A Dove & A Cook
Her breathing became labored. The world around her started to blur but she pushed on. Beating her wings in sync together as she flew over the sparkling waters below her, a fiery pinch stabbed through her left shoulder. She winced. Pulling in her wing, she dropped several feet before reopening her wing. The wind caught her and lifted her back into the sky. "Come on. You can do it. Just a little farther."
She looked around. No islands were anywhere near her. She chuckled humorlessly. "Well, that's great. How long have I been flying like this? I'm not sure how much longer I can endure this. If I pass out and fall into the sea I'm done for."
Her chest heaved up and down. Her feathers grew damp with sweat. She knew she had to land soon. But the unforgiving sea wasn't going to give up any islands or rock formations for her to take a break on. Then, a small dark spot appeared in the distance to her right. She angled towards it in hopes it was a small island or even just a simple rock formation she could rest on. The spot grew closer and closer. With each second the spot became clearer. The blackness of it turned to white and brown.
"Sails? A ship maybe?" she wondered. Drawing closer she found that it was indeed a ship sitting majestically on the sea. It's yellow and orange coloring a shining beacon to her tired body. It was the most wonderful thing she had ever seen. "Great. I can finally rest. I hope they're nice."
Her body grew heavier. Each flap of her wings took every last bit of her strength. She wasn't sure if she would make it to the ship or not. Her vision swayed making it difficult to navigate where she was going. The ship split into two. Blinking she tried to clear her eyesight so she could see where the ship really was. It didn't work. A simple guess angled her to her left. The ship grew bigger and bigger just as the world around her darkened. With one last stroke of her wings, searing hot pain shot through her shoulder. She cried out. Her eyes closed. She plummeted.
…
Sanji hummed to himself as he stirred up the ingredients to the crew's tangerine parfaits he was making. "My darling Nami and Robin around going to love this delicious dessert I'm making for them. Then they'll fall hopelessly in love with me!"
"Ah! I'm so bored!" Luffy shouted from out on the deck.
The door was open so Sanji could easily hear what was going on outside. He glanced over at it for a moment.
"Will you stop saying that?!" Nami growled. "We're sick of hearing it!"
"But I'm bored!" Luffy said.
"Then do something!" Nami said.
"I want to have fun! We need to go on an adventure!" Luffy whined.
Sanji sighed. "Well, I have to agree with that bonehead on this one. It has been rather boring here lately. Nothing's happened. Even the weather has been on the boring side of things. I wonder why? Usually when it gets like this something bad is going to happened." He grimaced. "We're going to end up in another fight. And it's going to be all Luffy's fault. I guess we should enjoy this lull while we can."
With another sigh, Sanji reached for the tangerine slices he was going to use to decorate the rim of the glasses. A loud thump out on the deck stopped him. "What the heck was that?"
Turning away from the counter, he stepped out of the kitchen and looked down. There on the deck was large white dove surrounded by his crewmates, but for Zoro. Sanji's eyes widened. The rainbow tear logo on her backpack was unmistakable. His cigarette dropped from his mouth when he saw her lying there unconscious on the ship he called his home. "It…it can't be."
"It just fell out of the sky," Usopp said.
"Let's eat it!" Luffy said, drool running down his chin.
"Is that all you think about?!" Usopp demanded.
"I don't think you want to eat this one, Luffy," Brook said.
"Why not?" Luffy asked.
"It appears this bird is really a human," Brook said.
The crew watched in silence as the dove's feathers faded away into pale colored skin, white haired young woman wearing a shoulder bag, black tank top and cut off blue jeans.
Pushing way from the railing, Sanji rushed to the stairs and sailed down them in two steps.
"She fell out of the sky? Off an island maybe?" Usopp shielded his eyes and looked up. "There're not even many clouds in the sky."
"No, there's no islands like that around here," Nami said. She was also looking up to the sky.
"Even if there was there's no way anyone could survive a fall from one," Chopper said while checking the girl's pulse. "She's still alive."
"Maybe she was riding on a bird or something," Usopp offered.
"I suppose that's possible," Chopper said. "But she was a dove a second ago. So she has a devil fruit, a zoan type."
"Even with a devil fruit it would be a long flight out here," Franky said. "We haven't seen a ship or an island for days."
"Is she all right, Chopper?" Robin asked when blood started dripping out of the girl's nose. "Her nose is bleeding. And she looks a little thin."
Chopper hummed and ran his eyes over her body. He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and held it to the girl's nose. "She does look a little under weight. She must have been alone for a long time. Altitude has an affect on getting a bloody nose. That's probably where that came from."
"You think she's an orphan?" Nami asked. "She looks about our age."
"Selene!" Sanji said. He dropped to his knees and lifted her into his arms. He scanned her face. "I don't believe it. It really is you. Are you okay? Wake up, please."
"You know her, Sanji?" Brook asked.
"Hey, what's going on down there?" Zoro asked from the crow's nest.
"Just shut up and go back to sleep. This doesn't concern you," Sanji said.
"You want to come up here and say that to my face, stupid cook?!" Zoro asked.
"A girl just fell out of the sky," Luffy said.
"A girl fell from the sky?" Zoro asked before jumping down to the deck. He landed on the deck with a heavy thump. "How is that possible? Did she fall from a sky island or something?"
"She was a dove a few seconds ago," Brook said. "She has a devil fruit apparently."
