating about time, possibly the most intriguing thing in the whole universe. It didn't exist but it so strongly influenced one's life, it was fascinating. A wonder about its true essence turned into a difficult mission of finding a way of escaping its grasp- or, if possible, to control it as desired- and the man had taken it upon himself to discover whether that was, indeed, attainable.
After months of research, conceptualizing and experimentation, he believed he had finally built the first time traveling machine ever, though it wasn't technically complete yet. There were still multicolored cables that needed to be plugged into a control panel, buttons to be pressed, switches to be turned on, and only when that was done did the machine come alive.
Finished at last, he smiled proudly at his masterpiece and prepared to test it by making some minor adjustments to it and praying to the gods above for it to function properly.
As soon as the cry of the engines echoed through the surface of the room, the man hurried to open its glass door, fit himself into the slightly cramped space and waited for the magic to happen. In an instant, the previous roar, warnings aside, turned into a deafening sound that bombarded him, closely followed by a blinding burst of light. Both lasted quite a bit but eventually faded, seemingly without having any effect on the environment.
Utterly disappointed, the man got out to investigate what could have possibly gone wrong. However, all of a sudden, unusual vibrations traveled across his bones and quickly evolved into a full-blown earthquake, throwing everything, including himself, out of place.
The last thing the man remembered before being knocked out cold by a piece of the ceiling was the blurry sight of several men running up to him while shouting something he couldn't stay awake long enough to decipher.
"Nothing like a Philosophy test first thing in the morning to cheer a person up, am I right?" Said a short girl as she exited the classroom alongside her friend.
"Ugh, don't, please. I swear I'm gonna kill myself if I don't get a good grade, I swear I studied for five hours straight! How 'bout you? Did it go well?" Asked the other teen while she walked towards her locker to switch books, as she'd have math later on that day.
"More or less… I left two questions unanswered."
"Let's think positively, at least tomorrow is Saturday." Fake optimism dripped from the girl's words as she finished the exchange and closed her backpack.
"Hey, Dalia, Patricia." Another voice made them turn their heads. "Where will our next, supposedly necessary, torture be?"
"In the weird room, the one used by the Fashion Designer kids, B1-15 I think." The taller of the duo, Dalia, as she was called, responded after checking her phone.
"Thanks." Their classmate acknowledged and went away.
"Monday we'll have the geometry test and, since you're going to revise either way, can you explain a few things to me?" Patricia asked as they were going down the stairs to the first floor.
"Sure, meet me in the library at 2 P.M."
"Wait, you're not going to eat with us?"
The girls turned left and reached a hall with wide grooves in the walls, where the students would keep their personalized briefcases and save themselves the trouble of taking their work home and bringing it back every single day. They searched for their own and, once found, roamed through the students until they got to their destination: the drawing classroom.
"Nah, forgot to bring food." Dalia replied nonchalantly.
"Let me buy you something, then, at least."
"Thanks but I'll pass. It's not like I'm hungry anyway, I had a big breakfast."
"..."
"Don't worry, I'll eat something when I get home."
"Yeah, in nine hours. We don't get to leave this place 'till half past six in the afternoon, remember?"
"Four times a week, how could I forget… Anyway, seriously, I'm fine woman, stop mom-ing me!" Dalia rolled her eyes and sighed simultaneously.
Then, as they spotted their teacher opening the door, they followed her into the spacious room and resumed their last lesson's assignment.
"Okay, artists, this will be the last lesson you will have to finish your portraits. Your next challenge will be to pick one of the surrealist images I sent you through email and incorporate your current drawing on a background inspired by it." Announced the middle-aged woman standing in front of the whiteboard. "More details will be given next week."
The following hours dragged themselves but inevitably passed, leaving Dalia glad she could, at last, have the break she very much deserved. She was more than sick of studying and not having any time to enjoy herself, but summer break was a mere month away so she kept it together.
"Dollyy!"
The youth had been preparing to go for a walk when a high-pitched shout distracted her.
"What is it, mom?" She replied as she entered the kitchen, where her progenitor was.
"Your dad is stopping by the supermarket, what do you need?"
"Ice cream! And cake. Buy coffee cake, pleaaaasssseeeee." She begged as she swiftly grabbed her charging phone and opened the door to go outside. "Thank you, bye!"
"Stop right there, young lady, where do you think you're going?" Her parent asked, brow quirked, hand resting on her hips.
"To the city's park. I miss breathing fresh air." She smoothly lied.
The last part was true but she was actually going to a nearby forest. Obviously, her mother would panic (and forbid her from going) if she told her that, so she didn't.
"But you just arrived…"
"I know but I really do want to unwind a little."
"Alright. Just be sure you're home by dinner time, sweetie."
