(Hello there! If you have just come in from a story/author alert that told you there's a new chapter up, go back to the first chapter and all will be explained there)
Disclaimer: we don't own Pirates of the Caribbean or One Piece.
Author's notes: Okay, I know it's been a while since I've updated this, but I've been busy! But the wait is now over! HAHAHA! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!
Pirates of the Grand Line - The Curse of the Merry-Go
Chapter 1 - The morning after, the dream before
Kaya's eyes shot open, as she was no longer a young child on a ship looking out into the mist, but a fully-grown woman laying down in her dark bedroom with only lighted candle at her bedside. Kaya let out a sigh as she got out of bed, picked up the candle and walked over to her table with a mirror on it, opening the side draws.
She placed the candle on the table as she took away the bottom of the draw to reveal a hidden compartment with a dusty old gold round necklace, with the gold pirate pendant from her dream, lying in it as Kaya picked it up. She held it up into dim light fading through her bedroom curtains, with her thumbs stroking over the gold skull face in the middle, brushing off the dust. Once, she had got all of it off, Kaya put the necklace on and stared at her self in the mirror while in daggled around her neck.
Suddenly, she snapped out of her trance, as there was a knock at her bedroom door.
"Kaya?" a familiar voice called behind it. In a rush to grab her dressing gown, Kaya accidentally knocked over her chair, causing it to land loudly on her wooden floor. "Kaya? Are you all right? Are you decent?"
"Umm…yes," Kaya replied as she quickly put her dressing gown on and hiding the pirate pendant underneath her dress. "YES!" she called out just as the same man with sheep skin hat on his head and around his neck from her dream, although he looked older came in along with half a dozen maids, one of which had a box in her arms.
"Still in bed at this hour?" the man known as her loyal carer and Mayor of the town, Merry, asked as the maids started tiding up the bedroom while one of them opened the closed curtains, shining the bright light down on Kaya's face, making her wince a little, and showing a beautiful view of the port of Syrup Village. "It's a beautiful day, don't you think?" he said, glancing out the now opened window balcony, of which the maid opened. "I have a gift for you," he said as one of the maids lifted the lid off the box and Kaya's face lit up as lying in there was a very pretty dress.
"Oh it's beautiful!" she said, taking it out of the box and holding it up, before it suddenly hit her and turned back round to her carer, with a serious look on her face. "May I inquire as to the occasion?"
"Do I need a occasion to just give you a gift?" Merry replied before Kaya took the dress behind her screen, with the maids following her, and started to get undress. "Actually…I had hoped you'd wear it to the ceremony today."
"Ceremony?" Kaya questioned form behind the screen.
"Captain Chaser's promotion," Merry replied as Kaya suddenly popped her head out from behind the screen.
"I KNEW IT!" Kaya responded, with a hint of anger in her voice.
"Commodore, as he's about to become," Merry explained, while Kaya disappeared from behind the screen again, with the maid beginning to put her outfit's guard on. "Great man, don't you think? He fancies you, you know."
"AH!" Kaya screamed as the maids tightened her guard so very tightly.
"Kaya? How's it coming along?" he asked, sounding concerned as she let out gasps for air.
"Difficult to say!" Kaya replied with extreme effort to get out.
"I'm told it's the latest fashion in Roguetown," he casually explained to her.
"Well. Woman. In. Roguetown must have learnt not to breathe!" Kaya said as she gasped for air, while the guard became even tighter.
As Merry waited in confusion, having no idea what she was getting through, one of other servants, walked into the room and knelt down to him.
"My lord, you have a visitor," he informed him as Merry nodded and left the room with his servant, leaving Kaya to get ready.
Meanwhile, in the downstairs lobby, a young man, round about 17 years old, neatly dressed but with dark beige chequered bandana around his head. He had black bushy hair under his bandana, black eyes and a long needle nose. He also had a long brown box held under one arm. The young man looked around the lobby, giving out a whistle, as he was a little impressed.
'Oh wow, nice place,' he thought to himself. He continued looking around until his eyes caught sight of a beautifully designed candleholder on the wall, he want to touch it. But suddenly, as soon as he touches it, one of the candles broke off in his hand. 'UH OH!' he screamed in his mind, panicking, with his knees shaking like crazy, as he could hear footsteps getting closer and closer. 'AAAHHH! WHAT DO I DO NOW!' he thought, quickly dumping the candle into the umbrella stand. By the time another of the house's servants came by, the man stood there, whistling innocently with his knees still shaking lie crazy.
"Ah, Mr. Sogeki, good to see you again." A voice came as the young man, now known as Usopp, turned around to see Merry and the other servant approach him.
"Good day, sir," the man known as Mr. Sogeki, or Usopp as known to his friends, replied, as he placed the box on the table and opened it up. "I have your order," he said as Merry looked inside and took out the magnificent blade that was placed inside, holding it up. "The blade is folded steel, that's gold filigree laid into the handle, if I may…" he explained, sounding somewhat proud of the sword before him, before holding out his hand. Merry nodded at him, handing over the sword to him. Usopp then balanced on his index and middle fingers and smiled. "See, I told ya, perfectly balanced. The tang is nearly the full width of the blade," he explained before suddenly throwing the sword up into the air, startling the Mayor, before catching it expertly, before panicking like mad secretly, and held it to the Mayor.
"Wow, Impressive, very impressive. Commodore Chaser will be very pleased," Merry complemented, as Usopp grinned widely while putting the sword back in the box. "Do pass my compliments on to your master," he finished as Usopp face suddenly dropped upon him saying that.
"I shall!" he said disappointedly. "A craftsman is always pleased to hear that his work is appreciated."
Merry smiled a the thought of giving Chaser the sword when suddenly, he turned around to see Kaya, dressed fully her beautiful, yet tight, dress coming down the stairs.
"Kaya, you look absolutely stunning," Merry complemented her, as she looked up and a sudden smile appeared in her face, upon seeing her friend, Usopp.
"Usopp! It's so good to see you!" she happily yelled, racing down the stairs as fast a she could in her shoes and went up to him, making his eyes widen a little at the sight of her. You know I had a dream about you."
"Really? A dream about me?" Usopp replied politely, but yet surprised.
"Now Kaya, I'm sure the young gentlemen won't…" Merry replied before Kaya, who wasn't listening to him, interrupted.
"About the day we met, do you remember?" she asked Usopp.
"How could I forget, Miss Kaya?" Usopp replied, with a smile on his face.
"Well, how many times must I tell you just to call me Kaya?" she told him, as if it was the hundredth time she's asked him that.
"At least once more, Miss Kaya, as always," Usopp politely replied.
"There, see? At least the boy has a sense of propriety. Come, we really should be going," Merry said as his servant picked up the box from the table and handed out the door. Kaya glanced at her carer and nodded to him before turning back to Usopp again.
"Good day, Mr. Sogeki," she said politely before following Merry out the door and into the carriage outside. Usopp walked out after her, standing on her doorstep as the servant rushed around to get the carriage ready.
"Good day…Kaya…" Usopp whispered as Kaya looked back at him while the carriage drove away to the ceremony.
Meanwhile, outside on the sea levels of Syrup Village, a small ship was sailing towards the port, which had a young man sitting on the top of it's sails, with a straw hat upon his head.
He rinsed his head up a little to see the island of Syrup Village in the distance and grinned.
"Oh boy, land! I hope they have meat on there!" he cheered, standing up on the sailing, grinning widely as his ship floated closer and closer towards Syrup Village.
Author's notes: I bet you can all guess who that is! Just wait until he actually gets to the village!
Hehehe, anyway, I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as I can, I the meantime, please review!
