Pocoya: Helloooo! This is my first story in English, I can't believe it! =D
Luffy: Me neither! ^^
Pocoya: Luffy? What're you doing here? You're suposed to be IN the story!
Luffy: I know ^^ But I wanted to cheer you up, it's going to be fine!
Pocoya: Okay, thank you. Now, say the disclaimer!
Luffy: Pocoya doesn't own One Piece or its characters, only this story ^^
Pocoya: Oh! I almost forgot, reviews are much appreciated! =D
Beyond The Waves
Chapter 1: Guilty
She let a sigh escape her lips. It was her own fault, if she had been stronger she could had stood up and defended herself instead of letting him take her place. She looked out the window to the bright, blue sky free of clouds in the endless ocean. The island she lived in was in the middle of the East Blue, it was called Shell Town.
Right now, the governor of the local Marine base was the feared Captain Morgan. She didn't like him and neither did his soldiers but being him the captain they had no choice but to obey him. She did work there, after all.
Well, work, she was captured while she was staying there trying to find a boat to sail on. She didn't know why he chose her but she was captured against her will, and being so far away from home didn't help. Also she preferred to travel alone, mind you.
She thought about it… She was kidnapped from her home island by a bunch of pirates. Then when the Marine freed them she didn't go home. Why? Beside the fact that she was away from home, she wanted to start her own adventure while trying to find her brother. She frowned. Where was he? Why did he leave? She missed him so much… All these two years in this base were making her melancholic.
Her gaze wandered as she thought about the past she so dearly remembered. Then she saw him. Bundled in that wooden cross in the middle of the field where the naval officers trained. His clothes where dirty with dust and mud, his gaze never leaving the ground before him.
Three weeks. Three freaking weeks. Without food or water. She felt so bad, it was her fault. She bit her inside cheek while staring lost in thought.
That's why when he looked up at her in the window she didn't notice it after a while. When she did, she blushed because she was caught staring and she waved at him. She felt stupid while doing so but she didn't know what to do.
Suddenly someone knocked quickly on her bedroom door, startling her.
"Lady Stephanie! Lady Stephanie! Please open up!"
With a last glance at him she went to open the wooden carved door. As she opened it a young marine soldier older than her began talking.
"My apologies for disturbing you Stephanie, but Helmeppo requests your presence"
She sighed again while giggling. It was so obvious he was a newbie.
"Okay, thanks for letting me know" she smiled "But you don't have to be so formal with me"
The young soldier shifted a little uncomfortable.
"Right, sorry. They told me to treat you with respect"
She rolled her eyes a bit. There we go again, she was a maid not a princess.
"Don't worry. Where is he waiting for me?"
"At the main gates" the soldier looked at her nervously "He told me to tell you that if you don't appear on time he would do it again"
At the last sentence her eyes widened. Again? Her wound of her last punishment hadn't healed yet. She hurried down the corridor and the stairs, passing quickly between the known faces of the soldiers who took care of her. Her long hair hanging from her bun waving as she turned every corner. As she approached to her destination, she could hear a well known voice.
"WHERE IS SHE?!"
The whiny tone wasn't unknown to her. She hurried down the last corridor with a quick pace. She arrived in no time to the hall of the main gates. There stood three people, two of them were marine soldiers and the other one…
"I-I'm sorry it took me so long Helmeppo" She stopped before him and was trying to catch her breath "I-I was in my room"
The blonde figure that stood before her smiled in a bratty way. He was Helmeppo, the son of the Captain Morgan and the one that had taken a linking to her. Like she was a living doll, he carried her everywhere.
"Oh my beloved Stephanie! Don't worry about it, I was just worried about your wellbeing"
The soldiers behind him rolled his eyes at his reply. Stephanie was tempted to do the same but she had to behave herself if she didn't want to be punished, so she bowed her head.
"I thank you for worrying about me"
Helmeppo clapped his hands happily.
"All right! Now that everyone is here we can leave!"
With that he took her arm like he always did when they went on a walk. She didn't want to be with him or in this base, she was tired and she wanted to go home.
With a screech the heavy doors of the base opened up, the bright sun bathing everything in its light. Stephanie closed her eyes and smiled at the warmth as they stepped out with slow but firm pace, the two soldiers going behind them.