"I will!" Dalia assured her and was about to walk away had her mother not caught her wrist.
"And be careful, ok? It's not that I don't trust you, you know I do, but… there have been lots of disappearances lately, not just here but worldwide, and the number is nothing short of significant. I don't want you to be the next."
"Oh, mom, you're over thinking it! Nothing will happen, and if it does, I'll call, I have my cell with me." Dalia confidently brushed the warning off, gave the older woman a tight hug and rushed out of the apartment. "Bye, mom!"
In no time, the cold concrete beneath her feet was replaced by soft grass and the suffocating pollution of the cars by the pleasant chirping of birds. Nevertheless, noticing something unusual in the familiar green tracks, she had no other choice but to pause her relaxing, little trip.
'Why is there a godforsaken house here, in the middle of nowhere?'
It looked like it had been abandoned decades ago too, which was rather strange because Dalia had been there on multiple occasions and had never seen it before. The alarms in her head were immediately set off for this.
Being the coward she was, Dalia first considered letting it be and continuing her stroll, but curiosity and suspicion eventually won over and made her survey the mysterious residence, although she nearly had a heart attack when she first grabbed the rusty knob because the whole door had fallen off at her touch. After calming herself down and shushing her fear, she entered the house and was immersed in a sense of slight asphyxiation she decided to label as nervousness.
It baffled Dalia to see that the inside was impeccable, it didn't match the exterior of it at all. The outside was covered in vines, the paint was peeling off, the walls were dirty and it was a huge mess, overall. The inside, on the other hand, was nicely decorated with landscape paintings and beautiful, light coloured, expensive furniture on top of a shiny marble floor. Translucent orange curtains poorly hiding the tall windows gave the interior a very cozy, peaceful and welcoming atmosphere that contrasted with its cool temperature.
As normal as everything seemed, Dalia still couldn't help but to feel as if something was not right, the whole setting was... odd, to say the least. Plus, an inexplicable force had been pressuring her body the entire time, weighing it down, not allowing her lungs to expand fully- while a low, creepy humming pestered her ears. It was unsettling how the sound seemed to come from everywhere, instead of a specific source, kind of like it was the house itself trying to speak to her.
She was definitely ready to get the hell out of there, the goosebumps all over her skin showed her unease.
Notwithstanding, out of stupidity, she went upstairs to investigate further and, not even five steps in, heard muffled crackling sounds. Slightly terrified, she cautiously navigated her way to the exit and ran at full throttle until her legs' started failing.
Only the moment she stopped did she finally become aware of her situation.
She was lost.
Having been too focused on getting out of the house, Dalia had neglected to pay attention to the change in the scenery, even though it was completely different from what it had been just minutes before.
The trees that previously embellished the trail had been replaced by old-fashioned buildings made out of wood, in the same style as the one she had entered moments ago. The sky, which had been shades of orange and red when she had begun her stroll, was now a clear blue, as if time had gone back and it was morning all over again. The deserted dirt path was now a busy road and a funky smell had appeared, filling her nostrils in the most unpleasant way. It was the stench of fertilizer and animals.
Confused and out of breath, Dalia drifted a little bit farther until she reached the center of the village, marked by a marvelous fountain. She settled down on its stone edge and tried to make sense of the unnatural visual shifts- a hard task, given that even her phone contradicted what she was seeing: it read 8 P.M.
'Oh não, a minha mãe vai-me matar!'
(Translation: Oh no, my mom is going to kill me!)
Not a second more was wasted, she tried to call her right away, however, there was no service. Not only that, but the GPS wasn't working either. She gave up with a groan and started observing the streets instead.
All of the houses were in near perfect condition but she noted they had an eerie resemblance to sculpted wax which, upon closer inspection, was confirmed. The houses were, in fact, made out of wax.
'Mas porquê?'
(T: But why?)
Regardless, she kept wandering around in hopes of finding someone who could tell her where she was and how she could go back to her hometown. This place didn't look as if she were in Portugal anymore though, and the population was strange, none of them resembled a 21st-century citizen. In addition to that, it sounded as if it were close to the sea too, and while Portugal had plenty of beaches, Dalia didn't live close to the shoreline.
"Olá! Uh, desculpe, não a quero incomodar mas… pode-me dizer onde nós estamos?" She asked, once she had gathered enough courage, to the nearest person to her.
(T: Hi! Uh, sorry, don't mean to bother but... could you tell me where we are?)
As soon as she finished her sentence, though, the kind-looking lady screamed and attracted all kinds of unwanted attention. Attention that Dalia, scared and perplexed, didn't stick around long enough to deal with- she disappeared from the eyes of the public in a matter of seconds.
