Authors Note: Well, I tried to update this along with the prologue. If this story ever seems to get to fast paced let me now. And I'm also trying to "Mary Sue-proof" Ruby.
Spoiler Alert: Seriously, this chapter does have a spoiler in it.
Disclaimer: Shocking news, I DON'T own One Piece, only my OCs.
Ruby the Dockworker
The sun was starting to leak its golden rays through the trees, casting the first shadows of the day. It was the break of dawn on Coldfish Island.
Coldfish Island was a rather simple and unremarkable island. It was never really an island that any travelers or merchants took to much notice of. In fact, there were only a few things anyone would ever need to now about the island.
Coldfish Island was a winter island. Despite being a winter island, it had not snowed there for about nineteen years. The frigid temperature of the island made up for the lack of precipitation just fine, according to the islands' local though.
The island also depended mostly on their fishing and trading industries. Today, like most days, fisherman and dockworkers had just risen to head down to Coldfish Island Dockings, the local dock where most of the day's activities happened for such people.
As always, there was the same girl who slept on a crate by the docks, under a shrunken and dirty blanket. No one paid much heed to the girl. The only thing people knew about the girl was she had turned up at the town as a baby, and she was taken care of by the local Marines until she was ten.
The only thing that ever caught anyone's attention was exotic the girl looked. She had ruby red hair that came down into a long bob, just above her shoulders. She also had the most vivid crystal blue eyes anyone had ever seen.
She dressed rather simply in contrast, as she wore a simple white sundress with an unbuttoned light blue sweater that concealed the dresses' spaghetti straps. The girl wore on her feet wood sandals with light blue straps.
The girl always wore a gold-chained necklace with a ruby; why the girl didn't sell the expensive-looking jewelry for the money she needed so desperately no one knew.
And that said girl was doing her usual morning muttering.
"Why do morning people have to exist, can't they at least leave the rest of us alone?" Ruby sighed.
Ruby started to stretch her arms, and soon glanced over to the docks to make sure that there was no extra work to be done that could done at this time of day.
Some of the best friends Ruby had were the dockworkers. The people at the docks were very nice to her; in fact, they even let Ruby sleep on one of the crates. They always kept an extra eye on her crate if she left her blanket and toiletries behind to go to the market place; making sure that no one suddenly found use for an extra blanket or hairbrush and decided they were too much of a cheapskate or didn't feel up to the task of walking twenty extra feet.
The girl was very appreciative of these actions, as the blanket was the only thing besides her necklace that she had since she was young and placed in the care of Marines.
Surprisingly enough, Marines had actually made good caretakers, but this was probably due to the fact their was nothing else to do but pamper a few babies that no parents had claimed on a boring island like Coldfish.
The blue quilt was worn out; it had been worn out ever since Ruby could remember. The quilt also had 'Forsythia Ruby' sewn in to it, so that is what the Marines that had first found her named her.
The girls' name was Forsythia Ruby, and she was nineteen years old.
To get by with her living, Ruby used her almost unnatural strength to do chores for the dockworkers such as helping them move crates, board cargo onto ships, or unload fish in exchange for the allowance they give the girl that keeps her alive.
The part-time dockworker is at that part of her day where she goes to the marketplace to buy the food she works so hard for. Ruby was currently walking towards Phil, the man who owns the stall that sells bread.
"Good morning Ruby, how's work been now-a-days?"
"It's been fine, thought it seems that no one needs my help recently," Ruby replied, somewhat pouting.
"That's nonsense, those dock people should put ya insane strength to more use," Phil said with a heartily smile.
Ruby tried to keep blood from rushing to her face, and yelled back, "I'm not that strong!"
She was lying though, as Ruby had absurd strength for a nineteen-year-old girl, even if she had a big build, and was on the muscular side from years of manual labor. The girl wasn't blessed height-wise, however, standing at only five feet.
"You're lying and ya know it, now here's a loaf of bread, on the house. You have enough money problems as it is, consider it my treat!"
He... just offered... me bread— FREE BREAD! Ruby realized.
'FREE BREAD' rang blissfully in her head, and Ruby begins to squeal in delight.
"Yeah, ya sure ya okay," Phil asks in concern, watching her miniature epilepsy fit.
Ruby started attempting to bow in respect, but it's hard to look respectful while sporting a huge smile that's threatening to tear your face in two.
Ruby chanted excitedly, "Thanks old man!"
Phil's sweat dropped. The awkward bow and sudden recovery from being an incoherent, stuttering maniac was just too much.
"Hey, I'm not that old! Phil will do just fine," he chuckles. Ruby bows again, this time the bow was at least semi-normal, and left the stall with the free loaf under her arm.
"That man is to nice for his own good," Ruby giggled.
A loaf of bread can last me three days, so... three day covered! She thought, causing her to start grinning crazily.
Now every local was staring at the seemingly girl-on-a-sugar-high.
Ruby paid no heed, and looked around the market place. It seemed that today was one of the market's less busy days.
Huh, it seems that everyone is crowding 'round the town's bulletin board, Ruby thought as observing the large crowd now encircling the board.
The girl headed towards the crowd, squeezing and bumping her way to see what was catching Coldfish Island's local's attention.
When Ruby had managed to squeeze her way through to the front of the crowd, she understood why the bulletin board was attracting everyone.
Gigantic mess at Sabaody Archipelago's Human Auction House, Celestial Dragon punched by Straw Hat Luffy
Ruby made a chocking noise, and reread it.
Seriously? What sort of idiot could possible be this suicidal! At least this 'Straw Hat Luffy' got the pleasure of going down with a bang.
The seagulls interrupted her thoughts by starting their morning calls for breakfast, signaling to Ruby that she better head down to the docks if she didn't want to start and get off work late today.
Ruby shock back to her senses, and started to dawdle her way down the stone steps that elevated the market from the docks.
Maybe I should start wearing warmer clothes, Ruby thought as she looked down at her sandals, sundress, and unbuttoned sweater. She did live on a winter island, after all.
If you barely have enough Beli to live off bread, I doubt you have enough to buy another set of clothes, Ruby's subconscious rebutted.
The girl started humming to herself as she descended the stone stairs, her head positioned to look down at my feet.
Now then, what time is it? If I know when I started, then I'll know when I'll finish.
Ruby's crystal blue eyes drifted up as she lifted her head to see the sun.
"Watches, I'll be able to afford those soon," the girl sarcastically snickered to herself.
Well, the sun was as good a time telling device as any old watch was anyways. The dockworker gazed upon the morning sun, its aura still the babyish pink signaling the coming of the day.
Huh, must be around nine o'clock. I must have been staring at the town notices for to long, time to start the day at Coldfish Island Docking's ...is that a ship? No, merchants only come to ol' Coldfish in summer, even though summer is still pretty cold. It looks like a... a ship with a pirate Jolly Roger!
Ruby jumped down the last fleet of stairs and ran towards one of her fellow dockworkers and pal, Damene.
Damene started to say, "Why, good morn—"
"Damene, I see pirates! LETS KICK SOME ASS," a dockworker behind Damene yelled, beating Ruby at telling Damene first.
Another chapter! Now seriously, REVIEW! XD
