A/N-I do not own One Piece. However, Summer is my OC.

I'm happy you guys are enjoying this so far, and thank you for the feedback! My recent promotion at work will make writing and updating a little more difficult with the additional hours, but I will find whatever time I can to keep this going. :)

Onwards!


"So you're the new recruit, eh?" Casper glanced her over with arms crossed over his chest. A scowl of disdain marked his face. Clearly, she was the last person he wanted in his kitchen. But it wasn't like she was there of her own free will.

From what she had heard about him, she was a little nervous to meet him at first. The picture the two engineers had painted for her made it sound as if he was made of stone, small red beady eyes that critiqued every move one made, and that he wielded a knife or wooden spoon to catch 'poor, innocent crew members who were starving at 2 in the morning.' Instead, a man in his forty's or fifty's stood before her, with graying hair and goatee. His eyes weren't red as she'd been led to believe, but a dark black that spoke of wisdom and years of knowledge.

He wasn't at all what she'd expected, though at least he didn't look ready to eat her, though his evident expression of distaste indicated that their first encounter wasn't getting off to a good start. They both stood in the kitchen; the crew could be heard conversing in the mess deck just outside. Summer was dressed in an apron and waited as the cook sized her up.

Just from his initial question she could tell he was one of the gruff types. He had a deeper voice, almost what she imagined a father to sound like. Though when he spoke, she detected a hint of bitterness and caution. Even now, she didn't know exactly how to respond to his question. So, he wasn't much of a talker either? Great...It was then she noticed that in her inspection of her new boss, she'd neglected to answer his question. In reply, she nodded.

"Hmm." He said, still examining her as she was forced to stand there under his gaze. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

'That's it? All I get is 'Hmm?''

Casper turned his back to her and began placing cookware on the counter, acting as if nothing had just happened. He seemed completely at ease, though she could see he was alert at all times around her. "I assume you can cook since Captain sent you to work with me." She rolled her eyes as her cooking skills once again came into question. "Well, let me get something straight with you." He said, turning back around and giving her a hard stare, his dark eyes piercing her violet ones.

Sighing, she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Something about him determined that juvenile behavior of that kind wouldn't be tolerated. She held his gaze evenly, slightly intimidated but not willing to make that apparent to him. "What?"

His eyes narrowed slightly. "This is my kitchen, so don't think you can just do what you want here. The Captain might have ordered you to work here but that doesn't give you the right to go off on your own or be slacking off. You'll be under my supervision, so listen to my instructions." She glared.

"I'm 23 years old. I think I can handle myself."

"Hmph." He said under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear. Which was probably done intentionally. This didn't help her already agitated mood. She turned away and looked at the recipe they were making. A vegetable soup.

'Easy enough. I've made this plenty of times before.'

Reaching for a cabinet to look for ingredients, her hand was smacked away with a wooden spoon. She jerked it back and held it to her chest.

"Ah! What the hell?" She swung around to look at the old cook and found him with arms crossed, still holding the spoon, glaring at her.

"I told you to listen to what I say. Don't go looking for things before I tell you to." She glared back as she rubbed her injured hand. It throbbed every few seconds from being unexpectedly smacked.

'God, a little territorial, much?' Summer sighed in frustration. If this continued-her trying to accomplish something and him watching with such a critical eye-they would never finish dinner. Summer was willing to bet that a late dinner would be blamed on her incompetence and uncooperative attitude. There wasn't any way out of the situation either. Law had displayed his absolute authority on the matter, stating that she wasn't to work anywhere else because 'he didn't want his submarine damaged due to her clumsiness and ignorance.' Figuring that she would have to be the one to extend the olive branch, she held up her hands in surrender and stepped aside.

"Alright, alright. Just get on with it then." He silently glared at her for another moment before he stepped up to the counter and began to work, probably deciding that that was as close to obedience he was going to get right then. Which he was right about.