'Foda-se!' She cursed mentally, hand over her chest, supporting herself against a wall. 'Qual é o problema? Que é que eu fiz?'
(T: Fuck! What's the problem? What did I do?)
Then, she peered back at the woman. Loads of shady men were crowding around her, spurting sentences she couldn't quite make out. They were armed too, therefore, the teen didn't need to ponder to conclude she was better off hiding, despite not having done anything wrong.
Walking further into the sunless alley, Dalia spotted a few doors before its dead-end and attempted to open them. They were locked, obviously, but she knew how to break into buildings so she checked to see if there were any passersby, since she had a very vague feeling of being watched, and, the coast being clear, went for it.
'Para quem vive aqui… Desculpem!'
(T: To whomever lives here… I'm sorry!)
In one swift move, she dove her heel into the ground and used as much momentum as possible to kick the chosen door with the other leg, right beside its lock. Said door was brutally thrown back, its hinges almost breaking off, and gave way for the young female to enter. Needless to say, she felt proud and the throb in her foot did not change that.
This home was not well cared for, she noted. It wasn't exactly nasty but definitely very messy, as if it had been raided. Everything was, on a relative note, clean but entirely jumbled up: drawers were open with the contents spilling over, clothes nowhere near the closet and so on.
Because of the lack of occupants, Dalia assumed no one lived there and, at her stomach's growl, maneuvered her way around the scattered furniture to explore the neglected kitchen, which, besides rotten food in the pantry, had nothing else to sate her newfound hunger. As such, she decided to go lay down on a sofa in the living room and wait until it was safe to leave. Yet, her plan was ruined midway down the corridor, where she'd stumbled on a nail that protruded from the flooring and stopped.
Dalia glanced down, momentarily puzzled at not spotting anything unusual. However, certain of something fishy, she tapped with her shoe on the wooden boards a couple of times. They made a very leery hollow sound so she knelt down and finally noticed that the wooden panels were, in truth, removable.
'Está demasiado bem escondido… Alguém não queria mesmo que isto fosse descoberto.'
(T: It's too well disguised... Someone seriously didn't want this to be found.)
Rapidly, but with some effort and the help of a knife she borrowed from the kitchen, she lifted them up and put them away, only to be faced by a very exotic, glowing fruit inside of a chest on the ground, missing its lid.
Never having seen anything similar in her life, as it was orange, had swirls and the shape of a star, she wasn't totally sure it was actually a fruit- or anything edible at all, for that matter. It was too strange, undefinable. For a split of a second, her inner voice suggested it to be a jewel, even. Perhaps, who knew?
She squeezed it. No, it was definitely not a jewel, too soft to be one. Fruit it is, then.
Why would one make a big deal out of it and 'securely' hide it, though, Dalia mused. Wasn't it just another fruit? Or was it valuable and rare? Sure looked like it.
It was most likely a very bad idea to eat it, especially because she knew jack about it, but not only was she starved and anxious but she was also too curious for her own good- her mother's words. It was not every day that one finds something so exquisite just lying around, she wasn't about to let an opportunity like this slip away, she had to taste it.
'YOLO.' She thought, guilt be shoved to the farthest corner of her mind.
Barging in, touching stuff that wasn't hers to begin with, eating said stuff... none of that really mattered when it didn't seem like the house was inhabited anyway.
After washing it properly and omitting the yells of her conscience, the girl bit into it, prayed for it not to be poisonous, and immediately regretted swallowing or even allowing the fruit to touch her tongue. Saying its flavor wasn't the greatest would be a severe understatement, it was like chewing the most disgusting mixture of rotten ingredients on the face of Earth.
It occurred to her at that: the fruit had been buried. Maybe for years, for all she knew. Of course it would taste rotten, what had she expected? Nothing, really, yet she ended up disappointed nonetheless.
Dalia slapped herself, exasperated, and set the rest of the fruit aside.
Upon hearing no more commotion outside, she hesitantly stepped back onto the daylight, cautious and not trusting of the population. In their turn, the population appeared not to trust her either, they kept a reasonable distance from her, whispered to each other and occasionally glanced sideways. She merely ignored them and marched forward, unaware she had begun being followed.
Deeper into the town, she saw a piece of paper glued to the supporting pillar of a big gate. Going by the coast right in front of it, she'd bet it was the town's entrance or something along those lines. The map that was drawn didn't ring any bells and the small text under was written with Japanese characters, but at least she found out the name of her location: Ventus, it was the only thing she could read.
The youth couldn't say for sure if there was such a place in Portugal and it was strange for things not to be written in Portuguese but she brushed those impressions off for there was no real reason to let herself be upset by them. Yet.
