Chapter 6
Well, this is great. Notice the sarcasm. I can't believe they found me so quickly when I feel like I've only been gone for, like, two seconds. Now, the escape plan I've been hatching for so long has failed and I've also put the owners of this ship in grave danger. Even worse, my brother must have that I've conspired with these people and he might have ordered for Jora to kill them all. I can't let that happen!
Wait, maybe Jora knows that I'm in this ship but she doesn't know where I am exactly. There's still a chance for me to escape as long as I do it quietly! Well, unfortunately, that would mean using these people as bait. But I have no choice anyway. If I don't do it now, I'll never have another chance ever again. I just hope these pirates can forgive me and not haunt me with their souls forever.
"If I could just sneak out of here, I could use haki to get back to the beach and find another boat to hide in." I whispered. "But how do I distract that lumpy old woman?"
Slowly, I opened the door a tiny bit and squeezed through, sticking very close to the wall in order to attract as little attention as possible. The pirate owners of the ship seemed distracted by Jora and the lumpy old woman seemed just as distracted by them. Yosh, if I could just sneak to the back of the ship, I can actually get away with this. Okay, they're talking to each other and I'm just a few steps away and I'll be hidden from their view.
A cloud of multi-coloured smoke exploded and the door to my left became deformed and hideous. Shocked, the pirates backed away further with a chorus of confusion. I am a bit confused too. How come that even though Jora ate fruit that's supposed to make her create art, she still manages to suck at it? Is it natural? Does she really just think ugly things are art? The world may never know.
"Peroperoperopero"
Simultaneously, all heads turned to me.
"Eheheh, hi?" I grinned at Jora, feeling a strong urge to facepalm.
"Lady Rin?" She asked. "Oh boy, oh boy, what are you doing in this ship?"
"Huh?" I asked, confused.
Wait, so she didn't know I was here? Then, that must mean that I'm not what she's after. That must also mean that these are the Strawhat Pirates that my brother is after. Oh god, could I have picked a worse ship?
"Are you going to get that?" Jora asked as she pointed at my den-den mushi. "Young master is probably very worried about you. He's hardly ever let you out of his sight."
"She's Doflamingo's girlfriend?" A little boy hiding behind a voluptuous girl asked curiously and with a hint of fear in his voice.
"Oh boy, oh boy, you have the wrong idea. She's his sister!" Jora said with an amused laugh and a wide smile in her wrinkled face. "And… did you just call me a mermaid?"
"No one said that!" The girl shouted.
Suddenly, two underlings came into the boat and stood on either side of Jora who was looking a bit smug at the moment. Personally, I think she should take the Strawhats more seriously. After all, their bounties, when combined, form quite an impressive sum of money.
"Who do you think you're talking to?" The first masked goon said.
"This is Jora-sama of the Donquixote Family!" The other masked goon added.
"Oh no, the Donquixote Family!" The small talking animal said.
Okay. So the Strawhats have a walking, talking, living skeleton, human-like dog with antlers, a sexy ginger-haired woman and a small samurai as crew? This is the fearsome Strawhat pirate crew that I've heard so much about? Has the navy gone crazy to put such a large bounty on a seemingly-harmless group of people?
"Peroperoperopero"
"Oh boy, Lady Rin, you really should get that. The young master might be calling you." Jora said with a grin.
"Ah, I'll call him back later." I said. "Right now, I have orders to talk to the Strawhats."
"You're not talking to any of us until you return the ship to normal. Why is everything turning weird and ugly?" The skeleton pirate demanded.
"How dare you insult my beautiful art in the presence of the most revered Lady Rin!" Jora shouted outraged. "And I absolutely hate people who have no artistic sense!"
'Boy, Jora, you wouldn't know art if it danced naked to your face.' I thought. Anyway, since she hadn't suspected anything yet, I approached her with a sneaky smile on my face. I saw the pirate woman's eyes narrow and the skeleton pirate's expression change into a worried look. Or at least, I think it was a worried look. It's hard to judge since he doesn't have much of facial features, you know.
"Jora, my mission is urgent. I need to talk to them in private." I said.
"Why of course, Lady Rin. Oh boy, will you be okay all alone?" She asked.
"Of course." I said with a big smile before turning to the Strawhats. "Hey, guys. Do you have somewhere private we can talk in?"
Uncertainly, the voluptuous ginger-haired girl nodded and she reached down on the ground to reveal a hatch. Wow, talk about cool. The Strawhats climbed in while I stayed and watched them. Before going in, I turned to Jora.
"You guys just stay there okay?" I said.
"Of course." Jora said. "But, Lady Rin…"
"What is it?"
"Did you just call me a mermaid?" She asked with sparkles in her background.
'Oh lord help this retarded woman' I thought as I followed the Strawhats down. They were all looking at me intensely while the little samurai kid tried to hide himself behind the leg of the ginger-haired girl. Is it just my imagination or is he unnecessarily squeezing her things too much?
Okay, how am I going to explain to them that I need their help?
"First of all," I began. "It's nice to meet you all. I'm Rin Donquixote, sister of Doflamingo, your worst enemy."
