The very first female pirate was one Vera, known by the epithet as "The Red Lady" for her cherry lipstick and the blood left in her wake. Vera escaped the marines to a small island in the East Blue, where she settled down and had three daughters. Each daughter in turn became pirates.

Marie, the eldest, became "Miss Fortune" and spread chaos and discord across the seas. Liza, the middle child, was known as "The Nimble Thief" for her distracting acrobatics. Finally, there was the youngest of the three sisters, Anna. She was arguably the most famous and her name has been held on record in the Marine HQ as one of the few epithets to never be given to any pirate again. She was known as "Hell's Illusionist."

Anna evaded the marines through her illusions, and in turn settled down to start a family. She told her children of her adventures, and though her two sons became respectable men who hid their mother's identity, her daughters took up the Jolly Roger as well.

This trend continued through the ascension of such infamous crews as the Rumbar pirates and the actions of the rookie Gol D. Roger. In time, it led down to "The Florist" Flora, who in turn had six daughters. Our story follows the journey of the youngest, one Char, who would continue the family tradition in playing the Ultimate Game.

Chapter 4: In Which the Rules are Alluded To.

"Aim for the girl Richie! She's the one controlling this!" He roared, eyes bulging in anger over being made a fool of. Char dropped the illusion, head light from the lack of air as she watched the lion leap closer.

Chouchou took the blow this time and Char found that she hated herself a little. Twice now someone had to step in and save her. First her captain and now Puppy-chan?

No, she promised. Not while I'm still in the game! She put away the whistle, wincing only slightly at the burns. The lion leapt again, roaring its triumph at finally catching the girl in his claws, just inches away! Char gave her best Cheshire grin as she lifted her hood and faded totally from sight.

She jumped straight up, landing on the lion's paw before quickly making her way up. She used a mixture of balance and pure intuition to avoid his scrambling search for her. Finally she reached his head, where Mohji was trying to regain control of his rampaging pet. The pet store guarded so lovingly by Chouchou had been completely destroyed. Char's eyes filled with anger and her too-large hood fell as her fist reached back to deliver a blow to the stunned tamer.

"Go to Hell!" She told him, hitting as hard as she could. He flew from his perch and to the ground. Richie, having finally located his quarry, reared back to make her fall off.

Char screamed as she came crashing down, bouncing off the pavement below. She held back a flood of tears and forced herself to roll out of the way of his next attack. A stress ball, neon green, floated into her grasp and she chanted the words.

"Night's Illusion: Rolling Trap!" The ball began to grow as she threw it overhead. The lion flinched, not smart enough to realize this too was only a trick. Mohji quickly returned to his seat as the lion jumped up and over incoming projectile. Char smirked and pulled up her hood again. When he landed she darted between his legs, searching out for a specific part of the male anatomy.

She was too small to do any real damage with just a kick, but she did happen to have some tricks up her sleeves. All she really needed was the small whip she used in street performances. An upward lash had Richie singing a different tune.

"You guys have no respect for someone's treasure! Get lost!" She shouted, drawing back her hood. A fire raged behind her. The pet store, no!

Her moment of distraction cost her dearly. Mohji seized the advantage. Richie swiped at her with his mighty claws. This time he connected.

"Gaah!" She cried, flying back and into the flames. Heat scorched her lungs, stealing the air she needed so desperately to breathe. Her head swam sickeningly as she got to her feet and stumbled to the exit. Richie's great maw came down first though, sucking in the pet food. Char gasped and coughed, feeling herself choke on the foul air all around her. He drew out, taking a bag of treats with him. She finally stumbled out of the doorway.

"AROOOO!" It was a lonesome note, she mused. She had lost the match, been completely unable to protect the puppy's treasure. She fell to her knees, gasping for breath. All her illusions had done was make them even angrier. She'd gotten in a good few hits, but in the end she had lost.