Due to a flapping sound coming straight from above, Dalia tilted her head up and was baffled by the dark piece of cloth she saw hanging from the portal. It had a skull, bones and a crescent moon mustache.
'Uma bandeira pirata?'
(T: A pirate flag?)
She was no expert but hadn't the pirate age ended centuries ago?
At this point, Dalia wondered whether people in this town enjoyed trolling the visitors or whether they simply hated people that didn't belong in their community and used the flag (and horrible attitude) as a means to drive them away.
The more she stared at the flag, the more apprehension built up inside her. Her brain was going into overdrive, trying to rationalize the inexplicable (not to say, ironic) turn of events she had experienced that day. Where was she? How had she gotten there? How could she return home? Why couldn't she contact her mother? How was her parent taking her absence? Those were only a fraction of the questions passing through her brain at that moment.
Frustrated and drained, she walked up to the beach, laid down on the sand, watched the bubbling waves, and let the sun caress her skin passionately. It was probably around midday now, according to nature, but then again, nothing in her being seemed to accept that.
This was going to be a long day…
While hypnotized by the beauty of the view and too absorbed in her own thoughts, Dalia didn't put any mind to the ship that was anchored near the coast, to her right. She also didn't notice how odd the ship looked, how enormous it was nor how they had the same black flags she'd seen earlier.
"Hello." A deep voice startled her.
Rotating back gingerly, the teen was confronted by three men. The guy nearest to her had a truly unique blonde hairstyle and a big, blue symbol engraved on his athletic torso, visible through the purple unbuttoned shirt he wore.
"It's ok, you don't have to be afraid, we promise we won't hurt you, yoi." He said casually, taking his time approaching Dalia. "Hi, I'm Marco, those two are Ace and Thatch."
At his words, she examined his companions. One was black haired, only had some knee-length shorts on, heavy boots and, from what she could see, a name, his name, tattooed on his arm. The other beside, taller, had an outdated pompadour, a white uniform and a scar around his left eye. None of them were what you'd typically see, well, anywhere.
"Uhh… Kay? Olá? Porque é que estão a falar em Japonês? Estamos em Portugal… " She replied.
(T: Uhh… Kay? Hi? Why are you talking in Japanese? We're in Portugal…)
Their shocked faces almost made Dalia laugh out loud. Almost.
The three guys faced each other for a second before staring right back at the girl. They had not understood a single word of what she had said and the peculiar language she had just used left them stunned speechless.
"Manos, uh..." Dalia started playing with some of the larger rocks she found, in order to deal with the growing unease. "Podiam... Sei lá, parar de me olhar assim? Estão a assustar-me, sabem..."
(T: Guys, uh… Could you… I don't know, stop looking at me like that? You're scaring me, you know…)
Still no response.
In a final attempt to get them to talk, the youth mustered the knowledge she had acquired from the holidays she had (once upon a time) spent in Japan and tried to form a sentence in their language, as they seemed not to grasp hers. "I…Japanese speak? No, uhh… I don't speak Japanese."
One more time, they eyed each other to see if any of them had answers. Cluelessness was what they found, shining in their eyeballs.
After what felt like centuries, the half-naked man trudged up to her and crouched down.
"Who are you?"
"Dalia." The answer was automatic, though she had to will herself not to let her gaze stray to his muscular build.
"Is that your name, yoi?"
Marco got a nod from her.
"And is it me or does she actually understand us?" Thatch commented.
"Yeah, does look like it…" Ace agreed as he stood up and lightly scratched his freckled cheek. "Aww man, what?"
The trio distanced themselves for a bit, to have some privacy, and began talking to a- 'Aquilo é um caracol?' (T: Is that a snail?)- while Dalia considered whether she should run away or not. Those men appeared troublesome and she didn't want to get involved in their business.
"What do you think, Curiel? Could she be connected to them?" Marco interrogated the intercommunicator in his hand, speech low enough to stay unheard by any prying ears.
"Appearance-wise, no. I remember clearly, they had painful bruises all over, were dark-skinned and borderline animalistic. Extremely thin too." The snail claimed on behalf of the person on the other end. "They also didn't seem to comprehend us, but if their language is the same, then, maybe. Bring her anyway and show her to oyaji in their stead. The possibility is there and he could know something about these people who don't speak the universal language."
"Hum...Ok, see you in a bit."
"See ya." The snail widened its eyes before shutting down with a 'ka-cha' and the three returned, too soon if you asked Dalia, only to escort her to their ship, which, finally noticed, left her speechless.
Seriously, nothing added up anymore. A tiny part of her began to believe that she was dreaming or that she had been teleported to another world, or something, but the latter in itself is ridiculous, impossible, and the former... very unlikely, she could still feel pain.
