A/N: A small IMPORTANT side note... this chapter and the next are a flash back. I figured I would wreck that surprise now and just tell you guys. I have it set up a certain way though and I'm not sure if I was clear enough... so to avoid confusion there is a title implement and an Author's Note... now... I hope you guys enjoy!

Heart Breaker

Chapter 7- The Week Before, Island Reached

I stared at the open sea through the window and sighed. Really it had been a long day. Not only did Luffy manage to draw me into the other room to play a long game of cards (that he somehow managed to duck out of after a few minutes) but I had spent at least 95% of the day training before that. I hadn't stretched out my muscles or meditated and I could feel them starting to cramp up as I reached out for a fresh card. We were playing some poker game or something. I'm not really sure. Nami had a horde of money in front of her so I'm assuming it is poker. I like to keep my head low until I can duck out as she greedily targets people with money on them. But I know I can't really afford to add to my growing debt.

I'm not sure how anyone else has money on this ship.

"Your move, Zoro," Chopper squeaked beside me. He was casually looking over at my hand like he could somehow help me, or he was feeding the information to Nami. He could be a big cheater in that regard, and no one ever suspected him of it. At least no one besides Nami, who I'm pretty sure, taught him this little innocent act during poker games, and myself because normally I am the victim of it.

I blink at my hand for a moment, not really sure what to do that won't add thousands of dollars on to my debt. I'm about to find some way to skip out of this like Luffy, Usopp and Franky all managed to, when there is a shout on deck.

"I'll go see what it is," I volunteer before anyone else can respond. With quickness that definitely doesn't show my sore muscles, I leap to my feet and hurriedly exit the kitchen. Luffy is screaming like an excited loon and pointing to a land mass on the horizon.

"OOOOOIIIIIII!" he shouted loudly. "GET NAMI!"

I didn't have to get the navigator; she was already at my side, a small frown gracing her lips as she studied the island.

"The log pose didn't indicate any nearby islands," she said her frown deepening.

"Maybe it's like Punk Hazard," I commented, giving her a sideways glance with my good eye.

"Wouldn't that be interesting?" Brook laughed, also joining us. I glared at him, hoping he wouldn't utter anything stupid like 'how romantic' or 'you two should date', like he liked to tease at times.

"It would be," Robin hummed, appearing on deck beside Usopp with a soft pop. The sniper screamed and jumped back in protest, telling the Goth woman to never do that again. "Hopefully no one dies. Last time was pretty dangerous."

"Don't say things like that!" squealed the sniper.

"It seems pretty docile, unlike any other island we have bumped into in the New World so far," Nami assured him. "It's up to you Luffy," she added as she looked to our captain. He was obviously excited about the new island and nodded his head eagerly.

"Everyone take your stations. We're about to hit some bumpy waves before we make it into the harbor."

With that we all did as the woman said, following her orders precisely, battling random rough waves as the hot sun beat across our backs. The sky was clear and several gulls soared above the ship, cawing obnoxiously above us.

"There must be a reef close by disturbing the currents," Nami told everyone before commanding, "Luffy get on Sunny's helm and keep an eye out for any changes in the waves."

"YOSH!"

We managed to avoid several reefs, and within a few hours we were gliding smoothly into the harbor.

No one was at the port, and we sailed around the harbor, finding a small spot that didn't attract too much attention in case this place wasn't pirate friendly, which were most places. Franky volunteered to stay with the ship, which was his comfort zone, until we all came back later.

It was eerily quiet as our group walked into town. Even Luffy who was humming some song obnoxiously with Brook in the back of the group was still relatively quiet. I swear I saw a tumble weed blow through out of the corner of my eye.

"Guys…?" Nami said after a long moment of surveillance as we neared the edge of town.

Usopp was shivering beside her and Chopper, all three having taken the lead as Sanji paced a little behind her. I took a spot beside the cook, watching the empty windows with unease. Robin was near me as well, a small frown in place as she closed her eyes and stopped walking.

"I think we need to find shelter," she said pointing to the sky.

"No one is going to open their doors for us—" Robin started but was cut off as some little girl came running towards us.

"PLEASE!" she screamed. Her voice was shrill. Long brown hair flowed behind her as he launched herself into Nami's arms. The navigator stumbled, and I found my hands reaching for my swords instinctively. Luffy quieted and came forward to meet the girl, as she crawled up Nami's arms and refused to unattach herself.

The girl was wearing what looked like a pillow case, her hands and feet were incredibly filthy and she shivered violently as she clung on for dear life to our navigator. She was an older child. I would guess around Chopper's age, seeing as she had yet to sprout any womanly features, but she was tall. Nearly up to Nami's shoulder. Which made her clinging to Nami that much more awkward as she looked like a frightened monkey clinging to a tree that was too small for it.

"Please what?" Luffy asked kindly, poking the child's cheek as he popped up next to Nami.