"Come on Char, get back up." Germaine stood in front of her. She was the next youngest, besides Char. She was still seven years older though. Char had been what Jo called an Oopsie baby.

"I can't!" Char had been only seven, with two sisters off at sea and another two getting ready to leave the next day. "Germaine, I'm tired!" Germaine had been drilling her in Dim Mak for the better part of the day. Now the Sun was going down, giving an ominous quality to the scene. Germaine's gently frowning face was bathed in shadows. The vision of her most gentle sister in such shading made Char shudder.

"Being a pirate means that sometimes you'll be tired. Sometimes you're going to be hurt, bad. Sometimes there's going to be days when you don't want to get out of bed." Germaine walked up and fisted the front of Char's shirt in one hand, slamming her against the wall of their home.

"Little sister, are you ready for the consequences?" The hand loosened, let her stand on her own feet but held her up when her legs refused to stay firm. "You can't quit in the middle of the game."

"Oi kid! Wake up! Kid!" Char groaned and coughed as the world came starkly into focus. Nami stood over her, sighing in relief at her return to the waking world. Char shivered as she remembered that dream, a vision of long ago.

"Thank goodness, you're alright." Nami didn't seem to notice, or maybe took the shudder for one of pain. The burns marking her skin were bad. The cloak was charred at the end, but hadn't caught on fire.

"Luffy left, screaming about kicking that lion tamer's ass." She remarked. Char grunted in understanding as she sat up. Her skin stretched painfully and she bit her lip to stop the tears.

"Quitting means you lose, Char. I thought you never lost a game." Yeah, that was right. She never lost. She didn't always play fair, but she always won. Pain was a kind of game too, and she knew how to beat it. Trembling fingers moved to different points on her body, pain and pleasure both would be blocked for three hours. After that the pain would return, at double the force.

"What are you doing? Just stay down!" Nami scolded her, strong arms coming to hold the ten year old down. She'd only hurt herself even worse if she tried to move. Char paused when she saw the wreckage of the once pet store. Chouchou's head was bowed, his treasure completely destroyed.

Nami noticed where her gaze was located. The old hate, as warm and comforting as any campfire, returned. The things pirates would do! Burning homes, separating families, pillaging and murdering to their black hearts' content, everything about piracy made her sick!

"Pirates!" The sound was a curse on her lips. "I hate them all! The only thing they do is destroy the things people love, taking them away!" She turned to the straw hat boy who had just returned. The spoils of war slung over one of his shoulders.

"I should just kill you here and now!" She declared hotly. The earlier hesitation with the canon was forgotten. This man sailed under the Jolly Roger as well. He was stupid, but even stupid men know how to kill.

"As if you could touch me." He stated, not sparing her a moment's glance. Char looked up at her captain, relief intermingled with shame. If he hadn't taken that blow for her he would've been here. He was strong enough to have protected the shop, she was sure. Instead the only defenders had been a ten year old girl and a dog.

"Here Dog, this was all I could save." He said, settling down the bag of treats in front of the dog. Char felt that if animals could cry, Chouchou would be sobbing in gratitude. It was pathetically small, compared to what he'd lost, but she could recognize in him the gratefulness of anything surviving at all.

"…You fought him? Just for that Dog?" Nami mumbled. Her staff was lowered and Char looked at the mikan-headed woman.

"I didn't see everything, but I know you and Char gave it your best shot!" He grinned. He acted as though he hadn't heard her. "You both got pretty banged up, but don't worry, I took care of him. I really kicked his ass. You shouldn't mess with peoples' treasures." He thought she'd done good?

"Ne, I want to kick Buggy's ass." He suddenly commented. It made Char laugh from the way he phrased it.

The Earth shattering explosion shocked them all, breaking the thin atmosphere of victory. For a minute Char couldn't move, couldn't breathe. It was like being stuck in the fire but the only thing stopping air from reaching her brain was her own lungs. Slowly, like the old woman she might never grow up to be, she turned around.

