Awoken by the bright morning sun, Sage winced at the bright light that shone in her eyes. She rubbed them, trying to eradicate any feeling of sleep from them. Her eyes adjusted to her surroundings, and she remembered where she was. The dock. A bench. Had she been drunk last night? She didn't have a headache, nor was she thirsty. Sage was never able to hold her liquor, a few cups and she was done. Then, she remembered. The argument with her father. Her storming out of the house in frustration. She groaned. She had been selfish, maybe after being shunned for so long, her father had gotten used to it? Or maybe her father was just trying to protect her? Trying to justify her father's actions did her no good, she would just have to return and apologize.

One move, and a crunch was heard. "Ouch..." Sage grasped her back, cracking when she had stood, due to an uncomfortable sleeping position. Stretching her arms, she walked towards her house, her green eyes darting around to look for the blonde-haired pirate she had seen yesterday, but he was nowhere in sight. She looked to the port, to find a large ship. A flag was flying, a Jolly Roger. It had a smiling skull, and a sun-like design around the skull. The insignia of the Kid Pirates. The ship was strange looking, and the sight of it exuded a powerful aura. Sage continued towards her home, passing the market and various bars along the way. When she reached her home, the door was slightly ajar. Strange, it was usually shut all the way. Sage stopped for a moment, and readied herself. If a intruder was inside, than she would fight. Her father could be hurt, after all!

The door swung open with a creak. She slowly walked inside, scanning the area for anything strange. She walked into the "operating room", the living room that had turned into a recovery room for patients. A figure sat- but the room was too dim to see. The curtains must have been closed tightly, there was no way the bright sunshine did not find its way into the house. "Its 'bout time you came." Even in the darkness, Sage knew who this was. His voice was unmistakable. The blonde-haired man from the other day.

"Where is my father?" Sage was afraid, of what happened to her father, and also of the man in front of her.

"Oh, you live with your family? Is he a doctor too? We just came here to talk to you." The man seemed calm, but that just caused Sage to become even more uneasy. "He must be out."

"What are you doing here? And how did you get into my house?" Sage then noted that the man said "we", but no other people were in sight.

"Like I said earlier, I've come to talk to you. And the front door was taken off, then reattached."

"What? You broke my door?!"

"No, I fixed it. That would have been rude, to have just barged in here and tore the door off." Because it's not rude to stay in a house uninvited and invade my privacy. Sage refrained from saying it, as she remembered the man's blades.

"Well, thanks I guess, for putting the door back."

"You're welcome. Now, have you thought about your answer?" Sage gulped. What would she do? Even though the thought of leaving was tempting, what about her father? Would he turn out like Sage's mother? So sick of the insults that he would go insane? Her indecisiveness was annoying. Why couldn't she just choose and get it over with? But of course, she would regret her decision. Leave the island, she would feel guilty about her father. Stay on the island, and miss the chance to escape this hell.

"Hello? Are you there?" The man waved his arms, and Sage flinched.

"Umm... I think that..."

"Sage! You're back! And... who is this?" Sage turned to see her father, his orange hair wet with sweat. He patted his forehead with a napkin.

"Hello. I am an acquaintance of your daughter. It is nice to meet you." Sage was surprised at the pirate's polite demeanor, she had expected all pirates to be ruthless and destructive. "My name is Killer." Well, that name didn't match his personality at all. Sage relaxed a little. Maybe this man was not as bad as he seemed.

"Oh, it's nice to meet you, Killer-san. I never knew my daughter had a friend." Even though it was true that Sage didn't have friends because she was shunned, she blushed, embarrassed by her father. The children liked her, sure, but that didn't count right?

"I'm sure your daughter has friends. She certainly has a friend in me, as well as friends in my nakama." Nakama? Sage was sure that she had heard that word before. Pirates that came to dock here used it a lot. But she wasn't sure of what it meant.

"Nakama?" Sage's father looked puzzled.

"My crewmates. We were talking to Sage here about joining our crew. We are in need of a doctor, and I believe that Sage is the perfect choice for it. If she joins our crew, she will leave this island however, and there is a very large chance that she will not return." Killer explained to Sage's father how they needed a doctor, and how it was too dangerous to go sailing without one.

"Hmm. It is true. I have taught Sage many different things, and she is a capable doctor." Sage's father smiled. "This would be a good opportunity for her. Sage, you should go with them." Sage's eyes widened. What? Her father was encouraging her to leave his side?

"But father..!" Sage's father put his hand up.

"Sage, I do not want you to end up like your mother. Even though it pains me to see you go, I'm letting leave for your safety. Leaving this island would be the most beneficial for you. Do not worry about me. And just because you're going to be a pirate, doesn't mean you stop visiting me, if you ever sail this way again." Her father's words felt like a knife that she could not remove. Telling her to leave? It was no use trying to object, her and her father would just go back and forth, her father insisting her to leave, and her insisting that she should stay to help her father. She would eventually give up anyway. Sage lowered her head, and nodded.

"Alright." She whispered. "I'll go."

Sage had approached Killer and told him of her choice to join the Kid Pirates. Killer happily ensured her that she would enjoy the life of a pirate. Sage had packed some clothes, some herbs, medical supplies, and a photo of her family. She looked back at the house she had lived in for all of her life, and started to tear. Her father would be alone now. She shook her head, and wiped the tears away. Her father gave her one last hug, and he smiled. "Good luck on your journeys from here on out." Sage hugged her father, and he hugged her back. He waved goodbye to her as she walked behind Killer, and eventually, he faded out of sight. Killer led Sage to the dock, where the huge ship she had seen earlier was waiting. She took a deep breath. From now on, she was no longer "the bastard child of a witch."

She was Sage Salem, doctor of the Kid Pirates.