"Please…" the girl said weakly, her voice dropping as her eyes started to shut.

"SOMEONE GET A DOCTOR! A DOCTOR!" Chopper shrieked.

"YOU are one," Nami hissed lowering herself and the girl gently to the ground.

"Oh," Chopper breathed out and sat beside Nami, immediately checking the vitals on the girl.

"I don't like this," Robin said immediately. "Something suspicious is up. This feels like a trap."

Before we could really even assess what was going on another woman appeared, this time full grown. She had long black hair and eyes that were so green and vivid we could make them out from where we stood fifty feet away. She was also barefoot, but wore a long elegant looking purple robe that dragged behind her. Her cheekbones were high and her nose looked sharp. As she drew nearer, her gait slow and predatory like, she smiled. If it was meant to reassure us, I think it did the opposite, everyone besides Sanji tensed. The smile made her look almost feral, and reminded me strongly of a toad.

"Ah I see you found my daughter," the woman said as she lowered herself down beside Nami and the girl. Luffy tensed, and took a step aside allowing the woman some room with a small frown.

"Why was she saying please?" Luffy asked.

"She is in trouble and trying to escape her fate…" the woman said elusively. She bent down slightly to scoop the girl's head gently and pull her from Nami's arms. Nami tightened her grip and scooted further from the woman, earning her a sharp glare.

"Luffy," she said lowly. "I don't like this."

"This is my daughter!" the woman said hotly. "Give her back or I will report you to the authorities," she hissed.

"If she is your daughter… you wouldn't mind waiting for her to wake up and confirm that then right?" Robin said smoothly joining Nami and lowering herself to grab the young girl's wrist.

"Well she's my step daughter," the woman amended, "but still you have no right to keep her from me."

"Nami, Robin," Sanji said seriously. "She does have a point."

Both women frowned at him, but he was frowning himself. A cigarette clasped tightly in his hand was a good indicator that he was upset, but that was the only visual sign. As much as this situation reeked of suspicion I had to agree with the cook as well. It didn't do any good for us to immediately get suckered into something. With less than ten minutes on land it seemed a bit odd that we just so happened to bump into this poor girl…

"There's no harm for waiting for her to come to though," Chopper said. "She passed out. She hasn't been eating correctly…"

The woman deftly scooped up the girl with a swiftness that screamed danger and straightened quickly before anyone could stop her.

"Follow me," she commanded as she turned and started walking away.

Luffy frowned, but his eyes shot to the girl as they retreated up the deserted town. His frown deepened before he took a step forward.

"I wanted to ask that girl if she knew where to get any meat around here," he said.

I sighed. As simple as Luffy could be he knew when it was best to intervene and when to walk away from a situation. As much as everything in me screamed that something was horribly off, I followed my captain. That and Nami was obviously invested as soon as the girl launched her tiny frame into Nami's. Nami never turned a helpless child away.

As we followed the strange woman we found ourselves deeper and deeper in the ghost town. Occasionally I would see someone's head duck down from a window, which changed this ghost town to a scared populated one. After a few minutes, the woman paused outside a plain looking saloon, opened the door and ushered us in, all with the girl drooped awkwardly in her arms.

It looked abandoned, like no one had been here in years at first glance. Dust caked the walls and tables, yet all the glasses and floors were cleaned and no webs were built in between the bottles. It looked like an odd mixture of misuse and use. The silence that fell between us and the woman was deafening, as a word hadn't been spoken since Luffy had started to follow her. It was odd, but I think this is the closet the whole crew has been together on an island in the longest time, besides when we were on a ship. Normally we all wound up split up by now, each of us finding a different task to waste our time…

"I'll be back," the woman said calmly, placing the girl on a vacant table. She brushed a loose strand behind her ear, which would have normally looked motherly, but looked choppy and forced coming from her. "There is a storm coming, but I will explain everything after it runs its course. It'll be a few hours… and I'll be in the woods. Don't leave this building," she commanded curtly saying nothing else as she made her way towards the door.

"Hey wait," Usopp protested, but she exited then, letting the door shut behind her with an audible snap in the process.

Usopp started hyperventilating.

"She is right. There is a storm coming, and I was about to suggest we wait it out back at the Sunny…" Nami said frowning.

Chopper made his way towards the girl. His brows furrowing in the process as he gently took her wrist.

"Let's see if we can make some food for her. I think that might help her wake up… and get an IV drip set up. She is dehydrated," he told Robin as he made his way towards the back of the bar. Within minutes he found a barrel of chips, and a few other supplies he needed. I found some sake and started drinking. Not like I had anything else better to do and we obviously had to wait out some mystic storm that was coming.

A loud crash of thunder echoed throughout the building which caused Usopp to squeal in fright, to which Luffy laughed. His stomach rumbled loudly as if reminding him that he hadn't eaten in a few hours and he demanded that the cook make him food. Sanji sighed and started digging around for other food supplies.

I downed another drink.