Another street had been completely wiped off the face of the map, leaving only rubble and dust in its wake. One gap in particular cried out to her, urging her to get up, get up! He'd been hurt baka!

"Z-Zorooo!" She wasn't sure which of them had screamed loudest, captain or cabin girl?

"Damn, what a way to wake a guy up." His voice was scratchy with sleep. Rubble shifted and a mossy green head poked out, looking around as if he wasn't sure where he was or how he'd gotten there but it wouldn't really matter because someone obviously needed their collective ass kicked.

"You're okay!" Char smiled, launching herself into a gentle hug, mindful of his wound. Zoro grunted a bit and awkwardly patted her head. He took note of the burns and the charred piece of cloth that dearly needed a washing.

"What happened to you? You're filthy." He questioned, sneering a bit at the ash that came out of her head when it bobbed up to look him in the eye.

"I was in the pet store when it caught on fire. I got out though!" She assured him, as though it hadn't been obvious.

"I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" The mayor shouted to the heavens. "These people are destroying this town, our home, our treasure! I won't forgive them!" He declared.

"A man should fight for what he holds dear, right?" He asked himself. Luffy was the one who answered.

"Right." He solemnly nodded. He looked like he was trying hard not to grin.

"Don't encourage him!" Nami scolded the boy, slapping his head again. "Buggy will kill him!"

"That may be, but if I don't fight for my treasure then I can't call myself a man!" The mayor announced. "I'M COMING FOR YOU BUGGY!" Char watched as a cloud of dust trailed in his wake.

"Why didn't you stop him?" Nami cried accusingly. Char sort of wished Nami would stop blaming Luffy for things. If someone wanted to play you couldn't just stop them. She was pretty sure that was in the Rule Book.

"Don't worry Nami, I like that ossan. I'm not going to let him die." Luffy had already decided. Char felt better about it too. Because Luffy was strong, way stronger than she was, maybe even stronger than Zoro. He could protect the mayor.

"Now then, let's go!" He shouted, getting all pumped up.

"Aye!" Char yelled, throwing her arms in the air. A new game was just getting started. The score was tied but Char always played to win.

"Are you coming, Nami?" Luffy turned to his navigator.

"…Rather than joining you let's say we're simply working together for a common goal." She smirked. "So long as I get all the treasure I'm happy."

"Yosh!" Luffy laughed. "Let's go!"

A few minutes later they had arrived. The Mayor challenged Buggy and just when Char was starting to wonder if the pirate clown would do anything, the Mayor started to levitate! She took an inappropriate moment to stare at the unusual sight. She hadn't known he could fly!

Luffy steps forward and yanked something-a hand she realizes- off of his neck. Before the Mayor could catch his breath, Luffy quickly knocked him out. Char winced at the loud crack of the man's face hitting the building.

"Why did you do that?" Nami demanded. Char hesitantly poked the man. He was still breathing so he must've been fine. He was just sleeping.

"He would've been in the way." Her captain pointed out. She had to agree with him. Despite the armor it was pretty obvious the Mayor had never gotten into a fight before.

"Hey Big-nose! Let's fight!" He shouted up at the clowns. Char shuddered and gagged at all the heavy make-up they were wearing.

"B-B-Big-nose!?" Buggy stammers in outrage. She kind of wants to giggle at how his veins bulge out but she's still just a tiny bit afraid of him. Clowns were just plain creepy. "Men, prepare my special Buggy Balls! I want that straw hat boy blown to smithereens!"

Nami's eye twitched at the name and shot a quick glance to Char. Luckily the ten year old seemed more interested in trying to find something in her fanny pack to pay attention to the double meaning. Kids really didn't have a place fighting pirates. She had to wonder how Char got mixed up in stuff like this. And how was she even standing with all those burns?

"Aye sir!" The clowns all hopped to. Soon enough a canon was aimed at them and Char looked to Luffy for orders. She could probably make an illusion of all of them somewhere else, but Luffy didn't look scared at all. In fact he was grinning, that special grin of his with too much teeth.

