There were ten men approaching her. How they had gotten to know she was in that town was beyond her, but now that she was found, she had to leave. She didn't know where her father was-some village's name flooded in the back of her memory, her mother had long told this to her before being taken away. It was a strange irony that what she desired most to be was a pirate, and it was pirates who had taken away the only special thing in her entire life. These men chasing her did not know of her history, but simply because she had escaped from a town that she used to call home. It wasn't a special story, and it was something that was pretty common in those times-a village was raided by a pirate crew and was taken over. Women were used as sex slaves and children were turned to slaves and sold. Her mother had somehow managed to prevent her from being sold to some landlord, but had faced the brutal alternative instead.
Her mother was a strong woman, known to be fierce in the face of battle. Anger had consumed her when she believed she could handle no more, being married to a pirate herself, she was forced to succumb to the torture that these puny pirates had inflicted upon this village. She would tell Emilia stories of her father, made her believe that being a pirate was more than just looting and that there were pirates out there who had dignity and courage and would never lay a finger on women and children. These men who haunt us Emilia, are no men at all, let alone pirates, she would say. Your father is amongst the bravest men I have ever met, along with Roger, the King of the Pirates. Emilia thought about everything her mother had said about her father, all of those adventures which were merely stories to her as well since she was never a part of any of them. She could always sense a prolonging thought of loneliness in her mother's narratives about her father's life, that she missed him and craved for a normal life with him which he had failed to provide for her. However, what confused Emilia the most was how her mother did not mind any of it. There were many things Emilia wanted to ask her mother before running away, and one of those many questions was why she never went looking for Rayleigh. Her mother had stated that he was alive quite a number of times, yet, never stepped out to look for him.
Was it because of her? Because she was born and that travelling with a baby was a lot more difficult than doing it alone?
It had been close to seven years since she had escaped that disastrous town and seven years since she had last seen her mother. The man who raided her village intended to destroy the town when her mother put up a fight-despite not knowing how to fight or even stand her ground. She was just courageous, not strong. It was when tables turned did she even know what fear meant.
The skies reflected red from the fires which had spread through the town. Emilia could see corpses lying on the ground like dead lilies, and having run back to find her entire town in shambles destroyed her ability to react at the moment. She was picking flowers for her mother, who had been sick, and despite the pirates being there, Emilia was happy knowing that her mother was with her. It was when there was a staunch smell of gasoline in the air did she even turn and look back.
There was fire and then she ran. She ran toward what had once been her house and found it in shambles, people and children dead and gone. She didn't scream at first, but a moment later, a figure came out of what used to be her home. It was her mother, burning on one side of her torso, her face almost disfigured with the fire.
"Run, Emilia! Run away from here!" It didn't look like her mother, but it did sound like her.
Emilia gasped, before tears filled her eyes. She wanted to scream after her mother, but she knew she couldn't take a step further. The redness behind that had engulfed her entire village stopped her from stepping forward, even if that's what she wanted to do most.
"What are you doing?! Run away from here! Don't look back, please! Go! Live!"
A second later, the voice stopped. The entire house collapsed on her burning mother, and that was the end of that. Emilia cried out in vain now, and ran toward her mother only to be picked up and thrown aside. She almost raged back this time, one of the only times Emilia was ever angered, to see a man with black shades, his dark hair tied in a ponytail behind him. He was frowning and he seemed to be holding something.
"Get out of here, Emilia-chan, listen to your mother." He said, earning a surprised expression from the girl.
"G-Gaban-san?" It had been years since she had last seen him, one of her father's crewmates from long ago.
"Take this," He handed Emilia a letter with an insignia on it, "And go away from here. I can't save your mother now, and I can't get away from this. But, alone, you can go far. Don't look back and go by what your mother told you. Listen," Gaban seemed furious but he was helpless and he understood that. "One day, you'll find meaning to everything that you've gone through. Every bad memory, every bit of torture that you've faced, will be nullified one day. You'll meet people who will stick. Do you understand?"
Emilia didn't want to listen to him, but nodded either way. She took the letter and skedaddled out of there, not looking back, but thinking of that night every night of her life.
Gaban-san died to protect me. Why now? Why after all these years? Emilia did not understand this sudden shock that came her way, however, it must have been one sighting. Someone must have seen her, somewhere. Could it be Whitebeard? She struck that thought off her mind the minute it came. It must have been something else. Nevertheless, her stay at the town was instantly cut short now that she had been found. There was a lot more history connected to her, but right now, she merely focused on running. She was currently hiding behind a building which led to another alleyway. Taking a deep breath, Emilia dashed toward the alley and looked around as fast as she could. It was dark out, and hiding was relatively easy for her, but she knew she had to hide somewhere they would not believe she would be found at.