"First, you need to become familiar with the kitchen." He opened all of the cabinets and drawers as he showed her where all of the equipment was, instructing her which knives were used for what. His explanations were extensive but surprisingly easy to follow. She'd never been officially taught anything, as all of her knowledge had come from learning as she travelled the world, so the experience was a little frightening. Much as she hated to admit it, she did learn a few things from him as they cooked the crew's dinner.

They worked mostly in silence, save for the few instructions he gave her and the chopping of their knives. Once when she dropped a knife, he shooed her away and mumbled curses under his breath. Something about 'ruining his perfectly good kitchen equipment.' When he wasn't explaining how his kitchen worked to her or internally berating her work, he really didn't speak much at all. And, just as the two engineers told her, he didn't smile. All his attention was on his work. She watched him as he worked, noting the intensity at which he concentrated when chopping a vegetable or stirring the soup. Even she had to admire his intensity and skill for the job.

"Put the carrots in now." He said. She did so, stirring the soup a few times to prevent the bottom from sticking. The soup boiled for another few minutes to let the vegetables soften. She looked to him for further instructions and he pointed to the cabinets with bowls and spoons. "Start serving." Was his gruff order.

Summer returned with the bowls, waiting as he ladled food into each one. He nodded, and she brought the two in her hand out to the mess deck. Everyone was in attendance, gathered around tables by fives and sixes. They only seated four, but they didn't seem to mind the slightly cramped eating place. As soon as she appeared, the ruckus grew louder, everyone eager to eat.

The layout of the room and how the crew was sitting made it a little difficult to hand out the food, but she managed. The only thing yielding a problem was the feet stretched across the walkway, and on multiple occasions she was almost sent face first into the metal floor. Thanks to her quick reflexes and a few helping hands, nothing was spilled.

As she distributed, she was able to meet the rest of the crew. They were kind enough, asking her name and where she was from. Personal questions she avoided, giving vague answers or directing the entire question elsewhere just to avoid answering them. After awhile they seemed to notice her subtle way of remaining silent and thankfully stopped asking. Her scan of the faces revealed a vast array of nationalities and people from different regions of the world. Surprisingly, she didn't see Law. Summer would have assumed he'd eat with the rest of his crew. He was the Captain after all.

"Summer-Chan! We're hungry! Feed us first!" Penguin shouted across the room. Shachi waved his arms in the air beside him. She shook her head, grinning slightly.

"You'll get it when you get it!" She said, walking back into the kitchen. It took a few minutes to feed everyone; the sound of spoons hitting bowls commenced. She stood in the doorway, observing the crew as they ate. Despite how noisy and rambunctious they actually were, each one remembered their manners. Though many of them started playing poker in the middle of dinner. Typical pirates. She grinned, though it quickly went away as her stomach grumbled loudly. Blushing, she covered her midsection with a hand in an attempt to quiet the sound. A few of the men nearby heard and they looked up and laughed good-naturedly.

"Hey, girl!" She heard from the kitchen, causing her to frown. Throughout making dinner, he didn't call her by her name once. She had assumed Law had told him her name beforehand, though she wasn't sure now. Turning around, she headed back inside.

"My name is…"

"I know who you are, Red Hunter." He retorted, interrupting her before she could finish. His glare was as menacing as they came. She was about to reply but closed her mouth instead. Technically, he was entitled to his behavior. She realized she had no right to get angry at him for being suspicious of her. This was his territory. As an unknown person onboard, he had every right to be wary around her.

'He has a point.' She thought to herself. 'Not like I'm a saint or anything.'

He pointed to a bowl on the counter. "That there is yours. Eat quickly." He turned away, picking up a tray of food from the counter and walked out the door. She wondered briefly who it was for before realizing that she hadn't seen Law at all during the course of dinner. So, it must have been his. Finding a spoon, she started eating. Once again, she thought the soup a little bland, but still delicious. Already, men were finishing up their meals. It bugged Summer to see them leave the dirty dishes on the tables. Old habits die hard, as the saying went, but that didn't stop Sumer from inwardly seething.