"You might want to stay sober," Nami cautioned, appearing at my elbow and frowning down at me from my seat. "We might run into trouble."

"I doubt I'm going to get drunk off a few drinks," I told her as I shot-gunned another one. I wasn't even feeling the pleasant buzz coursing through my veins yet. I sent her a wicked smirk, to try and ease her fears as she paced around. "It isn't like we can't break that door down."

"Yes but what the hell is going on in this town?" she asked mostly under her breath.

"It really isn't any of our business, is it?"

The frown that was on her face twitched slightly as she scoffed at me. We were interrupted as a cough came from the table the girl was on.

I found myself standing and hovering over her just like everyone else, until Chopper pushed us back gently.

"What's your name?" he asked the girl.

"Sasha," she said quietly. Her eyes darted around the room nervously as she sat up slowly.

"How old are you?" he continued.

"13," she whispered. Her eyes cast downward unto her lap as she twitched. Her breathing accelerated. "I swear, I didn't do it! I was just trying to find some bread for Cassie and—"

"We aren't here to judge you," I assured her cutting off her rant. I really hate seeing kids upset, it always seems to call to me that I have to find some way to calm or protect them. Even if I'm not all that crazy about them. Sasha sniffed and rubbed her nose.

"Please… take me off this island. I don't want to be here anymore. It isn't worth it," she wailed loudly.

I saw Nami's face darken as she took a seat next to the girl. Luffy looked confused.

"It's a nice island though," Luffy interjected. "There are a lot of woods and mountains. It looks like my home town. Only without the people," he told her smiling.

"Idiot," Nami hissed shoving him away.

"The volcano," the girl wailed. "It isn't worth it to stay here. I don't want to learn anymore."

"What don't you want to learn?" Robin asked calmly.

This made the girl sniffle and look around nervously. Before clamming up and shaking her head.

"Ariel said I can't talk about it," she mumbled, her cheeks flushing.

"Ariel was the woman from earlier?" Robin pressed. The girl nodded, her cheeks darkened and her lips pursed together tightly.

"We'll take you home after the storm passes," Nami promised.

Her hand held on to Luffy's ear tightly as the captain wailed loudly in protest. It would have been comical if we were back on the Sunny, Nami's short temper at others when it isn't directed at me was normally a good cause to laugh at, but at this moment it just made me sigh at my captain's obliviousness. A flash of lightning and a roll of thunder shook the saloon. A wall of rain seemed to pour out of the skies at the end of her words, delivering the promised storm. I'll never admit it out loud, but I'm always impressed at the navigator's ability to predict the weather so acutely, and how she manages to beat the hell out of Sanji, Luffy and I in a single punch (that, however, is completely unrelated and just a random thought I have).

"This is my home," Sasha whispered.

Sanji choose that time to set down a small tray of sandwiches on the adjacent table and told everyone to dig in, effectively breaking the quickly sobering mood.

I stole this as my moment to sit next to the girl. She shied away at first, but when I didn't say anything she calmed and studied my friends quietly beside me. The loudness of the group seemed to make her eyes shine with longing, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the girl. I have some awesome friends that anyone would be jealous of.

"If you ask, we'll help," I told her lowly so that my friends missed my words. I tried to keep my tone even and curt, seeing as she looked terrified at that any given second I might jump up and kill her or something. Not that I blame her, that is normally the look I like to protrude. "We don't care where you came from, or what you've done. If you ask us, if you need us, we will help you."

Her eyes instantly sprung tears as she turned away.

"How do I know?" she whispered back.

"You don't," I told her. "You just have to trust us. You can't have much to lose right?" I added with a smile. It was obvious her situation was dire, if the pure panic in her eyes wasn't hint enough then her thin frame, and dirty hands and feet should be a red flag. I scooped up another sandwich and placed it in her hands.

"Eat," I commanded softly. She looked at the food wearily before taking a fragile bite, and soon stuffed down the whole thing.

She looked more relaxed as the storm raged on. I found myself slipping away and drinking in the corner again, watching my friends as they passed the time in different ways. Sasha talked with Nami and Robin as they all seemed to have a common interest in clothes or something else useless I'm sure, and she made Luffy laugh about something. When the rain started to lighten up Sasha's panic seemed to spark again, and she sat next to me, her body language screaming that she needed comfort. I nudged her with my foot, pushing her towards Luffy.

"I barely know you," Sasha whispered, yet somehow she commanded everyone's attention. "And you guys know nothing about me… but please," she paused, tears springing to her eyes but this time they started to fall down her cheeks. She strangled her sobs and looked Luffy in the eye. "Please don't let her throw me into the volcano."


A/N: OC's! (Own Characters for those of you who don't know). Normally I hate their input in a story but I found that I couldn't avoid it. I hope you guys don't mind. I'm loving the response that this story is getting! It seems like you guys are enjoying this story as much I am enjoying writing it. Which is fantastic! Until next time~