The entire town was wide awake, like some sort of party was taking place. Since it was a port town, hordes of pirate ships were stacked at the port. Her best option would be to hide in one of those ships till they lost her. She knew what their jolly roger looked like, and she knew which ship she had to choose. Choose a ship with an unknown jolly roger, she thought as she headed to the port, keeping a keen lookout for any follower. Once she was at the port, she noticed a line of ships docked by, and she started to choose. Definitely not one of the first few ships, but the last. She blinked a couple of times before running to the far end, and looking out for an unfamiliar jolly roger. When her eyes fell on one, she nodded before quickly hopping on to the ship and searching for their cargo. She was certain she had never seen this jolly roger before, and judging by the look of the ship, it must belong to some rookie.
I've never seen a grinning skull and crossbones wearing a funny hat with smileys on it, she thought before calming herself down. This was not healthy for her anxiety, she shut her eyes and listened if any movement was heard outside. Her observation was impeccable, she knew she was strong; having been taught no so basic survival skills by someone she once held very dear to her. She suddenly felt as if she were drowning, and this was another one of those episodes she had. It always happened when thoughts that are unwelcome raid her mind. When they did, she had no control over her mind and she would sink, feeling lost and scared and alone.
"What the heck-"
She gasped before suddenly seeing light. A hand grabbed her arm and pulled her up, and it was a moment later did she see a bright orange.
"Who are you?" The voice belonged to a man, and it was when this voice sounded did Emilia's eyes dart downward from the orange hat to the face of the man.
He was handsome, she would give him that. He looked confused at her presence there, he must be the captain of the ship she was on. She didn't remember falling asleep, and maybe she had after that episode. He was wearing a yellow button down shirt which he hadn't bothered buttoning up and the prominent hat that was on his head after which the jolly roger was designed.
"Hello, whether you know it or not, you've saved my life." Emilia said, offering him no smile.
Now that she was standing, the man let her go. He was frowning now, clearly surprised by this unwelcome guest. There were people with him, crewmates, she had deduced, but she paid them no heed. She could see that they were in the middle of the ocean now, which meant that she was not caught and that she was safe. She released a sigh and calmed down entirely when her mind thought of this.
"Still doesn't answer my question, lassie. Are you a thief?" He questioned her.
He looks familiar somehow, she thought before brushing that thought aside. She shook her head before getting out of the cargo box she was in. The man in front of her didn't budge, he clearly demanded an explanation, but was too polite to actually demand it like a regular pirate would. She liked that, but would never admit it.
"I'm not a thief, my name is Emilia. I was running from some goons who were chasing me, and I happened to hide in your ship for the time being. I must have fallen asleep and woken up rather late. I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience." She said, looking straight at the man in front of her.
He blinked, before humming once and looking deep in thought. He actually didn't mind her being there, it had been close to five months since he set sail, strange occurrences were embraced. He grinned a moment later and patted her back, a gesture that she didn't particularly like, and pulled her aside. He wanted to introduce her.
"Lads! This is Emilia, she will be travelling with us from now-"
"No, I won't. I'm not a pirate. You can drop me off at the next-"
There were loud cheers that erupted after what their captain said, and Emilia's eyes widened. She blinked a couple of times before turning to the man with the orange hat and trying to get his attention. But, he was too happy to even realize that this was not what she wanted. Is he an idiot? She thought before grabbing his arm and turning him around on his heel. This move surprised him, but he didn't glare at her, instead he smirked.
"I know I'm irresistible, but this is rather quick-"
Her face reddened with this statement he made, but ignored it.
"I'm not joining your crew." She said firmly.
"Aw, why not? Not good enough for you?" He flirted, which caused her cheeks to redden more.
"I'm not a pirate."
"Don't need no qualification to be one. You can start now." He said.
"I don't even know you guys-"
"We're the Spade Pirates, lassie! That man over there's our captain, Portgas D Ace!" Said a rather large looking man, who was magically holding a mug of beer.
"Pleasure to meet your acquaintance, lassie." Ace said, kissing the back of Emilia's hand.
"I'm not a pirate. I don't intend to be one. Please drop me off at the next island, thank you." Emilia stated firmly, and the rest of them laughed.
She didn't understand what was so funny. She had declined Whitebeard's offer of joining his crew. These punks were nothing compared to that. There was no way she was joining any crew before finding her father. The Spade Pirates were still laughing, and all the attention was right at her. She blushed when she realized this and glared at Ace.
"What's so funny?" She asked, albeit politely.
"You are. We're not heading to any island. We're at that part of the Grand Line where there aren't any islands for over ten days. That's why we stocked up at the previous town. You've gotten in at the wrong time, lassie." Ace said, smirking.
This was not going in accordance to plan. However, when she thought about it, it might. She was anyway travelling to the end of the Grand Line, and these guys were pirates. Using their ship as mere transport for now, she can get a step closer in finding her father. They didn't need to know anything. She nodded once before turning to look at Ace.