As they walked through the deck, the crew parted and made way for them, attention fixed on the foreign youth. Guns and swords were all over the men and their physiques were heavy, scarred and strong, result of the kind of life they lead: a life Dalia knew she couldn't handle.
"Where...uh, where am I?" She warily questioned the pirates guiding her to a massive male sitting on a throne.
"Our ship, Moby Dick, yoi."
Then, he pushed her encouragingly toward their captain, she assumed, based on his posture and the unique, gravity-defying mustache.
The instant Dalia set eyes on him, she had an almost irresistible urge to escape and make a run for it. He was old and experienced, that much she could tell, the proof being his own body, a canvas the battlefield had gone nuts on, and the powerful, authoritarian aura he exuded, frightening to the point of paralyzation.
"Pops, we found this girl in town causing a ruckus today, nothing serious. She talks in some bizarre language, so we brought her here 'cuz we thought you might want to know about it." The guy with the pompadour, Thatch, if her memory wasn't failing her, informed. "She's actually the third person that appeared in this island not speaking Japanese but the other two have long escaped to the forest. We were to deal with them back when we first arrived here but after Curiel cornered them once, they ran away and were never seen again…"
'Do que é que eles estão a falar? Quem é que encurralaram? Curiel? Quê?'
(T: What are they talking about? Who did they corner? Curiel? What?)
"Why did you not notify me of it until now, son?"
"'Cuz we couldn't find them so we gave up and moved on. Besides, you were too busy to be annoyed with non-urgent matters."
"Very well."
The captain observed the teen for a few instants before calmly inquiring her.
"What are you called, child?"
'Oh meu deus…'
(T: Oh my god…)
"Dalia." She replied shyly, shoulders tense and hands trembling.
"Nice to meet you Dalia, I am Whitebeard. Now, tell me, where do you come from?"
"…Portugal."
"Portugal? Never heard of it. In which ocean is that island located?"
"Atlantic."
The silence stretched.
"Interesting." Whitebeard murmured mostly to himself but quickly resumed his interrogation. "Can you point it out on a map?"
Out of nowhere, a map was spread on the floor by a bulky creature she did not recognize. It acted like a human but had an uncanny resemblance to a shark, definitely something scientists have yet to discover.
"Thank you, Namur."
Giving the inked sheet a thorough examination, Dalia noted the outline of the continents completely contradicted Earth's. In fact, there was only one, a line in the middle, and various islands dispersed through the two giant oceans it separated. Ultimately convinced she, at least, wasn't on Earth anymore, she shook her head to signal a 'no'.
"Then, can you demonstrate your language?"
Nervously, she decided to fulfill the older man's request.
"Uh… Olá, eu sou a Dalia e… tenho dezassete anos."
(T: Hello, I am Dalia and... I am seventeen years old.)
The crew members present on the deck surrounded her, bewildered.
"Sorry, sons, this is truly beyond me." Whitebeard confessed. "I'm not even sure whether this is one of the dead languages or not."
"By the way…" Ace began, glancing at his captain for permission to speak up and continuing his speech when it was granted. "How can you understand what we're saying but not know how to talk like we do?"
She shrugged, what else could she do?
As if on cue, her phone vibrated on her jeans so she took it out and checked what her phone could be alerting her to. It was a youtube upload notification.
'Ã? Desde quando é que tenho wifi?'
(T: Since when do I have wifi?)
A light bulb suddenly lit up in her head. She still didn't have service but there was internet, meaning there was also Google Translate!
"Because they don't teach us that in Portugal." The robotic voice of the translator said monotonously. "One is only expected to speak Portuguese there, but I managed to learn some oral Japanese."
The crew collectively gasped and rumored to each other, excluding Marco, who remained collected, and the captain, who chose to express his astonishment in the form of more queries.
"What is that?"
The chatter died down while shaky fingers typed out another sentence. On a second note, perhaps she shouldn't have done that.
"It's complicated to explain. Let's just say it's a technological wonder."
"And where did you get it?"
"Portugal."
"I see... Is it only available there?"
"I think so..."
The seated man pondered on his next question and Dalia broke into a cold sweat.
"What can it do, besides vocalizing your thoughts? Can it be used as a weapon?"
"No, it is fragile. And a lot. I can read. Listen to music. Talk and see anyone I want. Play games. Go on the internet. And the list goes on."
"Internet?"
"Yes, an intangible place with all the knowledge of the world. Kind of like a library, but way bigger and more diverse. Of course, it's much more complex than that but..."
Whitebeard narrowed his eyes at this statement.
"All the knowledge of the world?" He scoffed. "That is, not only a bold thing to say, but also a great responsibility. And, yet, you speak casually of it. Are you not afraid of attracting the wrong crowd? Not everyone is a saint and there are people who'd kill for what you have in hands."
