Chapter six
There are some things that are unavoidable. The passage of time is one them. That and puberty.
Briefly she considered telling her 'Aunt Sonya'. Especially since soon the ruse was going to be up. It is one thing to be able in keeping her real gender a secret as a child but now since she is twelve it will only be a matter of time before she grows the dreaded curves. Not to forget the most important reason as to why. Her period.
For a second she considered fessing up. Nah. Let them figure it out themselves. It's not like she told anyone she was actually a boy Ruri thought. Happily imagining the uproar it will cause. What with all these ridiculous situations they somehow manage to get her into. They deserve to be shocked for a change she told herself smugly.
"Kukuku"
It took a couple of minutes for her to stop cackling like some cutthroat villain.
Ruri told herself mentally that now is not the time to celebrate no matter how much she wants to gloat when the truth comes out.
The last four years have been good for her in spite of all the crazy antics she had to deal with. It gave her a place to call home no matter how unconventional. It showed her that the entire world was not out to get her. That there are still decent human beings out there. Bezoom town had unknowingly really done a number on her. She just hadn't realized how bad it was but now looking back on it. Ruri grimaced just thinking how much time it took for her to trust everyone on this ship.
Truly it's a shame that she can't bring herself to stay. In a couple of years the grand line will be even more dangerous. What with those supernovas sailing the sea. No at fifteen she will join the marines, and when she is strong enough to protect herself from anyone but below a vice-admiral she will either fake her dead or resign. Depending on how much trouble she manages to get into.
The thought of actually joining still leaves a bad taste in her mouth. But there is only so much everyone can teach her. Aunt Sonya did say that when she is thirteen fairy will teach her haki but for her it's not enough she especially wants to learn the six powers. From what she had seen of CP9 it's a far too useful ability to ignore.
She could still remember a time where she would have stayed as far from the World Government as possible. But somehow the lunatics on this ship have infected her with their own brand of crazy Ruri thought ruefully while making a review of the list fairy gave her to see what they have managed to get their hands on when another foolish crew of pirates had decided to attack them.
Ruri could almost pity them. Almost.
Thankfully she still has three years with the crew. It's better not to think of the future too much. There was nothing more she could do except train.
Ruri strove to go unnoticed.
To be one of those people everyone's gaze would just pass over. One who wouldn't even be remember seconds later. Not that it was easy by any chance of the imagination. It took actually more effort than she realized when she first had started behaving like that. At Bezoom town especially since she was the towns scapegoat. Still even then she managed to get away with far more than she normally would have.
She had taken to writing as a form of therapy. It helps that she burns everything afterwards as a security measure even though she writes in German and Spanish. No she is not going to take any chances she had already burned all the information she managed to remember of the manga. After she was sure she had memorized everything. One wrong move and she will hunted down like Nico Robin. No thank you.
Hmm to think that those pirates had somehow to managed to get their hands on sea stone of all things Ruri thought when she saw what was on the list of goods they 'liberated' from their attackers. Add in the nice sum of three million beri. Ha she bets that they are seriously regretting their actions now. Still 3 million is not much in the grand stage of things. Especially in the Grand Line.
Ruri wrote down everything that will be sold off at what price on a different paper. They will keep the sea stone. You will never know when it will be useful. Along with the small arsenal of weapons. Really if she didn't know better she would think that they were preparing for war.
She has gotten used to the extra work that Aunt Sonya has been piling up on her. Sometimes if feels like she never left her old job as a secretary. Than she smells the sea and sees the impossible happen in front of her and she remembers that this is no longer her old life.
She is no longer Pallas Benedict.
Ruri refuses to become that broken girl again. It's one of the reasons she can't be satisfied with the training she is getting from Maddox and Sonya. She needs to know without a shadow of doubt what the World Government is capably off. She has to see it happen with her own eyes. And she has to be able to protect herself from it.
The only thing she has to make sure of is to not get emotionally involved. The few decent marines don't make up for the rest of the monsters.
Her body already aches thinking about all the training she has to go through. She is not looking forward to it Ruri admitted to herself but this is a dog eat dog world. Not the comfortable lazy world she was used too.
Finely finished she stood up leaving the captains cabin with the list she just finished. The entire morning she had to go over everything they had in stock and then those rookies just had to attack making her having to redo her work all over again.
To say she was angry was an understatement.
Ruri did get to beat up some of them allowing her frustration to be worked out. She didn't use to have such a big temper but what can she say puberty is coming fast with the mood swings trailing along. That is if her past life is any indication.