"I won't join your crew, but I can travel with you to the next island. You see," these guys were rookies. There is no way he'd know or be curious about why I'm looking for him. "I'm looking for a man. I don't know where he is, but if you can help me find him, I'll be indebted to you for life."
Ace grinned before saying, "Oh, yeah? Who's this man?"
"I don't know if you've heard of him. Back in his time, he used to be famous, but right now, there are people who don't even know if he's-"
"What's his name, lassie?" Ace urged, still grinning.
"Silvers Rayleigh."
She noticed how quickly the grin vanished from his face. She was scared for a moment, wondering if he knew who it was, but even if he did, out of all the legends that went around about the first mate of the Rogers Pirates, there was no way he could guess that she was his daughter. Ace turned and looked at her, this time with a keener and fierce expression, almost demanding a reason as to why she wanted to find him. She hadn't thought of the reason why and what to tell him, but she knew she had to make it up on spot.
"Well, I'd like to record history from his point of view. You see, my dream is to be a record keeper one day. I don't quite like the World Government, and hearing their angle is boring indeed. So I wanted to-"
"How do you know he's alive? No one knows." Ace said, rather sternly.
Why was he being so adamant anyway?
"Well, um…" Ace was still waiting. "I haven't heard that he died so…"
"A wild goose chase." Ace muttered, glaring at the girl.
"A wild goose chase." She stated, nodding.
"That's good enough for me!" He said a moment later, suddenly the expression on his face changed, and he turned to his crew, "She has a dream like all of us. Let's see if we can help her out!"
For some reason, Emilia believed that Ace didn't really want to help her. His enthusiasm suddenly faded, it seemed like he was merely faking it. She wondered why.
That night, Emilia stayed back on deck as she stared into the ocean. She liked how calm the waves were during the night, almost as if there was nothing left to worry about. She felt a presence approach her, and she turned to the side to spot Ace there. He looked glum, almost, like there was a face he was wearing in front of his comrades and a face he wore in front of her. For some reason, this face seemed more real to her than the latter. He approached her slowly and stood by her, looking at her while she stared back at him. He was clearly taller than her, and now, he wore no shirt at all.
"Can you fight?" He asked.
A rather strange question to ask her in the middle of the night.
"I can get by." She replied.
"Have you eaten a devil fruit?" He asked, curiously.
"No." She lied.
"Why do you really want to find Rayleigh?" Ace asked this time.
"That was the question you've been meaning to ask me ever since I said his name." Emilia said, smiling at him now.
Ace didn't return the smile. He merely waited.
"You don't really need to know. I'm also curious as to why that name does something to you, but I won't ask." She said.
"You're right. I don't really need to know. Because I can't tell you things, either." Ace said, now understanding her point.
She nodded, glad that she had put that across successfully. They were standing beside one another, staring into the ocean now, in complete silence. There was something about this that she liked very much. It seemed peaceful, like the sea they were on, and it was strange for the Grand Line to be this way.
"You don't have to help me look for him. Dropping me off at the-"
"Next island will be enough. Yes. I got that." Ace said, scratching the back of his head.
Emilia smiled. "You weren't surprised, were you?"
Ace blinked at her question.
"When you saw me in the cargo cart."
"Not really," Ace said, chuckling. "You see, I have a crazy brother who'd do something very similar to that. Unlike you, he wouldn't even apologize."
"That's something." Emilia said, grinning back.
"Yeah, he also eats a lot. It's monstrous." Ace said, hiding the fact that he too, eats a lot.
"I eat a lot too. Food is nice." Emilia said, looking into the ocean again.
"It is, isn't it?" Ace said, his voice almost a whisper.
It was quiet again. Emilia thought of something to talk about, but for that moment, she couldn't think. The boy beside her radiated warmth, it was unnatural. It was cold because of the ocean weather, but he seemed like a heater. She turned to his arm, and slowly reached forward to touch it. Ace flinched, but didn't move away, and let her touch his arm.
"You're burning!" She said, looking up at him.
Ace was looking straight at her eyes now.
"That's because," he reached forward and his hand suddenly turned into fire. Emilia's eyes widened, and her breath caught in her throat. "I am fire."
Moments from her past hit her without warning and the girl stepped back, not intending to show Ace that she was scared, but her body seemed to move without heed. Ace stopped and turned to look at her, wondering if he had scared her, and her eyes seemed to confirm his suspicions.
"I'm so sorry, Emilia, I-"
She stopped short. Shutting her eyes forcefully, before trying to calm down.
Portgas D Ace.
Portgas D Ace?
Portgas.
"I'm not scared, I'm sorry. It's just," Emilia looked back at him and smiled weakly. "You surprised me, is all."
Ace calmed down and smiled back.
"Glad to know you don't think I'm a monster." Ace said, trying to hide bitterness in his tone.
It didn't go unnoticed. Emilia touched his arm again and smiled.
"You might come off as an idiot," Ace blinked. "Definitely not a monster."
He turned away from her with a large streak of a blush on his cheeks.