"Oooh! Look at that! Our favorite swordsman is having a visit!~"
She opened her eyes, blinding herself for a second and then blinking away the black dots in her vision. As they walked closer, she could make the figure of the giant cross and the swordsman on it along with the figure of a… little girl? They could hear their voices.
"I don't want any. Don't make me hurt you!" From the deep voice she guessed it was his voice.
The fence guarding the field moved to the side as they walked in.
"You shouldn't be bullying kids" Helmeppo spoke to him, causing him to move his head to glare at the captain's son "Looks like you're still energetic, Roronoa Zoro"
The little girl looked frightened at them but when she saw Stephanie she calmed down a bit. She knew the girl wasn't like the rest of the people in the base.
Unknown to most of them, two people were watching everything that was happening at the moment from the stone wall.
"And another weird guy appears" said the one with the straw hat.
"Thank goodness" commented the other one with pink hair "They're Marines so I'm sure that girl will be fine now"
When they were close to the wooden cross Stephanie recognized the little girl as Rika, a young girl whose mother was the owner of a pub in town. Helmeppo let go of Stephanie's arm, she was thankful for that, and reached down to the little girl's eye level.
"Hey, those onigiri look pretty good" and with a quick movement of his hand, he took one of the two rice balls and ate it.
"No!" Rika exclaimed.
In a matter of seconds Helmeppo spat the rice onto the ground with a disgusted face.
"Nasty! It's full of sugar! Onigiri need salt! Salt!"
The little girl blinked twice confused.
"But I thought it would taste better sweet..."
Stephanie smiled at Rika's face, she was so sweet... even her pigtails mimicked her childish behavior! Helmeppo on the other hand grabbed the other rice ball and stomped it to the ground ignoring the little girl pleas.
"What a horrible thing…" said the guy with pink hair from the stone wall.
When Helmeppo stopped the rice was full with sand and mud. Rika was on her knees with unshed tears in her eyes.
"I-I tried t-to make it with all m-my heart..."
Stephanie couldn't take it any more and she bent down at her side.
"Hey Rika..." she called out to her smiling softly "You're a big girl and big girls shouldn't cry"
The little girl blinked as she glanced to her with tearful eyes.
"B-But I--"
"Shhhh... it's okay. If you want to I can visit you someday and I can teach you how to cook, okay?"
Rika hiccupped as she nodded, Stephanie smiling softly. The swordsman was silent as he watched the older girl taking care of the little one. With a snort the captain's bratty son spoke.
"You haven't read this poster yet? 'Anyone who helps this criminal will be executed. Marine Captain Morgan'"
At the mention of the captain's name, the girl shuddered, scared.
"Brat, you know who my father is, right?"
The spectators from the stone wall talked between them.
"Father?"
"Then he is Captain Morgan's son?"
"Hey, toss this brat out" Helmeppo ordered to the Marine soldiers.
Their eyes widened as they stood without moving. What was he talking about? Helmeppo grabbed the soldier's collar.
"I'm telling you to toss her outside! Are you disobeying my orders? I'll tell my father!"
"Yes! Right away!"
"But Helmeppo, it's only a little girl!" protested the redhead.
"No buts my beloved Stephanie"
She gritted her teeth, it wasn't fair but she couldn't do much more. She stood up from the ground, her bangs hiding her eyes as the soldier approached Rika.
"Little girl, I'm sorry for having to hurt you" he whispered to her.
With that he threw her over the stone wall. The boys that were there watched how the girl went over their heads, but before she could touch the ground, the guy with the straw hat caught her.
"Thank you" said the little girl to the boy with black hair.
"Are you okay, Luffy?" the other boy with pink hair hurried to them and went to check out for any wounds "Are you hurt anywhere? What a horrible guy. Does it hurt anywhere?"
Stephanie's eyes had widened when she watched how the soldier threw Rika over the wall.
"You bastard" murmured the swordsman as Helmeppo laughed.
"It seems like you're pretty stubborn, being alive still"
"Yeah, I will live through the entire month"
Stephanie glanced at him shocked. He was going to continue this?
"Well, do your best"
With that Helmeppo turned around and left laughing. The redhead on the other hand approached to him, still looking at the ground.
"T-Thank you Zoro... I'm causing you nothing but trouble, I'm sorry"
And she turned around and ran to the fence, not giving the swordsman a chance to reply.