Good morning/afternoon/evening/night.

Disclaimer still stands.

xxOchibixx : It would be interesting to see 3 of them go after her, but we'll see what happens. I'd like her to stay with the Straw Hats for a while. I've thought up of the major points up to Ace's execution, so I think things will be fine.

And thank you to the people that are following and the ones that have this in their favorites! Gives me motivation to continue. Thank you, again.

Enjoy.

- Ran

Rei and Zoro began running towards where Usopp was most likely located, the earth rumbling beneath them as something akin to an explosion reached their ears.

"What was that noise? Was there an explosion on this island?" The swordsman muttered to himself. He quickly shook his head, his eyes hardening. "Nevermind. If I don't hurry, Usopp will die." Rei stopped running, as she felt something in the air; something large and fast. Her eyes widened as Zoro stopped running, the ship that Luffy, Yosaku and Sanji were on suddenly barreling through the foliage.

"ZORO! SEA-HIME!"

"SENPAI!"

"LUFFY!" Rei frowned, her eyebrows furrowing as she stretched out her left arm, closed umbrella in hand.

"SEA-HIME, DARLING! MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" Sanji yelled out, bracing himself for impact. The bluenette paid no mind to the blonde as the top half of the umbrella became transparent. She lifted it over her right shoulder, then quickly flicked it to her left side. The top half of the umbrella exploded into water droplets, leaving behind a gleaming silver rapier in her hand. The guard was encrusted with jewels of varying colors and sizes, but the most prominent would be the large, oval cut sapphire. If positioned in a certain way, the rapier looked as if it was white. All in all, it looked as if it was a very expensive weapon.

Rei's legs were pressed together as her body turned to the side, her right foot angled. She held the rapier in front of her at an arm's length. Her eyes closed as she inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaled; snapping her eyes open, they had a certain glint to them.

"En garde." She muttered, before quickly slashing her weapon in front of her. Zoro's eyes widened at the inhumane speed, but as soon as he saw it, it was gone. A slight creaking sound came from the ship as it was still heading right to Rei, who held her foot right out in front of her. The impact of the ship hitting her foot made her slide back, but the ship fell apart right in front of her into small pieces. The three on the ship flew over the female, only to land in a heap; Rei didn't mind.

They had to learn about Newton's law sooner or later.

Luffy pulled himself out of the pile before stretching his arms out over his head, a large grin on his face as he looked at Rei.

"THAT WAS SO COOL, SEA-HIME! CAN YOU TEACH ME HOW TO DO THAT?!" She simply gave him a small smile, Sanji sitting up with hearts in his eyes.

"Oh Sea-hime, my darling! I knew you were powerful enough to destroy that ship!" She glanced away, lightly scratching her cheek with a finger as she remembered Sanji telling her to do something along the lines of 'move away from the ship'.

"SAY THAT AGAIN!" Luffy shouted, grabbing at Jonny's shirt. "If you don't tell me the truth, I'll beat you up!" The bluenette at this point wouldn't be surprised if Luffy actually did knock a few of his teeth out; she's seen that Luffy obviously cares a lot about his friends. Zoro was right behind Luffy, pulling at one of his arms at an attempt to pry him off of Jonny.

"Stop it, Luffy! It's not Jonny's fault, right?" He tried to reason. Luffy's glare only intensified.

"Then why did he say such a stupid thing?! Nami would never kill Usopp! WE ARE FRIENDS!"

"I don't care if you don't believe me, but I saw it with my own eyes!" Jonny argued back. Rei frowned, her umbrella back in its usual state; open and over her head, resting on her shoulder. She didn't really want to step in to break up their little quarrel, but at this rate it looks as if she might have to. Her head lifted slightly, hearing the sound of someone walking towards them.

"Who's your friend, Luffy?" The woman was slim and of average height, with short orange hair that had a curled strand over the left side of her face. She had on a pair of sandals, black tight fitting pants and a tank top patterned with flowers. Her left hand was covered in blood while her right held a bo staff, one of her legs bent slightly. "What are you doing here?" Luffy stood up, the rage melting away as he stared at the girl.

"Why are you asking? You're my friend, I came to take you with us." He picked his hat up from the ground, gently placing it on his head. The girl crossed her arms, her face void of emotion.

"You give me such a headache.. Friend? Don't make me laugh. All you need is just someone who can give you a hand, am I right?" Sanji waved excitedly at her, a large grin on his face.

"Nami! Do you remember me? Let's go and travel together." Rei's mouth formed into a small 'o' shape. So that was Nami. She couldn't help but feel some animosity towards her. Well, Nami's breasts aren't as big as her own pair, but..

..Was it because she was simply taller than her? Her eyes narrowed at the thought of it; it couldn't be. How could she, the mistress of the sea, be annoyed, or dare she say, jealous of a little difference in height? Sure, she was fine with males being taller than her; that's normal. But for their navigator being taller than her? It wasn't even by much! Just a few centimeters!