Some would actually question the situation she had supposedly gotten herself into. Maybe she was just dreaming this up. Hell maybe she was in a coma or even delusional. But she had made sure to plot her died in the most efficient and painless way possible. No one lives through all the pills and alcohol she managed to swallow and gets away scott free.
Ruri grimaces internally thinking that reincarnation is the only option she has. That or she is plain crazy.
"Ruri."
"Big hairy." She returned the greeting.
"Do you have to call me big hairy." He whined
"Yep, as long as I have to call Aunt Sonya, 'Aunt Sony' I will make sure to call everyone by the names she bestowed so lovingly upon us."
"I am not getting into this again, just go.." The blond Afro man was almost resigned to the nickname. No. He just has to keep on trying. Right he still has to give Ruri fairy's message completely ignoring the hypocrisy of using the nicknames himself. "Oh and fairy wants to talk with you."
Ruri nodded in acknowledgment there was no reasoning with him when he was in one of these moods. She had never thought she would be able to handle living with all these clashing personality traits but it's easier then she thought but at the same time she still can't get used to their crazy antics. Well she figures the moment she leaves to join the marines she will be more than used to it.
When she managed to track down Maddox she found him with Sonya among-st the new cargo. He seemed to be agitated about something. While Sonya was happily eating. Ignoring whatever it was that Maddox was trying to trying to tell her.
"Is something wrong?" She asked Maddox. Closing the door behind her. Hoping that this isn't something that will get them in any trouble. It's already a miracle that they haven't been branded as pirates. To hope for more than that is a fools errant.
"How accurate is your devil fruit encyclopedia." Maddox asked her nervously.
"Please don't tell me that those fools had a devil fruit." Ruri asked Maddox there was no point in talking to Sonya about this. Not when she was eating her beloved pudding.
"Oh, that isn't even the worst of it. Somehow they managed to steal it from a marine vessel of all things."
It came out a bit hysterical but she couldn't really blame the man. Depending on the rarity of the fruit there will be a manhunt for it. Who was she kidding they will hunt those pirates down either way. She could feel her own heart starting to race. This couldn't be happening.
"Shit, the moment the marines manage to get their hands on those pirates we will be doomed." There is no way such weaklings will be able to escape the World Governments grasp.
"It gets worse." Maddox said showing her the devil fruit and the sketch in the encyclopedia.
Yellow. Check.
Brown paw prints. Check.
Looks like a mutated banana. Check.
A zoan devil fruit. A mythical zoal devil fruit. Check.
The Griffin Griffin no mi.
God dammit.
"We're doomed." Ruri said ashen faced.
"See." Maddox shouted hysterically at Sonya. "He gets it." Apparently all it took from him to snap was for someone to agree with him.
"So, we have just to get rid of them then." Sonya said like it would be so easy to trail back and track them down.
"For all we know the marines have already caught up to them." Ruri said trying to keep her voice steady. She really doesn't want to die in such a meaningless and probably painful way.
"Then we will die." Sonya walked out like she doesn't has a care in the world..
Ruri had to sit down. Her legs no longer able on holding her up, pulling her knees too her face. Trying to get a grip on herself. This is her own fault for staying on board of a ship with a D at the helm of it. What did she really expect to happen. This is not the time to delude herself.
Maddox meanwhile was too busy pacing and muttering to himself to notice what she was doing.
Okay, okay it's a damned of you do and damned if you don't scenario Ruri thought while trying to hold back a panic attack. She could feel the ship changing course. Good. At least we are not waiting for the marines to catch up on us.
She has to use her devil fruit power there is no other way around it. And really how bad is it. There already is one other user on the ship. He can even give her tips after they dealt with those fools.
Alright she can life with that. It's not like she doesn't trust the people on this ship or else she wouldn't have stayed for four years. No this is no longer the time for secrecy. She has to become a murderer. But she had already known that she would have to kill sooner than later, especially since she wants to join the marines. This is not the time to show any hesitation or remorse. Those pirates brought it on themselves. Ruri didn't even want to know what the suicidal fools where thinking.
After she calmed down she noticed that Maddox also seemed to have gotten a hold of himself. Both looking each other in the eyes with an unspoken message. Knowing that if the marines get their first they will be doomed.
They left the storage room but not before hiding the devil fruit. Ruri meanwhile had completely forgotten why she even went looking for Maddox in the first place.
