Hello, I'm Choppertime. This is the first story I've ever published online, so just keep that in mind when reading. I hope you guys enjoy!

Chapter 1: Lucy and the Town of Smiles

St. Maria, the town of smiles. This place is filled with whites and light browns with the old cathedral in the center resided. Everybody was happy here. As was Lucy, who's been getting on in this bustling town for the past year. This happy place full of people and books was where she's finally been able to go on with life.

This morning, Lucy woke up to her alarm again. Her long blonde hair covered her face as she opened her eyes in annoyance. Lazily, she rolled to her stomach and then...slipped off the bed. "Ack!"

She groaned strewn on the wooden floor of her apartment. She mumbled curses as she stumbled up and slumped all the way to the bathroom. It took her exactly 23 minutes and 47 seconds to come back out with a shining smile on her face. Choosing a white blouse and blue skirt to wear, she quickly grabbed a book from her bookcase and her bag and hopped off for work.

And off she went making greetings to the townspeople she knew so well. Bobby from the department store, Giorgio from the clinic...she'd come to know many but not all in this place. The main street of St. Maria was always packed in the mornings, so Lucy could only walk there for a short time before she had to take the back streets. Eventually, she arrived near the harbor and straight to Arga's Diner, her place of work and where she ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Entering through the back doors, she arrived inside the small, white kitchen occupied by few cooks who greeted her gleefully with beautiful smiles.

"It's Lucy!"

"G'mornin, Lucy-chan!"

"Hey, Lucy!"

"Good morning!" she chimed back quickly going to the back room to put her bag up. There would be break at 3 today so she stuffed her rather large book in the purse and hurriedly put on the official apron of a waitress. Looking to the corner of the room, she found the small bag of cat food she had bought the other day. She stuffed some pellets in a wooden bowl and went back out. "Is Kiki behaving today?" she smiled asking the cooks. They all cringed.

Her smile twitched. Now she was feeling guilty for pushing it onto the poor workers of this establishment. Sure, she worked here too, but this was her idea.

Coming out the backdoor, Lucy u-turned into the alley between Arga's and the old couple's cafe. In the corner was a roughed up gray cat. It hissed as soon as he saw her and her heart dropped again.

"And here I thought I was good with animals…" Her smile couldn't go on, but nevertheless she set down the bowl of food, "I guess that just means you little guys can tell a person's true character huh? Then I can't blame you, haha."

Despite the scratching and growling, Lucy forcefully made it to Kiki's head and gave it a good rub. She had saved this cat herself. Just because this town was filled with the happiest residents in East Blue didn't mean it's kids couldn't be cruel. Lucy had even bothered to give him a name, but Kiki simply wouldn't let her take him to a vet. The poor thing's fur was matted and one of his front legs were limp.

No one got out of life scat free, huh? Maybe she should drag him all the way to the doctor instead of her previously passive approach. Lucy had long noticed the strange red crystal necklace around the cat's neck for some time as well. Of course, Kiki would never let her touch it though, so she had no idea what it was, but maybe she could if she just used a little more force in trying to help…

"Well, you be a good boy Kiki. I'll be back in the afternoon." She sighed thinking she would think more on it for a little while and headed for the door.

"Mrrreow!"

*At least be nice while I'm leaving!* She cried to herself as she walked back inside. Before her was Wendy, the newest cook to this small diner. She gave a worried smile to Lucy as she washed the lettuce.

"Did it not go well?"

Lucy leaned on the door to cry some more, "Not really...Cats are really hard to take care of you know!"

"Don't take it to heart! I'm sure he really likes you deep down." she said with her usual small smile while beginning to cut the lettuce.

"Why would name a guy cat Kiki anyway?" said Emily who was coming back in to pick up another order. "Hey old man, where's number five's order? Those kids are ferocious!"

Lucy pouted moving to begin her own work. She muttered under breath, "It's a super cute name though isn't it?" But she walked out of the kitchen by herself renewing her grin. Over behind the bar was Ms. Arga, the boss of this establishment.