After what seemed to be only a few seconds of arguing with herself, Rei looked around, noticing that Nami had left and that a man with a very long nose was with them. Which was the only defining thing about him, really.

"Hey, Luffy. Who's this girl with the umbrella?" The long nosed man muttered not so quietly to the person that the question was directed to, taking quick glances at Rei every now and then. Luffy simply grinned, his hands behind his head.

"Ushishishi! That's Sea-Hime! Sea-Hime, this is Usopp!" He introduced. Rei gave Usopp a small smile, giving him a one-handed curtsy. Usopp, on the other hand, let out a screech and hid behind Luffy, pointing a finger at the bluenette as his teeth began chattering violently.

"Y-y-you're the Sea-Hime?!" She tilted her head to the side, eyebrows slightly raised as she let out a small hum.

"I'm not that scary, I'll have you know. Now, what was this about Nami?" Zoro looked over at Rei, his face blank.

"You.. You weren't listening?" Closing her eyes, she placed a finger on her lips, nonchalantly thinking. Her eyes opened as she shook her head, to which Zoro pinched the bridge of his nose. Usopp decided to man up, someone like Sea-Hime won't scare him again. He's the co-captain of the crew, for Pete's sake!

"The problem is Nami! She's the one who saved me." The long nosed man spoke. "I think there must be some reason that she joined those mermen." He concluded, as Rei began walking away. Zoro looked over at the woman, his eye twitching as he finally exploded.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING?!" He barked out, resulting in Rei glancing at him over her shoulder. She gave Luffy a small smile as he immediately understood. He began waving at her excitedly.

"Ushishishi! Remember to visit!" Sanji and Zoro looked at Luffy, bewildered.

"YOU'RE JUST GOING TO LET HER GO?!" Luffy placed his hands behind his head, a large grin stretched across his face.

"Shanks told me she does this all the time! It's alright, Sea-Hime always knows where we are!"

A few hours later will find Rei simply floating in the ocean waters, arms stretched out. The water surrounding her seemed more clear than the ocean itself, but was more active as multiple waves rippled around her. Her eyes closed as she drifted aimlessly, memories flashing here and there until she remembered a specific one.

A younger Rei was laying in a rather large bed, reading a book about Devil Fruits while laying on her stomach, feet swinging in the air. She had on a pair of shorts and an overly large yellow sweatshirt. A grumble erupted from her mouth before she slammed the book shut, tossing it under her bed to roll around in her bed sheets.

The room she was in was rather large and spacious, the walls a light pink while the floor was white, polished marble. Her bed was queen sized, the sheets a darker shade of pink as the pillows were white and fluffed to perfection. The door near the bed lead to a walk-in closet, while the one across from her lead to a rather large bathroom. The bed had a silk canopy draped over it, the makeshift curtains tied to the bedposts as to not hide her actions.

Rei was bored. Utterly bored. It was close to bedtime, as she got up to turn off her lights. Her feet quietly padded against the cold marble floor as she looked out the window, the moon hanging high in the darkened sky. A sigh escaped her pink lips as she flopped into the bed, laying on her side as she stared at the door that led to the grand hallway.

Her eyes began to droop slowly, her breathing slowing little by little until a faint glow coming from under the door woke her up. She rubbed her eyes, curiosity getting the better of her as she waited for the glow to pass before getting back up to creep to the large oak door. Rei quietly opened the door just a bit, peaking out of the small crack. A man dressed in a tuxedo was carrying a plate with a strange glowing fruit.

The fruit was as round as a melon, the flesh of it see-through. From afar, she can see glowing blue water sloshing about in it. Her stomach rumbled quietly; she hadn't eaten throughout the whole day! 'I guess that I was having too much fun', she deduced, a small recollection of memories surfacing. Rei remembered whacking her older brother with a fairly large stick and splashing a bucket of mop water that the maids were using onto her sister. When questioned about it by her father, she always said it was an accident.

Rei quickly turned around, sliding into a frilly white dress with matching high-heeled sandals before heading out. She silently followed the butler, recognizing the path he was taking. Rei hid behind a pillar, waiting for the servant to go into her father's study; once he disappeared from view, she tip toed to the large set of oak doors, one of them still open by just a crack. Luckily, she was able to see her father with the strange fruit through the crack.

Although, she wasn't as lucky as she thought to be. The door suddenly swung open as she fell onto the hard floor face first, her father clearing his throat as she slowly stood up, rubbing a bump on her head.

"Rei, what is it that you're doing?" Her father asked, the question reverberating throughout the room. She had her hands behind her back, a curious look on her face as she stared at the fruit with the butler in wonder.

"That's what I was going to ask you." She grumbled, her eyes glancing away. Her father had his arms resting on his polished desk, a glare directed to his daughter.