"No, it's fine. It requires a password." The translator conveyed in a neutral tone, but Dalia was, internally, losing it. His warning had sounded a lot more like a threat.
Still, to prove her point, Dalia blocked the luminous screen and held it up for them to see it turn on again, with nine circles arranged in a square. She put on the wrong sequence a few times purposefully, to show the phone rejecting the answer, and lastly the correct one, to unlock it.
The pirates were awestruck and gaping.
"You just showed us the right code, though." Marco pointed out, apparently unfazed.
"I can change it however and whenever I wish to do so." Dalia retaliated through the electronic device, hoping they'd drop any funny ideas. "Plus, everything is in Portuguese and none of you can read it, therefore, you're unable to put it to any use."
"Is that so…" The blonde trailed off, staring intently at the talking object.
It was disconcerting but the reactions she had gotten made it much too believable for Dalia to be sure everything was real. This being said, honestly, the young female couldn't yet wrap her head around the fact she wasn't on Earth anymore, so, she figured it'd be better to have some sort of proof for both herself and for when she was to explain this crazy situation to her people. Should she find a way to return, that is.
Dalia tapped on the camera app and began taking pictures and videos of her surroundings, including the pirates, much to their puzzlement.
'Merda, isto não é bom. Nada bom. Como é que eu vim aqui parar? Eu não devia estar aqui. Mas como é que eu…?'
(T: Shit, this is not good. Not good at all. How did I get here? I am not supposed to be here. But how do I… ?)
Suddenly, Dalia remembered the first house she had broken into. Could it be what brought her there? If yes, then, would it work the other way around?
Her actions halted for a second before she frantically searched for a way of disembarking the ship, all the while ignoring the confused gaze of the crew following her movements.
Whitebeard himself was very quiet too. Very calculating.
Not having found what she was looking for, she raced up to that Marco-guy from before.
"Would you mind taking me to the beach, please?" She typed out.
"Why?" He questioned back.
"I want to go back to Portugal."
The captain and his first mate exchanged a meaningful look with each other and silently agreed on their next move.
"Sure." Marco gave in, focusing on the girl again.
Her relief was short lived as blazing fire covered his form, transformed him into a huge blue bird. Dalia's mouth hung open in amazement and shock while he hauled her up and flew over to land, the brief trip nearly giving the youth a heart attack.
"T-tu! Oh meu deus, o que foi isso?" She scrambled away from the male the moment her feet touched the ground.
(T: Y-you! Oh my god, what was that?)
The pirate's puzzled expression made her remember her phone.
"What are you?" It said.
"A phoenix."
"..."
"I ate a Devil Fruit." He elaborated, though it wasn't that helpful, body normal again.
"...Devil Fruit?" She frowned and got up, carefully nearing the… monster, for lack of better term, and poking his arm a couple of times.
"Yes, a fruit that gives you a power but disables your swimming abilities for the rest of your life." He explained, finding it unfitting for her not to know what it was on the Grand Line, where users are extremely common, and slightly annoyed at the treatment.
"Can you do it again?" She hesitantly asked, unsure she truly wanted him to comply.
Instead of responding, he merely extended a single upper limb and converted it into a wing once more.
"Woah…" She was mesmerized by the bright feathers and unconsciously moved to pet them.
Though practically flames, they weren't hot at all. They were cold, in fact, and very soft too.
Slowly recovering, she saved a video of them on the phone, thanked Marco, and sprinted in the direction of the village. Now was not the time to admire his devil-whatever!
It took quite the time to find the same house, its exterior was completely altered, no longer dirty or unkempt. Her pulse would have quickened and her palms sweated, had she not already been a wreck from the unplanned workout when she finally recognized the building's living room decoration from a random window her eyes landed on as they toured through the streets.
Eager legs took her inside, door not locked for some unknown reason, and almost collapsed upon coming back out and seeing the pirate waiting for her.
Dalia tried to calm herself and think rationally. It wasn't the wrong place, she was certain, so why? Was it not the house's fault? Had the portal closed? Was there another way?
Meanwhile, Marco came up to her and noticed her distress.
"What's wrong, yoi?"
She clumsily grabbed her phone and wrote an answer.
"I can't go back and I don't know why…"
"What do you mean, yoi?" He pressed further.
"When I was in Portugal, earlier today, I visited this house and somehow ended up here, but it didn't work when I tried it again." She cursed lowly, wondering what to do next.
"You mean you are on this island by accident?"
"Huh? Yeah, pretty much." She said instantly, as she knew how to.
"...And can't leave."
"Y-Yes…?" Dalia recoiled a little, not liking where this was going.