"I see," Zoro said looking down at the girl.
"How do you know her, Sanji?" Nami asked.
"She and her family use to stop all the time at the Baratie," Sanji said. He cupped her cheek, stroking his thumb over her skin. "But I haven't seen her in about four years. I have no idea what she's doing all the way out here."
"Do you know if she had a devil fruit power back then?" Nami asked.
"Not that I knew of," Sanji said. "But like I said I haven't seen her in years. She could have obtained one since then."
"Is she all right, Chopper?" Franky asked.
"I think so," Chopper said. He placed his stethoscope on her chest and listened to her heart. "I believe she's a bit dehydrated and needs a good meal and some rest. Her blood pressure is up but it think that's because she was flying. Despite that I think she's going to be fine. I'll know more once she wakes up."
"Huh?" Feeling something warm and sticky, Sanji pulled his hand away from her to find blood dotting his palm. "She's hurt!"
"Let me see." Chopper lifted her arm and found she indeed was bleeding. "It's nothing serious. She must have cut herself on the deck when she landed."
Sanji sighed with relief. "Thank God. Want me to carry her to your office?"
"That would be great. I need to bandage that wound," Chopper said. "Then when she wakes up can you make a good meal?"
"Sure thing." Sanji smiled. He slipped his arm under her knees and stood up. "Huh?"
"What is it, Sanji?" Usopp asked.
"She barely weights a hundred pounds," Sanji said looking down at her. He noticed her face was thin and tried to remember how she looked the last time he saw her. "Actually, I'd say she weights about eight five pounds or so."
"Maybe she has some medical issue that keeps her so thin," Chopper said.
"I wouldn't think so," Sanji said. "She has always been healthy. And had a real healthy appetite."
"Like you said you haven't seen her in a while. I'll ask her that once she wakes up," Chopper said.
Sanji nodded, his eyes never leaving her face.
"Hm? What's this?" Luffy asked.
"What's what?" Franky asked.
Sanji looked in time to see Luffy picked something off the deck. A tear shaped gem swung from the silver chain between his fingers. The sun reflected off of it, casting a ray of rainbows over the Sunny.
"Wow!" Luffy said.
"What is this?" Nami asked looking at the prism of rainbows that covered her body.
"I'm not sure," Robin said. Holding up her hand, a rainbow appeared on it. "But it is every lovely."
"Looks like the chain is broken," Usopp said noticing that the clasp was hanging loose from Luffy's fingers. "It must belong to her. None of us have something like that."
"Wow! It looks like it costs a fortune!" Nami cooed, her eyes shining with greed.
"Well, you can't have it!" Usopp said. "It's not yours! And don't you dare think of stealing it from her while she's unconscious!"
"How dare you?!" Nami snapped. "I would never!"
"Uh huh." Usopp rolled his eyes. "You've never stolen anything from an unconscious person before."
"Shut up!" Nami snapped. "She's a friend of Sanji's! I'm not going to steal from her!"
"We should probably fix it for her," Franky said eying the broken chain.
"Can you handle that, Franky?" Luffy asked.
"Sure. A little thing like this will be no problem at all." Franky took the necklace from his captain and disappeared into the ship.
"We should get her to my office now," Chopper said.
"Sure." Sanji nodded. Walking back up the stairs, he followed Chopper into the small doctor's room at the back of the ship. He placed her down on the bed. Shoving his hands into his pockets he continued to watch her sleep. His mind spun with worry. She shouldn't have been way out here on her own.
"Anything wrong, Sanji?" Chopper asked as he worked to disinfect the injuries and bandages them. "She's bleeding on both arms. I guess she hit really hard."
"No, nothing's wrong. Why do you ask?" Sanji turned to the doctor.
"I'm not sure. You just seem different for some reason," Chopper said finishing up the bandage on her left arm. "This is the first time I've seen you look at a woman and not go all crazy over her."
"Oh, that." Sanji smiled. "She's just a friend. Of course I find her beautiful, but I guess I'm more worried about her right now more than anything. I'm not myself."
"That's understandable. I'll do everything I can for her," Chopper said. "Her wounds don't look bad at all. She'll be fine."
"Great. Do you need anything else?" Sanji said.
"No, that'll be all," Chopper said.
"Come get me if anything changes with her," Sanji said.
"I will." Chopper nodded.
"All right then," Sanji said. "I guess I'll get back to the snacks I was making."
"Thanks, Sanji. I'll let you know when she starts to wake up," Chopper said.
Sanji nodded. He took one last look at his friend then left the room. He rounded the corner from Chopper's office. Pausing he looked out at the sea. The sun was sparkling on its blue surface. It was a beautiful sight. But his mind was with his friend inside Chopper's office. Something wasn't right. It didn't make sense that she was alone out here. Never has he ever seen her alone before. She was always with someone in her family. He pushed it aside and continued walking along the ship. He'd get his answers when she woke up. All he had to do was wait until then. He headed back into the kitchen and finished up the desserts he had almost forgotten.
…
Selene breathed in. The unmistakable smell of wood and sea salt was the first thing that told her she had made it to the ship. With another breath she also noticed the smell of medication and disinfectant. Her eyelids parted to her still blurry vision. Blinking the blurriness away she stared up at the wooden ceiling before bringing her eyes down to look around the room. A strange creature sat at a desk lined with books and medical supplies. It was writing something down on paper. Kneading her eyebrows she took a closer look at the creature. It had horns, a hat, and wore shorts. Never before had she seen an animal sitting at a desk and writing. "I must be dreaming. Or I'm hallucinating."