Ms. Arga was kind enough to hire Lucy in her time of need all those months ago. It's thanks to her that she had a place to live and books to read. Arga caught sight of her, and waved in good spirits.

"Lucy! Good morning. I hope you're ready for another day of pancakes!"

Lucy laughed saying, "Maybe not too many pancakes…" To tell the truth, Lucy was getting tired of those…

And then the doors burst open wide, and a boy with the biggest smile Lucy had ever seen let himself in shouting, "MEAT!", like he was the hungriest guy on earth.

It was a dark haired young man with noodle like arms and a straw hat upon his head. Behind him was a rather meaner looking swordsman with green hair and three blades at his hip. Lucy's guess is that they weren't from around here. Such strange characters only showed up at the harbor anyway. Lucy was overjoyed his enthusiasm for food however. *What a sweet kid*, she thought approaching the two men.

Little did she know that these two men were Monkey D. Luffy and Roronoa Zoro. They made up a very small pirate crew coming upon their first island together after a battle with the marines. As expected, Luffy had eaten all the food rations, so at the moment they're starving.

"Welcome to Arga's Diner! A table for two?" she said pleasantly.

"Sure", Zoro answered with a deep voice. He could care less about anything else until he got something in his stomach!

"Hey! Do you guys have meat? Man am I hungry right now! We practically starved ourselves!" Luffy said eagerly rubbing his belly but easily being seated at the table Lucy had led them to.

*Starved themselves?*

"And whose fault was that, huh?" Zoro growled at him. He rather rudely stomped his boots on the table where food is eaten and said, "Give me some booze."

Lucy twitched, "Um, of course. Please take your feet off where the food goes and I'll get your meat and booze right away!"

Thankfully he did as was told and Lucy went her way giving the order. The two men went on bickering and then laughing interchangeably as they waited. But the kid, in Lucy's eyes, started whining after about five minutes and Lucy had to ask poor Wendy and the others to hurry up. All the time, Arga laughed it up admiring the spirit within one boy.

"What great customers we get each and every day, Lucy! I just love character." she said as she served and peaceful old man at the bar. "You can just tell that those two have a plan!"

Lucy looked over at them again, seeing the kid start picking his nose angrily. She couldn't help but giggle. "A plan, huh?" She knows what that felt like. "I think their goal for now is to get something in those "manly" stomachs!" She and her boss laughed it up together as the meat and booze finally came in.

"Here you are guys!" Lucy served all smiles on her face. Frowns were turned upside down as she settled the large plates on the table. "I hope you have a great meal."

And they did.

They swallowed that food like vacuums. Lucy almost couldn't believe it.

"Uh, I don't think that's healthy…" she remarked to Emily who lazily leaned on a barrel.

Emi scoffed, "Yeah that goes for you too."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

And so they ended up asking for seconds...and thirds...and fourths. Lucy was becoming unsure as she served them large portions each time and they gobbled it up. Each of those treys were like 2,000 beris. Could they pay for this?

And each time another serving was asked for, the more irritated Lucy got. It seems it was the weird straw hat kid that was the only one eating all that now. So on the fourth serving Lucy put her foot down, or rather slapped her hand on the table.

With a crooked smile she asked, "I wouldn't want to disturb you or anything dear customers...but you can pay for all this, right?"

They were silent for a moment before the older man face palmed and the straw hat boy exclaimed, "Ah! I forgot!"

That means no.

"Zoro, make a run for it!" yelled the boy, and they jumped off their chairs. However, Lucy was not having thieves in this diner!

"Come back here you little shits!" She roared and grabbed them by their collars of their shirts almost making them joke.

Zoro was stopped in his tracks and his shock. *What's with this strength?!*

Lucy no longer bore a pretty smile on her face, but an expression of fury. *These brats!* She thought right before the straw hat boy's neck extended a couple feet. She almost let go of him out of surprise as his head bounced back into place like a bobble head. Had that really happened? Did anybody else see that?