"And don't have anywhere to stay, am I correct?"
"Uhh… I guess... Why?"
She watched his bored facial features momentarily fall into deep thought.
"You know, I'm sure Pops wouldn't mind lending you a room until you find a way back."
"I… Thanks." She gave him a small faltering smile and let her phone voice out her following phrase. "But I'll manage on my own, don't worry."
However, the pirate insisted and persuaded her into accepting the offer nonetheless. And, like that, not even a quarter of an hour later, she was once more on the Moby Dick.
When she was introduced to her temporary quarters, a storage room they had modified to accommodate a person, the girl refused to leave them due to being afraid of the crew and of the harm they could potentially cause her. Surprisingly, everyone was more than understanding and gladly gave her space to get accustomed to the unfamiliar environment, though this did not apply to two particular males.
"Ba-ru-co?" Ace tested out what he had heard.
"No, barco. Bar-cu." Dalia rectified him.
"Bar-cu?"
"Yeah!"
"That's such a weird word for 'ship'…" Thatch commented from his spot on the secretary's chair. "How do you say…hum... the word beautiful?"
"Linda..."
"Oh, wow..."
"How did you do that? The ri- sound!" Firefist asked, baffled.
"Li?"
"Exactly! Can you repeat the word, please?" He shifted closer to her, a concentrated look on his face.
"Linda."
"Rineda?" The freckled man's tongue twisted awkwardly, making Dalia giggle at the failed attempt.
"Linda." She urged him to mimic her mouth's movement. "Li-"
"Ri-"
"No, li-"
"Lhi?"
"Almost! Li-..."
Frustrated, Ace tried one last time.
"Li-"
"Yes, exactly!" She congratulated him. "Now, Lin-..."
"Lin…"
"Da."
"Da…"
"Lin-da."
"Lin-da... Linda. I did it! Linda! Hell yeah!" He cheered, proud of himself.
Thatch would have tried to pronounce it too, as he did in the beginning, but he had already embarrassed himself enough.
An unexpected knock, then, echoed throughout the walls.
"Commanders, dinner is ready!" A person announced while entering the space with plates in hand and serving them to the young female.
At the mention of food, Ace politely dismissed himself and dashed out, headed for the galley, where everyone was gathered. The other two soon followed suit but not before being assured by the girl that she really didn't want any company as she ate.
Finally alone, Dalia concentrated on the task that had kept nagging her the entire time, begging to be done, and opened the squad's chat to at last see the messages they had been sending her nonstop, including the numerous missed calls from a variety of people.
[21:12] Joana: Yo, doll, your parents just called me. Where are you?
[21:25] Bruna: Dollyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
[22:30] Bruna: wtf, answer bitch
[22:33] Patricia: Your parents are really concerned, why aren't you answering their calls?
[22:50] Bruna: Dolly!
[23:01] Joana: Dalia, your parents are worried sick, if this is a joke, stop it, for real.
[23:01] Joana: It's not funny.
[23:23] Bruna: oMG, PICK UP THE DAMN PHONE! Where are you?
[23:45] Patricia: Are you ok? Did something happen?
[23:56] Joana: OH, Come on Dalia… jesus fucking christ, it's been hours already
[00:10] Patricia: Say something! Your parents, as well as us, are freaking out!
[00:30] Patricia: That's it, we're calling the police. Please, be safe.
[01:04] Bruna: They're not tracking her phone, she must have broken it.
[01:05] Joana: Fuck, how are they gonna find her now? They already patrolled the whole park and there were no signs of her.
Dalia peeked at the time briefly, it was almost 2 in the morning there, and immediately sent them a message.
[01:49] You: Hey, hey, it's ok, i'm fine and, yes, something did happen but you won't believe in it.
The replies popped up instantly.
[01:50] Bruna: DUDE, WHAT THE FUCK, EVERYONE NEARLY SHAT THEMSELVES, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? ARE YOU OK?
[01:50] Joana: HALLELUJAH SHE LIVES
Dalia selected the desired files and inserted them into the conversation.
[01:51] You: Yes, i'm ok but I think I'm in another planet or world, check out the photos.
[01:52] Patricia: Are you serious right now? Anyway, CALL. YOUR. PARENTS! They're having a mental breakdown!
[01:52] Bruna: Dude, that's impossible…
[01:52] You: IKR! I thought so too, but there's no other way to explain it! And I can't, I don't have service. Tell them I'm ok for me, please!
[01:53] Bruna: How do you have wifi then?
[01:54] You: Idk
[01:55] Joana: Actually, I kinda believe you. Those pics and videos, especially the half bird guy, all seem too real to be photoshopped or drawn… much less animated!
[01:55] Joana: But how did you get there?