"Huh?" The creature turned to her. "Oh, you're awake." He slid off his chair and walked over to her. "How are you feeling?"
She turned her head more to her left to see the creature better. He had the most adorable blue nose. "I'm fine." Pushing up on her arms, she tried to sit up but pain shot through her left shoulder again causing her fall back on the pillow. "Okay, so maybe not all that fine."
"What hurts?" he asked.
"My shoulder," she said.
"Let me take a look." The creature reached up and pushed back her sleeve.
"Are you a doctor?" Selene asked. She inspected the bandages on her upper arms. "I got hurt?"
"I am." He nodded. "Your shoulder is a bit swollen. And I believe you got cuts on your arms when you landed on the deck. Is there any other symptoms, Selene?"
"No," Selene said.
"How long have you had this pain?" he asked.
"Oh, um, I'm not sure," Selene said. "A few days maybe? It's been off and on. But it's never hurt this bad until now."
"I see," he said. "It's possible that it's a stress facture then. How long have you been flying before you landed on our ship?"
"About a week," Selene said.
"A week? None stop?" He looked up at her.
"No, I've stopped here and there. It's just these past couple of days no ships or islands have appeared for me to land on," Selene said. "So I've been stuck flying without stopping anywhere."
"I see. Well, you should rest that shoulder for a few days before you take off again," he said.
"I'll rest when I find an island," Selene said. Sitting up she pushed the blanket off of her. Turning she placed her feet on the floor, eyeing her bag at the end of the bed.
"There's not going to be one around for a few more days," he said. "If you continue to flying with that injury you could cause problems that will need surgery."
"No! I can't have surgery! I have something I need to do!" She pushed herself to stand up. She wobbled. The room spun around her. She dropped back to the bed, placing her hands behind her to keep herself from falling over. "I have…I have to go."
"Calm down," he said. "You can rest on our ship."
"I can't. I mean I don't want put you out," Selene said. "I didn't mean to drop in on you. I just need a little time to rest then I'll be out of your way."
"You're not putting us out," he said. "My captain won't mind at all. And Sanji will be disappointed if you left without seeing him."
"Captain? Am I on a marine ship?" Selene looked around for any signs that might tell her who this ship really belonged to. "No, their ships aren't like this. What ship did I land on?"
"Oh, this is a pirate ship," he said.
"A pirate ship, huh? What luck," Selene mumbled.
"Don't worry," he said. "We're not going to hurt you. We're actually really nice compared to other pirates. Oh, by the way, my name is Tony Tony Chopper. But you can call me Chopper."
"I'm Selene." Selene took the creature's outstretch hoof. Her eyes ran over his small furry body again, trying to figure him out. She had to know what kind of animal he was. "Wait a second. You called me by my name a minute ago. How did you know it?"
"Sanji told us," Chopper said.
"Sanji? That's the second time you…" Selene's heart skipped a beat. "You don't mean Sanji…he has blonde hair, curly eyebrows, fights with his feet instead of his hands, works at the Baratie?!"
"That's him." Chopper smiled. "He no longer works at the Baratie. He joined our crew some time ago as the chef."
"I see," Selene said. "I thought he was still working there. I never would have guessed he'd leave to become a pirate of all things. Well, maybe not. He did tell me there was a reason he wanted to sail the seas. I guess being a pirate would help him reach that goal."
"So you know about his goal to reach the All Blue," Chopper said. "I'm not surprised. He's mentioned that before a couple of times."
"Oh, okay then. Uh, excuse my poor manners but what are you exactly?" Selene asked.
"I'm a reindeer," Chopper said.
"Oh, really? You're not like any reindeer I've seen before," Selene said. "I've never heard of a reindeer walking on its hide legs or having the ability to talk or having a blue nose."
"I ate the human human devil fruit," Chopper said. "So I look different and I can talk."
"I see," Selene said. "Well, if you don't mine me saying, you are very cute."
"Ah! Don't call me cute, you jerk!" Chopper blushed, wiggling his body.
Selene smiled, thinking he looked even cuter now. "So I'm guessing it's safe to assume that you saw my dove form? And know that I'm a devil fruit user?"
"We did." Chopper nodded.
"So what pirates are you?" Selene asked.
"We're the Straw Hat Pirates," Chopper said.
"Never heard of you," Selene said.
"Really?" Chopper asked.
"I don't pay much attention to pirates," Selene said. "Never had a reason to."
"Oh," Chopper said.
"So, can I leave this room or am I stuck in here?" Selene said.
"You're not stuck in here," Chopper said. He walked away, picked up some medicine and a glass of water from his desk then handed it to her. " Here some painkillers. They'll help your shoulder. And other than your shoulder you don't seem to be in any pain considering the fall you took. But since you were passed out your body was relaxed so you didn't get any serious injuries. You also ended up with a nosebleed while you were sleeping. Do you have medical issues I need to know about? You're rather under weight as well."
