Hey everyone! I really enjoyed writing this chapter! So, lets get right to it. I don't own one piece or any of the characters.

Chapter 7

"Moby's getting what?" I asked.
"Do you not know what coating is?" Thatch asked. "That's a little worrying that you live in the New World but don't know about coating."
I frowned. "Yeah. But I've never been to paradise before. I've always wanted to visit the Sabaody Archipelago."
"Well," Marco said, stepping up and ruffled my hair. "We won't be travelling that far this time. Just to fishman island. We haven't been there for a while, so Pops thought we should... check things out just to see if all is well."
"Isn't that Pops' territory?" I asked, slightly distracted. My attention was mainly focused on the men doing the coating. They were moving like army ants, swarming around, placing whatever the coating was all over the Moby.
"What else are we doing there?" I asked suddenly.
Thatch caught me in a headlock. "I'll tell you what." he said. "We're picking up new crew members, too!"
"For what position?" I had a sneaking suspicion, but I wanted confirmation from Thatch before I jumped to conclusions.
"Nurses." Thatch said. "They'll help out in sickbay, and look after Pops' health."
"Is Pops sick?" I asked, slightly worried.
"No, but I'm getting old, Zia." Pops stepped up beside me, making the ground under my feet tremble. Now that I could use haki, I could finally appreciate how huge and terrifying Pops really was. "I don't like the idea of bringing innocent women into dangerous waters like the New World, but they all signed up of their own free will."
I decided not to mention that he had asked me to join his crew at eleven. "Hey, at means there will actually be some women on the crew."
I inclined my head so I was looking Pops in the face. "Is that it?"
Pops shook his head. "I have a different job for you while we're there, Zia. There's someone you should meet. Marco, Thatch, you'll come too."
"Who?" I asked.
Pops patted my head. "You'll see."


It took over a week for the coating to be finished. Marco knew better an anyone at coating a ship was a very delicate job, that shouldn't be rushed. When they stepped on deck again, Zia started bouncing up and down on the thick coating.
"Whee!" she laughed as she flopped on her back. "It's like jelly!"
Marco sat down next to her. "You really are a kid." he chuckled.
"Am not." Zia said, sticking her tongue out at him.
Marco smirked and poked her in the stomach. "Yeah, you are, yoi."
Zia snorted and turned towards him. "Am not."
"Are too."
"You two are both behaving like kids." Thatch said, laughing.
"Shut up, Thatch." they both said at the same time.
"All right, men!" Whitebeard shouted. "Remove the buoyancy pouch!"
Zia frowned. "What does that mean?" she asked. Then, she gasped.
The coating started to rise, inflating like a balloon.
Marco laughed whole-heartedly at Zia's expression. She looked pretty startled, especially when the coating passed over her mouth and nose.
"What's wrong?" he asked her. "Never been on a coated ship before?"
She shook her head. "Now what happens?" she asked.
"Now," Marco said, smirking slightly. "We sink."
"Sink?" Zia said, slightly alarmed.
With that, the Moby Dick started sinking beneath the waves.


"Urrrgh..." I groaned. "Way to go, Pops. You managed to find a really nauseating way to travel..."
Pops laughed. "My, Zia." he said. "Don't tell me you're seasick?"
"This is nothing like riding a ship in the normal way..." I said. "This is awful. I feel like I'm gonna throw up."
"Hey, Zia!" Thatch called, waving from the port side. "Come and check out these sea monsters, they're really cool!"
"Go away, Thatch..." I groaned, pulling my knees into my chest and burying my face in my knees.
Thatch turned and walked over, then sat down next to me. He leisurely put his arm over my shoulder. "Hey now." he said. "I was a bit like this the first time I was on a coated ship. I know you feel like crap now, but the feeling'll pass, just like th voyage. The next time we come through here, you'll be leaning over the rail so far you'll nearly fall overboard. It's really amazing."
"Thanks, Thatch." I groaned. "But the only thing I want to do now is get to fishman island and do whatever we have to do."


"Here we are!" Thatch said happily, clapping Zia on the shoulder with one of his hands, and gesturing around him with the other so she'd get the hint even better.
She didn't seem to appreciate that, though. She gave him a very strange look, then said, "That's really great, Thatch, but I don't think I like the-"
Suddenly, her eyes dilated until they were almost black, and she clapped her hand over her mouth.
Thatch knew that look all too well. He let go of her shoulder, and she raced off behind some coral.
"Hasn't found her undersea legs yet?" Marco asked, stepping up beside him.
Thatch smiled and shrugged. "Pretty damn funny, though."
"Maybe it was because she was with you, yoi." Marco teased.
Thatch turned to his old friend. "Oi." he said. "That was cruel."
Marco just chuckled lightly.


"Wow!" I exclaimed. "This place really is awesome!" I ran on ahead and stopped at a large rock, and 'stared' out at everything crawling all over it. "Hey, Pops, look!" I pried a huge transponder snail off the rock. "I didn't know they were wild animals! I always thought they were just really big snails people caught and placed a communicating device in!"
Pops bent down and took the snail from my hand. "Not only that, it's a white transponder snail. They're very rare snails that prevent wiretapping. This is a very good find, Zia."
I grinned with pride.
"Yeesh." Thatch said, coming up and staring at the snail. "That is one big snail. You think it ate a devil fruit?"
I laughed.
"You do find very strange animals in the forest of the sea." Marco said, coming up behind us.
"Is that where we're going?" I asked.
Pops nodded. "There's someone there we're going to see."
"Who?" I asked.
"You'll see." Marco said.
I whipped around to face him. "Does that mean, I'm the only one in the dark as to who it is?!"
"Yup."
I hung my head. "Thanks a bunch, guys."