"We need to run!" Nami yelled, shaking as it was lit. They couldn't re-aim that thing in a hurry! If they could just move-!

The blast was deafening. They must have shortened the fuse. Char automatically crouched down, blue-grey cloak pulled over the Mayor and herself as though merely being invisible could shield them.

"Gomu Gomu no….Balloon!" Her eyes widened as Luffy inhaled so much air his rubbery body inflated. She made a note to try jumping on him later. Right then though she threw off her cloak, leaving it on the Mayor so no one would try to attack him, and watched the canon ball hit home.

It bounced off. She laughed as she watched the clowns try to scurry out of the way. When the explosion was over the entire building had been demolished. She stared in awe at the level of destruction. Her skirt ruffled in the breeze and her hair flew around. By the time she'd gotten it back under control the dust had settled.

"Wow." She muttered. A couple of pirates had managed to stand up. Buggy had shielded himself with two of his own men. She could never understand how someone could follow a person like that! Someone who didn't care about your well-being wasn't worth the effort in her opinion.

"Cabaji, you bastard! How dare you do that to Richie!?" The tamer teddy bear from earlier got to his feet. Another guy with a weird haircut and a blue and white checkered scarf had used the lion as his shield.

"I was afraid that my outfit would get dirty." The weird guy, Cabaji, explained.

"You bastard-!" He was interrupted by his captain.

"Mohji, you didn't mention that the straw hat boy had eaten a devil fruit." Buggy growled. Char's head tilted as she processed this. They hadn't known? Well then they must be pretty stupid.

"B-Because I was unconscious. I'm sorry, captain." Mohji quivered.

"I suppose I'll forgive you this once, but bring me the illusion girl! We'll force her to join our crew!" He was still angry about the Tomato-nose thing. Still, having someone who could make illusions like that giant top would be incredibly useful.

"Nu-Uh! I'm not joining your crew!" She protested vehemently.

"Yeah, stupid big-nose! She's ours!" Luffy shouted beside her.

"Cabaji, take out that straw hat!" Buggy ordered.

"Aye!" The weird guy grinned. Char's jaw dropped when he got onto a unicycle and started charging Luffy. "Prepare yourself!" Just when she was sure Luffy would be run over and stabbed, Zoro stood and intercepted the charge.

"I'll be your opponent, circus freak." He declared. Char noticed he was wearing his bandana again. It made him look as fierce as a demon when he put it on.

"Hmm, killing the demon hunter Roronoa Zoro would boost my reputation." Cabaji smirked. Char only caught on to one part of that sentence.

"Zoro, you used to hunt demons? Sugoi!" She grinned. Best. Crew. Ever!

"Char, why don't you pay more attention to your own fight?" He suggested through the hilt of his white sword.

"I have to fight the teddy bear guy? Okay!" She pumped her fist, turning to face her new opponent.

"Your illusions won't work on me now, gaki!" Mohji warned her, drawing his whip. Her eyelids lowered to half-mast as she smirked. He really thought illusions were the only trick up her sleeve? They were a big part of the game, but she'd be a fool to play with only half a deck.

Without his lion he was a lot less of a threat. "Bring it teddy!" She challenged, cart wheeling out of the way of his whip. She rolled beneath another strike and began moving forward, almost bending herself double to avoid the whip.

"Dim Mak, special technique: A Thousand Years of Pain!" She intoned, piercing fingers darting forward. Two into his torso, one in each shoulder, then she bounced away when he tried to regain his balance and catch her.

"Itai!" He cried, dropping his weapon in surprise. Those little pokes didn't look like they held a lot of power, and yet now his entire body was screaming in agony. He'd never felt such pain before!

"What did you do?" He demanded of the girl. She had the audacity to be flashing him such a cocky look.

"Once I'm in range you're just another toy."