"Nosebleed, huh? I occasionally get those. And, no, I don't have any heal issues you need to worry about. Plus, I've always been this skinny," Selene said pressing her toes against the wood floor. She paused to take the medicine he gave her. "I guess I just have a high metabolism or something. Of course I haven't been eating much these past few days. So that hasn't helped anything. But I was going to fix that when I got to the next island."
"Where are your shoes?" Chopper asked. "You didn't have any on when you landed."
"I lost them a couple days ago," Selene said.
"I'm sorry," Chopper said.
"Don't worry about it," Selene said. "I can get another pair later." Her stomach growled. "Guess I'm hungry."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I was suppose to alert Sanji when you woke up," Chopper said. "I'll go do that right now."
"You don't have to go through the trouble," Selene said. "I mean he doesn't. It's not necessary."
"It's no trouble at all. Sanji loves to cook, as I'm sure you already know. I'll go tell him you're awake and be right back," Chopper said before leaving through the door.
Selene watched him go before looking back around the room again. Other than the stuff she saw already there was also a bookshelf in the room. She knew he said she didn't have to stay in here, but she didn't really feel like she had the right to leave this room. She shifted so her back was against the wall and hugged her knees. "Nosebleed and my arms…I wonder if that's all they-"
"I'm back," Chopper said entering into the room.
"That was fast," Selene said.
"Sanji was currently out on the deck," Chopper said. "He'll have you something to eat in a few minutes."
"That quick, huh?" Selene asked.
"He's the best cook you'll ever have the pleasure of cooking for you," Chopper said.
"I guess he's still impressing people with his cooking." Selene rested her chin on her knees.
"Would you like to go out on the deck now?" Chopper asked. "My crew would like to meet you."
"I guess so," Selene said. "If your captain is really giving me permission to stay on his ship then I should pay my respects to him."
"That's a bit formal for us, but if you want to you can," Chopper said. "Come on."
Selene stood up from the bed, grabbed her bag from the foot of the bed, and followed him out on the deck. The bright sun poured into her eyes as the wood warmed her feet, causing her to shield her face with her hand until she could adjust to the bright light. She found they were at the back of the ship.
"This way," Chopper said.
Selene looked to her right to find the reindeer waving at her. She followed him, inspecting the parts of the ship she saw. It was rather bright and cheerful for a pirate ship. "Excuse me for saying, but this isn't what I expected a pirate ship to look like."
"What did you expect?" Chopper asked.
"Something more, um, rundown and dark? And certainly not as bright," Selene said.
"Well, our previous ship would have met that expectation," Chopper said. "Back then we didn't have a shipwright for us. So the Merry really got beat up."
"The Merry?" Selene asked.
"Our ship was called The Going Merry," Chopper said. "This ship is called The Thousand Sunny. Our shipwright, Franky, built it."
"I'm impressed," Selene said.
"If you think this is impressive you should see what else is on the ship," Chopper said. "We have an aquarium!"
"An aquarium? On a ship?" Selene asked.
"We sure do!" Chopper nodded. "It's in the bar! Luffy will probably show you around!"
"Wow! I'd really like to see that!" Selene said just before her stomach growled. The world spun around her again causing her to stumble to the wall. She slumped against it and drew in heavy breaths.
"Hey, you okay?" Chopper asked.
"I'm…I'm fine," Selene said between breaths. "I guess I'm just a bit more hungry and tired than I thought I was."
"You should eat then. After that we can give you a tour of the ship," Chopper said. "Can you walk?"
"Yes." Selene nodded and pushed off the wall. She continued to follow Chopper down the pathway until they reached a set of stairs looking down over the deck.
"Hey, everyone! She's awake!" Chopper announced as they walked down the stairs.
Selene looked over the pirates. They weren't what she was expecting. They were scattered about the deck looking normal as anyone else she ever saw. Well, everyone except the skeleton. She found that one out of place.
"That's great!" a black haired guy wearing a red vest said. His smile was bright like the sun.
Selene found it hard to believe he was a pirate. He looked younger than she was. Noticing Chopper going down the stairs she followed him.
"How are you feeling?" the woman with the orange hair asked.
"I'm fine," Selene said. "Thank you."
"You should have a seat," Chopper said.
"Okay." Selene looked around. There were three places she could sit. One was on the deck -part of which was covered with grass- itself where several of the crew was sitting. The second was on the bench around the mast where the skeleton was sitting. She paused and looked at it, wondering why anyone would use a skeleton as a decoration. And the third place was in a chair at the small table the only two women here were sitting at.
"Please, join us," the black haired woman said with a serene smile.
"Thank you." Selene walked over to the empty chair and sat down. "My name is Selene. It's nice to meet you all."
"Hi, Selene," the black haired woman said. "I'm Robin."
"I'm Nami," the orange haired women said.
"Zoro." He had green hair and three swords around his waist.
"Franky. It's super nice to meet you." He was the largest of them all with big hands that could easily wrap around her waist.
"I'm the might Usopp!" He wore brown overalls, a bag over his shoulder, and curly black hair with a long nose.
"And I'm Monkey D. Luffy!" Luffy said still grinning.
Selene looked at each one, memorizing their names and faces.
"Oh, and my name is Brook. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Selene looked up at the skeleton. It was now standing over her, bowing like a gentleman would. She blinked and stared at him.
"I know this might be sudden," the skeleton said. "But may I see your panties?"
"Brook! You idiot!" Nami growled. Jumping up she punched the skeleton, sending him flying into the ship wall.