Eventually, the crew filtered out of the mess deck and out into the hallways, presumably to head off to sleep. The quiet inside the room was strange after listening to the endless noise during dinner. Having finished her own meal, she began collecting the bowls and spoons left out by the crew. The sink rapidly filled up with dishes, and Summer realized that it would most likely be her job to clean it all anyway. The cook hadn't returned yet anyways, and he might feel the need to yell at her if she just stood there waiting.

Sighing tiredly, she found a sponge and soap and set to work. The old cook didn't come in once as she washed the dishes, which she found strange. She shook her head, forgetting about it. Her hands pruned up after awhile. The pile of clean dishes rose, but despite her hard work, the dirty pile never seemed to shrink. Dishes wasn't something new to her, she'd gotten a job helping at a diner a few years back, but that didn't mean she enjoyed it.

Her exhaustion was beginning to eat at her; it grew steadily harder to keep her eyes open and she yawned multiple times. There were still dishes to be done, so she kept on. Scrub, rinse, dry, repeat. Over and over again, placing them on the dry pile of cleaned dishes. Summer wasn't sure how much time had passed before the dishes were all clean. The piles rose high and dozens of spoons sat on a towel to dry, though she couldn't remember doing most of them.

She fell asleep before she realized it.


Casper came back with the tray of food, an hour later. His meeting with the Captain had gone on longer than he'd imagined, but after the difficult time of working with the girl, something had to be done. Still, the thought of the mess that awaited him wasn't exciting. He resigned himself to the chore of dishes with a tired sigh.

'I'm getting too old for this.' He thought as his back popped into place as he walked. The mess deck was dark, but the kitchen lights were still on. Frowning, he internally scolded the girl for leaving them on. His steps were the only sound as he stepped through the kitchen door.

What he saw almost made him drop the tray. The counter was piled high with cleaned dishes, dried and polished to perfection. On the floor, the girl sat asleep with her back against the cabinets. Her head was rested on her shoulder and she didn't wake up when he walked in. Her gentle snoring was the only sound in the room besides the steady dripping from the sink faucet.

He stared disbelieving at her, impressed that she had managed to accomplish so much while he was gone. The girl had literally worked herself to sleep, it seemed. Looking back and forth from the pile of dishes to the sleeping girl, Casper put the tray on the counter. Idly turning off the sink faucet all the way, he shook his head in wonder. Reaching down to pick her up, he carefully walked her back to the infirmary.

Something he didn't expect to feel swelled up in his chest: guilt. He had just come back from his talk with the captain asking him to task her to another job. He had adamantly argued that she was doing more harm than good being his assistant, stating that she blatantly rebelled against his instructions right from the get-go. He'd said he didn't need any help, he could do it himself, and why should he have to train a new trainee and one they couldn't trust completely at that? He just didn't like her.

Now, as he carried her to the infirmary, he regretted every word he had said. Well, maybe only some of it. Her cunning escape from Impel Down, and the fact she'd been sent there in the first place indicated how dangerous she was. While it was still true that he still didn't trust her fully, he now saw that she was a harder worker than he could have ever imagined. She had passion, which he admired. One wouldn't just clean an entire kitchen of dishes just for the fun of it. He didn't like just anyone in his kitchen either. They had to earn their way there.

Upon arriving at the double doors, he pushed one open quietly with his foot. He knew the young pirate would still be up this late, he always was due to his insomnia, and so the sitting form at the desk remained where he'd been not five minutes before. He saw the Captain look up from his medical books at his arrival. The doctor's eyebrows rose at the sight of the old cook carrying his new crewmember.

"And what is this?" Law asked with great interest. He stood as they approached. The cook stopped and sighed.