[01:55] You: I have no idea! I mean, today I kinda invaded a house I found in the forest near my apartment and when I got out- bam! I was in a completely different place.
[01:56] Joana: But i've been there and there was nothing in that forest except for trees and animals.
[01:56] You: Why do you think I went to explore it, Einstein?
[01:56] Patricia: How are you going to come back now?
[01:58] You: About that… yeah, I have absolutely no idea =/
[01:59] Patricia: And what if you are stuck there?
[01:59] You: I don't even wanna think 'bout that…
[02:00] Bruna: Btw, we shared this convo with the police and your parents. They're going to take over now.
[02:00] You: Sure, HELLO MOM, HELLO DAD!
[02:01, Message not delivered] You: I'm sorry i'm such an idiot!
[02:01, Message not delivered] You: Everything will be fine, I promise! Don't be sad nor angry nor desperate nor whatever.
[02:02, Message not delivered] You: Trust me, I'll eventually figure something out.
[02:03, Message not delivered] You: Why is this not sending the messages? UGH!
The youth verified the settings.
'Que é que se passa com este chat? Ainda estou conectada à wifi!'
(T: What's up with this chat, I'm still connected to the wifi!)
Perceiving that it was useless to keep reaching out for them, Dalia typed one final sentence.
[02:16, Message not delivered] You: I love you mom, I love you dad. I'm sorry...
Next, she turned her phone off, to save its battery, anxiously devoured the meal she had been provided and laid down reflecting on the bed.
...Exactly what the fuck was going on?
Thatch entered the room without any formalities, along with Ace and Curiel, and leaned against the wall, bringing to himself the attention of the two males already inside.
"She's asleep, Pops."
"This early? Well, doesn't matter." Whitebeard took a sip of the alcoholic beverage in his hand. "Marco, I believe she said she wanted to return to Portugal. So, what happened? Why is she still here?"
"I don't know much about it but, from what I understood, she's by herself and with no way of returning to her country so I figured we'd help her out a little, yoi." The second in command explained cooly.
His captain did not comment.
"...Plus, that device is too valuable and I'm sure you think so too, Pops. We can't simply let it go like that, what if it falls into the hands of some idiots? Or worse, the government?"
"You are right but she could be dangerous, son. We don't know what she's capable of or who she's hiding behind her back. If she, indeed, has what she claims to have and no trick up her sleeve nor someone protecting her, she'd be dead by now."
"She doesn't seem dangerous, though. More like a wimp, you saw how afraid she was of us. Besides, we're more than capable of taking care of her if she turns against us anyway."
"..."
"Oh, come on, Pops, how bad can it be?" Thatch intervened. "And are you really not curious? A girl that speaks an unknown language and comes from an unknown place?...Really?"
Whitebeard allowed a prolonged sigh to escape his lungs, a way of letting the quartet know they had won.
"Very well, have it your way." He succumbed to his sons' will. "Just keep a careful, attentive eye on her, you'll be held responsible for any damage she causes. And anything suspicious must be reported immediately, got it?"
The four commanders promptly nodded, making Whitebeard grin fondly.
"How are we going to do this?" Marco asked, turning behind in his chair to look at his comrades. "Shifts?"
"Why don't we just assign her to a guardian like everybody else?" Ace proposed. "She's not really part of the crew but that'd be more practical and convenient, we wouldn't have to change our schedules and we'd get detailed reports each day."
"Great idea, flame head." Thatch affirmed and ruffled the freckled man's wavy black locks.
"Who's available, yoi?"
"I have Baccu and Desta." The fourth commander said. "But both hate women so…"
"In my division there's Amihan, Juro, Yori and a bunch of others." Curiel divulged while counting on his finger his men. "The most experienced is Caris, though."
"Sorry, Curiel, but it'd be better if we didn't use your guardians." Marco declared.
"What, why?"
"They're rough. Intimidating. And while that's ideal to toughen up the newbies, it's not suited to handle this foreign type of people." Marco argued. "That's probably why the previous two ran away, they must have felt like they'd be harmed."
"Agreed." Thatch said. "For little Dalia, we'll need someone who is strong but that doesn't scare her."
"Fair enough." Curiel admitted. "But for someone like that we should search Izo's division."
"We can't, the scarce guardians he has already have full-time duties, yoi."
"Think they'd squeeze in another?" He inquired.
"Doubt it. Their newbies are a handful, hard learners, keep messing up." Marco negated. "Ace, who do you have?"
"Currently? Only Teach." Fire fist said.
"Humm… He is competent, friendly and flexible in character, yoi."
"What do you think, Pops?" Thatch questioned, facing the mentioned person.
"Well… Sure, why not?" Whitebeard answered.