Selene barely heard her before a squeal of delight erupted from her throat. "I can't believe it! It's actually talking!"
"Huh? What is she talking about?" Zoro asked. "Shouldn't she be scared?"
"Scared?" Selene looked at the green haired man. He was leaning against the ship near a door with his three swords lying beside him. "Why would I be?" She stood up and walked around Brook, laid on the floor with a bump on his head. "This is amazing! I never would have guessed skeleton's could talk!"
"Wow! This is quite refreshing to meet such a lovely young lady who isn't scared of me!" Brook said. Sitting up he placed his boney hands on his face.
"So how can you talk and move?" Selene asked.
"From my devil fruit," Brook said. "I ate the revive revive fruit."
"Wow," Selene said. "I should have known. Devil fruits seem to come in all sorts of mysterious powers. Oh!" She covered her mouth before turning to the rest of the pirates with a bow. "Forgive my bad manners. I haven't extended my gratitude yet. It's nice to meet you all and to let me stay while I rest up. I must apologize for landing on your ship like I did. I didn't mean to do it."
"Don't worry about it," Nami said. "You're not an enemy so it's okay."
"Still, I must thank you for letting me stay here while I'm healing," Selene said.
"Chopper told us a little while ago that your shoulder is injured," Nami said.
"It is." Selene nodded. She sat back down. "But it's not that bad. I'll be fine."
"It'll probably take a few days for it to heal," Chopper said. "It is all right if she stay here, right, Luffy?"
"Of course it is," Luffy said.
"Lunch is served for the lovely lady," a familiar voice said.
Selene's heart raced. His voice was exactly the same. She turned to him. Her head spun at the sight of him walking towards her. Sweat gathered on her palms. Her eyes locked onto his bluish gray ones. "H-hey…S-Sanji…"
Sanji placed the steaming plate of shrimp and rice before her and smiled. "It's been a long time. Hasn't it, Selene? You're looking good as always."
"You're looking great, too," Serene said. Without another word she leaped from the chair and threw her arms around his neck. He even smelling the same blend of cigarette smoke and spices. "I can't believe it's really you! I've missed you!"
"I've missed you, too." Sanji wrapped his arms around her waist. He held her out at arms length then. "But why are you here? Where's the rest of your family? Did something bad happen to them?"
"No, nothing like that. They're at home safe and sound. You could say that I'm on a trip," Selene said sitting back down. She spooned some rice and slipped it into her mouth. Chewing she hummed at the familiar spices. "So good. It's even better than I remembered. And it's still my favorite."
"I would never forget your favorite dish," Sanji said.
Selene smiled.
"A trip, you say," Robin said.
"What kind of trip does a person take without a log pose?" Nami asked. "Or is it in your bag?"
"I don't have a log pose," Selene said. "The island I'm heading for doesn't have a magnetic field so a log pose would be useless anyway."
"Then how do you know where to go?" Usopp asked. "Does your devil fruit give you some kind of homing ability or something?"
"No, it doesn't." Selene chewed on her food in thought, wondering if she should tell them how she knows where she's going.
"Something wrong?" Chopper asked.
"No, thing's wrong. I guess it's all right to tell you. This necklace…" Selene reached into her shirt to find her necklace missing. An icy cold hand grabbed her heart and lungs. "No! It's not here! Where is it?!" She dropped to her hands and knees, scanning the deck. "I can't lose it! I need that thing! I'm lost without it!"
"The chain broke so Franky's fixed it," Luffy said.
"Sorry," Franky said digging into the pocket of his flowery shirt. "I forgot about it. It's all fixed now."
"Oh, I see," Selene said with a sigh. She stood up and took the necklace from him. "That's great. It would have been awful if I lost this thing." She placed it back around her neck and held the jewel in her hand. "You have no idea how much it means to me."
"What's so important about it?" Brook asked.
"It was a special gift from my grandpa," Selene said. "It's called a T.R. Tear."
"T.R. Tear?" Nami asked.
"Twilight Rainbow Tear," Selene said. "It's where a rainbow appears at twilight without rain. It only happens every seven hundred years."
"I think I have heard of that legend," Robin said. "If I remember correctly when this rainbow appears rainbow tears like that one rain down from the sky."
"You mean jewels rain down from the sky?!" Nami smiled. "I'd love to see that!"
"But getting to the mountain top is next to impossible," Robin said.
"Why is that?" Usopp asked.
"The wind is unbelievably strong there," Robin said. "Only three people out of millions have been able to make it all the way to the top of the mountain. Most turn back after only a couple of minutes of fighting the wind. And more than a few have even died."
"Sounds scary!" Chopper said.
"It's been my dream to go there and see it since my grandpa told me the legend when I was a little girl," Selene said. "And this is the year that it's going to happen. The rainbow is going to finally appear after seven hundred years. And I'm not going to miss it."
"So that's why you're flying way out here," Usopp said.
"That's right." Selene nodded. "And it's the reason I left home."
"Doesn't sound like a safe thing to do on your own," Sanji said. "You're family must be worried about you."
"It might not be a smart thing," Selene said. "But so far I haven't had much trouble with anyone. I'm sure my family's worried. Still, I'm not going to miss this. I don't care what I have to go through to get there. I will make it."