"I know what you did today," he started off, earning no response from Rei, "have you been doing these things to your siblings? Rei, they have the same blood as you, and as such you should be respecting them and treat them like your actual brother and sister." Rei was silent for a moment before her head shot up, her glare just as intense as her father's.

"Well maybe you should let me do other things instead of having to sit in my room whenever guests arrive! Especially when there are things going on! Like older brother's birthday. I had to sit in my room for nearly four days because of how long the celebration lasted!"

"You were fed, were you not?"

"Half of the time! You tell me to respect my brother and sister, father, but how can I when you yourself don't even consider me as your own child?!" Her father growled slightly, the glare intensifying as he slammed his fist onto his desk. It didn't faze Rei one bit as he always did that whenever he knew she was right.

"Jeeves, lead her back to her room. I do not have time for this insolence. The auction is tomorrow." The butler gave her father a small bow before turning towards Rei, the fruit still on the plate he was carrying. She grumbled, Jeeves walking ahead of her as she unwillingly followed. As soon as they returned back to her room, she tugged on the butler's sleeve.

"I want some water from downstairs." Rei diligently spoke, slightly dragging the butler with her. Jeeves clicked his tongue, following nonetheless as they went down the grandiose staircase covered by a never-ending red carpet. As they reached the kitchen, Jeeves set the plate aside, reaching up above him to grab a glass cup. Rei thought quickly as she glanced over to see the door leading to the backyard.

As soon as the butler gave Rei the glass cup, she kicked him in the leg with all of her might. She heard the bone crack as the butler fell forward, to which she smashed his head with the cup. His eyes rolled into his head as he slumped onto the ground, passed out. Her eyes darted around her as she grabbed a nearby unused bag, stuffing the fruit in it before sprinting out the back door.

Her breathing was labored as she kept running, almost tripping on her own two feet until she stopped right in front of a steep cliff that led out to the sea. She turned, hearing multiple footsteps as she slowly got back up onto her legs, looking at her father and the men accompanying him with a glare.

The men were all clad in white and navy blue, with a few gold buttons here and there. The only prominent thing about them were the caps on their heads with 'Marine' stitched onto them. Rei held the fruit close to her body, slowly backing up until she was at the very edge of the cliff. Beneath her were sharp rocks and roaring waves that relentlessly crashed.

"Rei, hand the fruit over to me this instant. If you do, I will forgive you for your actions and forget this ever happened." She glared at her father's outstretched hand, holding onto the fruit for dear life.

"..What is it, then? What is this fruit?" Rei questioned. If she wasn't going to get out of this alive, she might as well have answers.

"That would be a Devil Fruit, Rei. That one in particular is the Mizu Mizu no Mi, also known as the Water Water Fruit." The girl glanced down at the fruit, the water-like substance still sloshing about. "That fruit alone has the power to control the tides of the ocean. We were going to put it up for auctions in the morning." Rei's glare only turned more menacing as she heard what he had just said.

"That's a lie! You're going to give it to one of those Marines and then get rid of all the pirates!" Tears streamed down her face as she sniffled. "Wh-what's so bad about pirates?! Pirates were the ones that saved my life, not some cruddy Marines!"

"Forget about her life. Grab the fruit no matter what the cost!" Her father bellowed out, the Marines running towards her. Rei's eyes widened as she backed up on instinct, only for her to go over the edge and fall into the depths of the sea with the Mizu Mizu no Mi in hand.

Rei slowly opened her eyes as she was near a large pirate ship. A very large one, at that. She paid no mind to it as the birds flew above her, squawking and cawing to their hearts content. Her eyes closed once again, the sound of nearby voices drifting away.

Young Rei began coughing, her throat dry as she was washed ashore on an island that she's never seen before. Her coughing ceased as she frantically looked around her, only to find the fruit under her body. She cradled it in her arms as if it was a newborn baby. 'This thing being able to control the seas? That's just the old man going senile.. Right?' she questioned herself, slowly getting up to explore the island.

She eventually ran into a pirate, her eyes widening at his features. His black mustache was curved and he had a grin on his his red hat was black hair, and he wore a red, flowing jacket. She quickly backed away from him, holding the Devil Fruit close to her body as she glared menacingly at him.

"Y-you can't have it!" Rei shouted at him. The man simply laughed, to which Rei inhaled deeply, then began eating the fruit vigorously. She coughed and hacked after finishing the fruit, the vile taste still in her mouth as she tried to spit it out. What came out instead was a large stream of water, Rei's eyes widening at the realization. She glanced over at the pirate, her eyes slowly drooping.

"Would you like to join my crew?" She gave him a faint nod before falling forward, expecting the hard ground to meet her. Instead, she fell into something warm, but she didn't mind that.

It was one hell of a way to pass out, anyways. As long as she didn't see her so-called family, she was content with being a pirate.