"She worked herself to sleep cleaning almost the entire kitchen's dishes." Law indicated for the cook to give her to him, which he gladly did. The weight was starting to get to his arms. The girl groaned in her sleep as she was handed between men. For one so young, she was certainly a heavy sleeper. Law carefully brought her to the infirmary bed, mentally reminding himself to figure out her sleeping situation soon. The medical cot couldn't be reserved for her all the time, its purpose was to rest those who were injured. Once he ensured she was comfortable, he turned back to the older man.

"You could have left her in the kitchen." He said, the cook nodded.

"I could've." Law crossed his arms, interested to see this strange turn of events after their previous conversation. The cook had been so adamant about his dislike of the girl, and now here he was practically tucking her into bed.

"But you didn't."

The cook looked at the girl now sleeping soundly on the bed. He didn't say anything at first, thinking carefully over his words. The captain watched his face with interest.

"I still don't trust her, don't get me wrong, but I suppose I was too quick to be laying accusations." He grumbled. "I believed her to be lazy and stubborn, but she showed me different, much as I might hate to admit it." Now both men were watching as the blonde woman slept, both thinking over their own thoughts.

"She certainly did." The captain said, a hand on his chin in deep thought. It fell silent after that, only disturbed by Summer's even breathing and the machines attached to Luffy. Law turned to the cook.

"Perhaps you should head to sleep. It's been a long night." The cook nodded and turned to leave. He stopped and faced him.

"I'd like her to continue helping me in the kitchen. She proved she's a hard worker. And," He paused, scratching the back of his head reluctantly, "I guess I could use the help after all." Law smirked by his cook's decision.

"I think that would be best." The cook nodded again and silently slipped through the door. The doctor turned his attention back to the sleeping woman, walking over to her side. He moved a piece of hair from her face, studying how peaceful she appeared while asleep. In the morning, it would once again take on that mask of indifference. But right now he could see how young she actually was, only a few years younger than him.

"For one so adamant about leaving this crew, you don't seem to put up much of a fight." He said aloud.


"If you want me to do the dirty work for you, it won't be cheap." Viper said into the Den Den Mushi. His easy grin was replaced with a twisted smile as he thought of the money he could make from this deal.

"Oh I assure you, you will be payed handsomely for your services." The voice on the other end replied. Viper crossed his feet on top of his desk, leaning back further into his padded chair.

"I want half beforehand and the rest when I deliver her to you." A laugh resounded from the other end, and Viper's grin fell slightly.

"Now, now. Don't be so hasty. Half is quite a sum. I will send a third beforehand and the rest after." Viper thought it over a moment, weighing his chance of bargaining with the man. On one hand, his experience with the girl could earn him more of a profit. On the other, asking for more than he was due could prove fatal. This buyer was not to be taken lightly. Deciding that this was the best deal he was going to get he grinned again.

"Alright, we have a deal. Where should I bring her once I have her?" He stood up, walking over to the window in his quarters and looking up at the sky.

"Take her to Punk Hazard as soon as she is captured. I don't want any unnecessary attention being paid to this operation. Quickly and quietly is what I want." The idea made Viper laugh.

"She won't exactly come quietly, you know." He stuck a finger in his ear in an attempt to scratch an itch.

"Well, that's not my problem, now is it? Figure something out." The voice drawled in a monotone. The lack of respect made Viper scowl.

"Just have the money sent and I'll set my course." He was about to hang up when the man spoke again.

"And Viper? I know you're known for your brutality, but I want her alive and well when she gets here. Any unnecessary damage will not be tolerated. If she dies or is unusable to me, the deal is off." The call ended, leaving Viper to seethe on his end. Angrily, he slammed the phone onto the table, shattering it to pieces.


A/N-Please leave a review to let me know how I'm doing, they are greatly appreciated! Suggestions are a blessing as well, so if you have any I would love to hear them! Anyway, thank you for reading and I will try to update soon! :)