"That's so cool! You have to join my crew!" Luffy said. "It would be amazing to have a zoan type devil fruit user on board!"
"Seriously, Luffy?" Nami asked. "She already told us she's not staying very long."
"Sorry," Selene said. "I'm afraid I have to turn you down."
"Aw, come on," Luffy said. "It'll be fun."
"It does sound like a lot of fun," Selene said. "But I just can't. I have to get to this island as soon as I can."
"So how have you been able to survive on your own?" Nami asked. "You need clothes and food."
"Oh, I play my flute when I need money." Selene stuck her hand into her bag and pulled out a flute that was twelve inches long and the same color as her rainbow tear.
"Wow. That's beautiful," Robin said.
"Thanks," Selene said. "My grandpa was gifted in making these things. One of the few people that have seen the rainbow tears was related to our family. He passed the tears down hoping that someone would find a way to shape them into different shapes. These tears are harder than diamonds. My grandfather finally succeeded in doing that. He made this one special for me." She twisted the flute. The sun hit it causing rainbows to scatter over the ship just like her necklace. "They're in high demand but he only sells a few of these at a time."
"Amazing," Nami said.
"It's so cool!" Chopper said.
"So what makes you think you're going to be able to see this rainbow thing?" Zoro asked. "I mean if the wind is that strong, how are you going to get up to the top?"
"I haven't figured that out just yet. First, I have to get there," Selene said.
"What island is it on?" Nami asked.
"It's on Sunray Island," Selene replied. "I figured once I get there I'd figure out how to handle the wind."
"Excuse my bluntness, Selene," Brook said, "but you look like a small breeze can blow you over."
"Oh, that," Selene said looking down at her body. "I've always been on the small side of things. But it shouldn't matter. I get a bit heavier when I'm in my dove form."
"And we're going to help you!" Luffy shouted.
"What?!" Nami, Usopp, and Chopper asked.
"This is going to be so much fun!" Luffy said. "We finally have an adventure to go on! I want to see this rainbow, too!"
"Uh, sorry," Selene said. "But I sort of travel alone. As soon as my shoulder is healed, I'll be leaving."
"Aw, come on," Luffy said. "It'll be fun. And it's captain's orders."
"I already told you I can't be on your pirate crew," Selene said. "I'm not looking to become a pirate either."
"Don't even bother trying to change his mind," Usopp said. "Once he gets an idea in his mind there's no changing it."
"Are you serious?" Selene asked.
"We're not kidding at all," Chopper said.
"Not at all," the rest agreed.
Selene looked up at the one and only one she knew and trusted here.
"They're right. Once Luffy gets an idea in his head there's no stopping him. So you're stuck with us until we reach Sunray Island and see this rainbow thing," Sanji said. "This time I have to agree with him. I'd like you to stay for a while. It's been so long since we've seen each other last, too long. I want to get caught up on what you've been doing."
"Oh, well…" Selene shifted and took bite of her meal. She swallowed before saying, "I guess it would be nice to hear what you've been up to as well. I'm pretty shocked that you've decided to become a pirate."
"Good." Sanji nodded. "It's settled then."
"Yeah! We're going on an adventure!" Luffy threw his fists into the air. "It's fun time!"
"Just great," Selene said. "This is not what I needed."
"Is this really an inconvenience?" Robin asked.
"Uh, well, no," Selene said. "I'm just not use to traveling with people outside of my family. My parents can be rather protective. So I grew up being sheltered."
"That's understandable. But traveling with friends is a lot more fun," Usopp added. "And who knows when your shoulder is going to heal? You might be stuck with us longer than you think."
"Well, I guess you do have a point," Selene said placing her hand on her injured shoulder. "All right then. I'll stay with your all for a while, at least."
"Yes!" Luffy jumped up and down. "We've got a new crewmate!"
"I never said that! I'm not a crewmember! I'm a guest! Hey, listen to me!" Selene said. But Luffy continued to dance around the deck, happy as can be. She sat back in her chair with a huff and looked at Sanji. "You've got some strange friends here."
"You have no idea." Sanji smiled.
"Come on! I'll show you the Sunny!" Luffy said.
"Calm down, Luffy," Sanji said. "She hasn't even finished her meal yet."
"It would be best if she just rested today anyway," Chopper said. "She's tired from her trip."
"Aw, man," Luffy said dropping to the deck.
"You'll get your chance tomorrow," Usopp said.
"You can sleep with us in our room," Nami said.
"Thank you," Selene said.
"You'll probably want to freshen up before we go to bed," Robin said.
"We have the best bath on the Sunny," Nami said. "You'll love it."
"A hot bath does sound good," Selene said. "It's been a while since I've had one. Sorry if I'm offending any of your noses."
"Think nothing of it," Robin said.
"You smell a lot better than the men on this ship," Sanji said give Zoro a pointed look. "Some of them only bath once a week."
"Why are you looking at me like that?!" Zoro glared.
"Maybe because you stink! Take a bath more often!" Sanji said.
"Just shut up! I don't have to!" Zoro said.
"Uh?" Selene eyes bounced between the arguing pair. "They're arguing over a bath?"
"Just ignore them," Nami said. "They argue all the time."
"I see." Selene turned her attention back to her food. She finished it while Luffy started talking about his adventures and how he started off as a pirate from Foosha Village. For hours she listened to them talk, completely in awe of their adventures, all the way up to the point of her arrival. Then finally the women of the ship led her to the bathhouse. Her mouth fell open at the sight of the large tub in the floor. "This is amazing. It's bigger than my tub at home."