"OW!" He yelled at Lucy, who was practically choking him. "What the hell lady! Let me go!"

Snapping out of it, Lucy yelled back, "As if tiny brat! How dare you try to take advantage of us? Both you. In the kitchen. Now!"

And so Zoro and Luffy ended up in the kitchen grumbling while being forced to wash the dishes they had eaten from. Lucy watched them sternly as they worked.

"Seriously, who walks into a diner without any money? Men these days!" She griped and griped until Zoro couldn't take it anymore.

"Would you shut up!?" He shouted back at her, but she only became angrier.

"Oh no you don't kid!" She said poking a hard finger in his chest. "You need to learn some respect! After you wash the dishes, you're going to mop the floors, and then you'll do the same thing tomorrow! And you'll do it until you pay all 8,000 Beris off! You better be glad Ms. Arga isn't rough on people like you!"

"Motherfuckin-!" *Damn this woman!-,*Zoro thought.

Lucy turned to Luffy just as angry. "And you-huh?! What are you doing!?"

He had broken all the plates that what he was supposed to be washing. It's seems Luffy didn't know where to put the half cleaned white plates when he half-finished them!

"Ah, oops! Hahaha!"

"I'll kill you!" Lucy exploded punching Luffy in the face and deforming his face.

Zoro backed away fast not wanting to be caught in the storm. He caught the other employees giggling at the door of the kitchen.

"Hehe, there she goes again."

"Lucy just can't hold her temper…"

It was Arga who approached Zoro still with an uplifting aura. Laughing she said, "Don't you worry, boy! Lucy's just trying to do her job. Despite the all smiles of this town, there are still the bad apples from time to time. Ever since I hired her, she's been the bodyguard of sorts for the other girls. I doubt she's going to be mad at you forever."

"Bodyguard?" Zoro echoed. Well she was scary despite her looks.

"You must have realized already right?" Arga smirked, "Lucy has one hell of a punch. She can even carry all the cargo herself!"

"Ms. Arga!"

Suddenly, Emily came bursting through the other employees. Pushed out of the way, they became quiet and she spilled.

"Outside! It's him!"

The other's turned to her and froze. Arga's face was no longer gleeful, and the others soon began to whisper. There was only one person "he" could have been.

"Wait, you don't mean-"

"Mr. Raymond?"

Yes, it was Raymond. A real estate manager and the mayor's brother. Outside the diner, he was smugly standing upright with arms behind his back, and this time he came with friends...

Luffy and Zoro peaked their heads out of the kitchen right behind Lucy as the workers and customers of the establishment began to sweat in silence. Arga opened her doors with both hands and walked up to Mr. Raymond without hesitance. She looked up to him arms crossed with no smile.

"This is the third time this month!" Lucy mumbled and then realized the two boys were right behind her. "Get back in the kitchen! If that bastard knows you two are here, he'll think we hired men!"

"Hah?" Luffy instantly complained much too loudly for Lucy's comfort as she shoved both of them inside. It was a good thing he sort of sounded like a woman. Lucy shut the door behind them and began to whisper with urgency.

"Listen here, I'm going to have to have you leave now. Forget about the debt." she said already pulling them towards the back door, "That guy is no good you hear!"

"Wait, why do we have to leave?!" Luffy said

"Why?! Because he's after the diner! If he thinks she hired some men to protect her. He'll sabotage us and bulldoze the diner! Not just that, he'll kill you! For real!"

Their faces became solemn as she dragged them out the door startling Kiki. Taking their aprons, she shoved them away, jogged back up the steps and back into the building. Safe.

Or not.

Just too clear things up, I'd like to give you guys a little information on the two new characters in this story, Lucy and Kiki. Lucy however is not my own character and Kiki is.

Lucy:

Age: 22

Hair: Blonde

Eyes: Brown

Height: 5 ft. 7 in.

Weight:?

Kiki:

Age: 16?

Hair: Dark gray

Eyes: Green

Height: 9.5 in.

Weight: 9 lbs.