"Are you really?" The small animal asked. "Then why aren't you trying to kill us?"
"Uhm… That's because-" I began but was cut off by the skeleton man.
"Before anything else," he said with a deep bow to me.
"What? What is it?" I asked.
"May I see your panties?" he asked sincerely.
I kicked his crotch on instinct and he flew back into a couch. I think he passed out.
"Okay, sorry." I said with a not-so-apologetic tone of voice. "What I was trying to say was… I want your help."
"You want our help?" The little samurai asked.
"Yes. I do. I will explain everything but could you guys please introduce yourselves? It's kind of tiring to call you ginger girl, talking animal, living skeleton and little samurai in my head."
"Why should we tell you?" Nami asked.
"Do you really want to be called ginger girl?" I asked sceptically.
"Good point." She said.
"Yosh." The talking animal said. "I'm Chopper."
"I'm Nami and this is Momonuske." The girl said. "That stupid pervert is Brook."
"Wait." I said with wide eyes. "Soul King Brook?"
"Yes, that's him." Chopper said. "I think you knocked him out cold though so he can't introduce himself, as you can see."
"Shut. Up." I said unbelievingly. "I'm a big fan of that guy! Oh, but I accidentally kicked him where it hurts the most. Wait, can he even feel that? He doesn't have it anymore, right? Or does he? Okay, I'm not gonna continue that thought."
"Hey, uhm Rin, could you explain to us why you said you need our help?" Nami asked. "And don't screw with us, okay? We might look weak but we can actually fight, you know."
"Y-y-yeah!" Chopper agreed with raised little fists. "Even if you're D-D-Doflamingo's sister, we won't go easy on you!"
"Yep!" Nami agreed. "D-Definitely not scared."
They were cowering behind Brook's seemingly lifeless body and staring at me from the gaps of his ribcage.
"Well, where do I start?" I asked.
"What were you doing in our ship anyway? Doflamingo sent you, didn't he?" Chopper asked.
"No, that's exactly what I've been trying to tell you, guys." I insisted. "I've been trying to escape from here. Also, I snuck into your ship because it was the only moving vessel that I saw from the beach. I thought it was my golden ticket out of here."
"Why would you want to escape here?" Nami asked suspiciously. "You must be rich and living like a princess!"
"I want to escape from here and I need your help to do it." I said with a hint of desperation in my voice. "All my life, I've been cooped up in a big and boring palace with my brother and his stupid hooligans. I have never seen any place outside this country and I've never met anyone outside the palace. Do you know how that feels? I don't think you do. And I don't think you ever will understand because you're pirates and pirates are free to do whatever they want and travel wherever they want. You're free. I'm not. I want to be and I need you. Please, help me. I'll do anything."
"Okay." Brook said. I didn't notice that he had woken up.
"Brook, we don't know if she's telling the truth!" Nami said. "What if this is all a trick? What if she's just bait? We're already in so much trouble."
"Then…" I said. "Tie me up and stuff me in a sack. I don't care how you do it just help me and take me with you, please."
"Nami, I'm serious. I will take full responsibility if ever something goes wrong. Let's plan a way to escape right now before the others above deck start to suspect that something is going on down here." Brook said.
Moments later, I was strapped in a shark shaped submarine with Chopper and Brook. Nami and the little Momonuske were in another vehicle they called a waver. We headed out from the different exits found in the different sides of the ship and met up at a common point.
"Why did you help me?" I asked Brook. "And worse, even after I kicked you in the you-know-what."
"Well… I also know what it feels like to be alone, Miss Rin." Brook said. "And I would never want anyone to experience what I went through even if you did crush my crotch. I won't ever forget that."
Nami and Chopper started going over the plan once again. They were gonna lure Jora away from the ship by distracting her which was quite smart, really. But, I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong. And more often than not, my intuition is mostly accurate.
"Where did you take Lady Rin? Are you kidnapping her?" Jora asked.
"Return the men's dormitory to normal if you want her back!" Nami screamed.
"She's using me as bait?" I shouted.
"Uhm… something like that…" Chopper said.
"But don't worry, Rin-san, we won't let her get you." Brook comforted me. "Now may I see your panties?"
"No!" I said as I hit his head. He passed out again.
"Turn the dormitory to normal, you old hag!" Nami shouted.
"Oh boy, oh boy! Ahahahaha!" Jora said with a haughty laugh. "Did you just call me a mermaid?"
"Nobody said that!" We all shouted.
"You look more like a whale than a mermaid!" Momonuske shouted.
"Well, in that case!" Jora huffed.
She turned her back on us and began to form a huge puff colourful smoke and turned the ship into one of her deformed, ugly art. Also she shot clouds of smoke into Nami, Chopper, Brook and Momonuske which also turned them to art.
"Oh," I said. "I forgot to tell you, guys. Jora becomes dangerous when she gets mad."
Guys, thanks for all the reviews. They're really helpful. And sorry if I update slow.
Also, I'm shocked. Haha, in the manga, I was pretty sure it was Jora. I guess it was changed to Giolla in anime. Sorry for the confusion :3