"Franky did an amazing job on the ship," Nami said while filling the tub with steaming hot water.
"I'll say," Selene said. "My little brother would love this. He's obsessed with ships. If he knew what all Franky can do I'm sure he'd have him build one."
"Franky might enjoy that," Robin said placing a couple towels on the vanity for Selene.
"Well, it's all ready," Nami said. "Is there anything else you need?"
"I don't think so," Selene said.
"Just call for us if you need anything," Nami said as she and Robin left the bathhouse.
"Thanks, I will." Selene watched them go. Once they were gone she placed her bag on the vanity stool, pulled out a pair of nightclothes, and placed them on the vanity before stripping and climbing into the water. The heat rushed over her body, relaxing her immediately. She sighed and leaned her head back. Her mind drifted to Sanji. Heat rushed to her face, her heart raced. He was a cuter than she remembered him being. Her crush on him was still alive inside of her. She sighed again. It has been so long since she saw him she thought the crush was gone. But it was still alive and strong as ever. "This is so stupid. What have I gotten myself in to? I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be near him again. Not now." She lifted her arms. Her locked onto her upper arms where the bandages were before she took them off. "Not like this."
She finished her bath before rejoining the crew out on the deck. Sanji had them some tea made. While enjoying the beverage she watched Sanji. He seemed different somehow but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. He definitely looked more at home here than he did back at the Baratie. But what was it? What changed? He still looked the same. His food had gotten better, but that wasn't a surprise. She knew he was a great cook and would get better with time.
"Well, I'm think I'm going to go to bed now." Nami stood up and stretched out her body. "It's getting late." She pointed up a set of stairs opposite from the ones that led to the kitchen. "Our room's behind that door. Come when ever you're ready."
"Thanks, Nami," Selene said. She watched the women go before turning back to the men. Most of them were heading into another door until only her, Sanji, and Usopp were on the deck. Usopp then headed up the stairs and disappeared towards Chopper's office. "Where's he going?"
"It's our turn to stay up and keep a look out," Sanji said.
"Oh," Selene said. "I probably should have known that."
"Don't worry about it," Sanji said. "You going to head to bed now? You've had a long day."
"Yeah." Selene nodded. "I should get to bed."
Sanji took her cup, his fingers brushing against hers.
Selene's heart leaped. She hoped the moon wasn't bright enough for him to see her blush.
"If you need anything don't hesitate to ask. My crew will be glad to help you," Sanji said.
"Thank you, Sanji," Selene said.
"Good night, Selene," Sanji said.
"Good night, Sanji." Selene stepped away from him. She walked up the stairs, pausing to watch him gather up the dishes before finally going inside.
"You can share my bed," Nami said. "I hope you don't mine."
"That's fine," Selene said. She went over to Nami's bed, placed her bag on the floor, and laid down. Soon the women were saying their goodnights, the light was turned out, and the room fell silent.
…
Selene, draped over the railing, kicked her feet as she watched the pod of dolphins swim along side her parents' ship. She smiled at their obvious delight in swimming next to the large vessel. One particular dolphin kept trying to jump up to her level. He did it again, falling three feet short this time. When he resurfaced, she said, "Keep on trying! You'll make it! Come on! You can do it!"
The dolphin chirped before starting to arch out of the water again.
Selene kept her eyes on the dolphin, unwilling to miss the time when he finally reached her level.
"Will you leave those dolphins alone?" her brother asked from behind her. "You should always leave nature alone. You'll make them think it's okay for them to follow us."
"Oh, hush up," Selene said. "There's nothing wrong with talking to them. Dolphins are very friendly creatures. They have been known to help people when they're trapped in the water."
"You still shouldn't cross those lines," her sister then said. "And it's very unladylike to hang over the side like that. The wind could blow your skirt up."
"So what? It's not like underwear is a secret," Selene said.
"Mother!" her sister said.
Selene rolled her eyes. She and her sister were like day and night. They always seemed to be on the opposite side of everything.
"All right," their mother said. "Calm down all of you. We're almost there."
"Almost there," Selene said. Her eyes still trained on the dolphin despite wanting to look up to see if their destination was in sight yet. Then it happened. The dolphin jumped one more time, reaching her height. "Yeah! You did it!"
The dolphin chirped. It did a couple flips before diving back into the sea.
Selene turned her attention towards the bow. Her smile brightened. Their designation had finally come into view. The Baratie was in the shape of a fish. Being a fairly new restaurant the green paint was bright in the sun. Her heart raced with excitement. This place was starting to become famous around this area. One of her aunts had spoken to her mom about this place. And she just had to come eat here. She loved trying new foods whenever she could.
Releasing her hold on the railing, she dropped to her feet and ran up to the bow. Climbing up on the dove shaped figurehead, she watched the fish styled boat come closer. Before long the ship slowed down. Once it was slow enough, she kicked off her shoes.
"Selene," her mother said in her warning tone. "Don't you even think about it."
Selene smiled at her mom from over her shoulder.
"Selene, you come down from that figurehead right now," her mom said.
"Sorry," Selene said before jumping. Her body arched.
"Selene!" her mother screamed.
"Oh, leave the girl alone," she heard her father said before falling below deck.
Cold water rushed over her skin. Opening her eyes she was greeted by the pod of dolphins. The one jumping towards her swam over and pushed her up to the surface. "Thanks. But don't worry. I'm not drowning. I'm going to check that ship out."
The dolphin chirped.
She took off swimming towards the ship. Climbing up on the warm deck, she wrung out her skirt before waving to the dolphins. "See you later!"
Selene checked on her family's ship before turning back to the restaurant. Her heart flittered with excitement. Done with stalling she started walking around the ship. The deck went all around it. "Amazing. I wonder how much a ship like this cost the one who commissioned it."
A door creaked open.
Selene slipped up behind the door. A tall man with large forearms stepped over to the water. She took the time to slip inside of the ship. The door led her into a storage room. Several crates were shoved against the wall. They smelled of dirt and fresh vegetables. It was a smell she was very familiar with as her mother always kept a garden behind their house. Footsteps came towards her. She ducked behind a crate. The man from outside had come back. She waited for him to disappeared before continuing with her exploring. Walking in the direction the man went she heard the sounds of dishes and something sizzling. Reaching another door several spices reached her nose. Her tongue watered as her stomach rumbled so loud she thought she would be caught. Since no one came towards her, she slipped up to the door and looked into the next room. Several cooks were moving about the kitchen, chopping vegetables or meat, adding more spices to the dishes they were creating.
"Hurry up!" one of them said. "Our costumers are getting hungry!"
"Shut up! We're cooking as fast as we can!"
"Sanji! How's the soup coming?!"
"Shut up! It's coming along fine!"
Selene perked up at the sound of this Sanji's voice. He sounded a lot younger than the rest of them. Then she spotted blonde hair moving across a counter. She watched until the blonde hair appeared fully in her view. He was a boy her age with a curly eyebrow over his right eye. She bit her lip. His eyebrow looked so funny. The boy walked back the way he came. Her fingers twitched for more exploring. Her heart pounded at the thought of getting through this room without being seen.
She drew in a breath. Slowly letting it out, she slipped out into the room. With cat like agility she slipped through the room. A man turned, she slipped around behind him. Her heart jumped when another man stepped backwards. He was about to bump into her.
"Hey, where's the-oh. Never mind. I found it." The man moved back to the counter.
She exhaled as silently as she could before moving towards the door again. Slipping, dodging, and ducking, she was about three feet from the door. Her hand reached up for it. Her fingers were about to touch the handle.
"Hey, what are you doing in here?"
She had been caught. Heart thumping she whipped around coming face to face with Funny Eyebrow Sanji. She waved at him. "Oh, um, hi."
"Only cooks and servers are allowed back here," Sanji said.
"Sorry," Selene said. "I was just…looking around."
"What's going on here?"
Selene jumped at the unexpected voice behind her. She whipped around to find a slightly heavy set made with a braided blonde mustache. "How does your mustache stick out like that?"
"How rude," the man said.
"Sorry." Selene giggled. She silenced herself when the man just stared at her. "It's also rude to stare like that."
"This is my ship," he said. "I can do as I wish."
"So you own this place?" Selene asked. She smiled when he nodded. "Cool! I love the fish shape of it." She held out her hand. "I'm Selene Shaw. Nice to meet you."
"Shaw, you say?" he asked.
"That's right," Selene said.
"Well, I've heard of your family." He took her hand. "You're rather famous for your tea leaves. We use them a lot here."
"Really? Glad you like them so much," Selene said.
"So she's the one who grows all those tea leaves," Sanji said.
"Actually, my mom started that," Selene said. "The business has grown so she had to hire some help."
"I take it you are here with your family?" the man asked.
"Yes. I swam on ahead," Selene said. "But they should be inside by now."
"I see." The man stroked his mustache. "Well, you better get to them then. It's not safe for kids to run around in here while the cooks are cooking. You'll get hurt."
"She managed to make it through the room without anyone noticing," Sanji said.
"Really now." The man stared down at her again.
Selene shifted under his gaze. Her heart raced inside her ribs. She wondered if he figured it out.
"You must be really quiet on your feet for that to have happened," he finally said.
"It wasn't anything special. I mean they're cooking," Selene said. "So it was easy because they were distracted."
"I guess that makes sense," he said. "Get going now. I'm sure your family is looking for you."
"You're right. See you later." Selene headed for the door before pausing. "By the way, what's your name?"
"Zeff," the man said.
"Nice to meet you." She looked at Sanji. She walked back over to him. Placing her finger on the straight part of his eyebrow near his nose, she traced his eyebrow. "You too, Funny Eyebrow Sanji. I look forward to trying your cooking."
"Hey! What did you call me?!" Sanji demanded, pulling away from her with red cheeks.
All the cooks laughed.
"She's so cute!"
"I think she has a crush on Sanji!"
"I think Sanji has a crush on her!"
"Shut up! I do not! And neither does she! We just met you morons!" Sanji snapped.
Selene laughed. She waved to Sanji and headed out of the kitchen. "I'll be waiting for your food, Funny Eyebrow Sanji!"
"Hey! Don't call me that!" Sanji said.
Author's Note: Since this is a tragedy it's not going to be very long. And I'm keeping some information on Selene's family a secret on purpose. The reason(s) while will be revealed later.