We walked for another hour, at least. I have to say, if I ever regretted being unable to see, it was then. We were walking in a kind of bubble, which protected us from the pressure and the water. Swimming outside the bubble were a lot of strange fish I would never have thought existed. I couldn't be sure, but according to Marco, there was a completely natural light shining down here that came from the roots of a tree!
But it was the forest that really amazed me. Trees were growing under the sea! There were lots of different corals, too!
There was also someone there. He was sitting on a boulder, meditating. Or, at least I thought he was meditating, because he wasn't moving at all. And he definitely wasn't a statue.
"Jimbei!" Pops called. "Good to see you again!"
The huge guy opened an eye, and smiled. "Ah! Whitebeard! And commanders Marco and Thatch! It has been some time. Ah. It seems there's a new face among you, too." He sat down and bowed a bit. "What might your name be, young one?"
But I was slightly distracted by him. He was bigger than Thatch, and quite a bit wider. He had a luge tusk on either side of his mouth. And were those gills on his neck?
"Umm, what are you?" I asked. "A fishman? Can you breathe underwater?"
The guy chuckled, not offended by my questions. "Yes, I am, and yes, I can. My name is Jimbei."
"That is so cool!" I said. " I'm Zia. I've only met one fishman in my life. And you're a lot different from Namur."
Jimbei smiled. "You'll find that fishmen are very, very different one from the other. Not like humans, who have a similar structure."
"Wow." I said.
"Jimbei." Pops said. "Zia has been a member of my family for a while now, and I would like her to face a new challenge, if you're willing."
I turned to Pops. "You mean you want me to fight a fishman?!" I said, trying, and failing miserably, to contain my excitement.
Pops nodded. "It's been a while since you were in a fight. I can't truly gauge your skills when you spar Marco or Thatch, because I know they'll go easy on you, or be too hard on you. So, I want you to battle a complete stranger, and see how you fare."
"Pops." I said. "I'm not fighting a complete stranger. We know each others names, right?"
I thought they smiled at that.
"Hey, Jimbei!" Thatch called. "You're not offended that Pops asked a warlord of the sea like you to fight a kid, are you?"
I whipped around to face Jimbei again. "You're a warlord!?" I said. I smirked. "This'll be so awesome!"
Jimbei sighed. "I have no problem with it." he stated plainly.
We found a nice, open area where the fight could begin. I stood on one end of the field, Jimbei stood on the other. Pops, Marco and Thatch stood on the sidelines, talking quietly amongst themselves.
"Hey!" I called to Jimbei. "I've got to show Pops what I can do, so don't go easy on me, okay?" I leaned back slightly and cracked my knuckles, just for effect.
Jimbei nodded. "It would dishonour me if I did." he said. "Come at me with everything you have."
I charged. Focussing on my right leg, I leapt into the air. I pulled into a ball and did a rapid spin, gaining momentum. I felt a cool feeling pass through my leg. Perfect. Colour of arms haki was working so far. I pulled out of the spin at the last second and, using the momentum gained from my spin, drove my heel down in an axe kick.
I felt the smack of the impact of my leg with Jimbei's block. A wave of air passed outward, tousling my hair.
"My," Jimbei said. "Haki at your age? Very impressive, young one."
"I'm just getting started." I grinned.


One, two, three, four, five hours passed, and Jimbei and Zia were still fighting like crazy. Neither of them really gaining the upper hand, they switched from offence to defence almost too fast for the untrained eye to see.
Zia ducked under one of Jimbei's punches, but was suddenly hit by a wave of energy, and she flew backward. For a moment, it looked like Jimbei had won. Then, Zia curled into a ball again, stretching out just at the right time, so her feet were pointing in the direction she was going. She slammed into an old shipwreck, and the wooden beams of the hull splintered and snapped. Whitebeard watched in silence. Unlike his two sons, who were gasping, or shouting something at every chance they could get. He watched the cloud of dust and rubble that had formed around his daughter intently. If she had made even the slightest miscalculation, the fight would be over.
Finally, the cloud started to clear. The crunching of footsteps was heard before anything was shown, though. Zia stepped out of the wreckage, wiping a bit of blood from the side of her lip. The skin on her shins and feet was turning from a shiny black, back to normal.
'So,' Whitebeard thought. 'She caught herself with haki. Good.'
Zia stood a few feet away from Jimbei, and smirked. "Not bad." She cracked her neck from side to side. "Can't say I wouldn't have been scrambled if I hadn't caught myself."
Without realizing it, Whitebeard sighed. This girl really was like Troy. Kind, and a courteous adversary, but powerful too. And, an untamable monster. He sighed.
'Hey, Newgate. If you meet one of us one day, will you keep an eye on them? That kid will be in for the ride of their life. They need someone to look after them.'
'Well, Troy,' he thought. 'I hope you can see her now.'
Zia took a careful step forward, then quickly sidestepped, and lunged forward with her left hand out to block, and her right hand pulled back, ready to punch. Her entire right arm was completely black. She was going for the finishing blow.
Jimbei looked like he was doing pretty much the same thing. He lunged forward, and punched.
Their fists clashed together another wave of energy made the air ripple around them.
Zia staggered backward, clutching her arm. "Damn." She muttered. "This is getting nowhere." She gritted her teeth. "Oh! That's it!" She dashed forward, and said, "Geppo." She kicked off the ground and started kicking against the air, propelling herself even further.
"Marco," Whitebeard said, raising an eyebrow at his son. "What have you been teaching her besides haki?"
Marco put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. She can use Geppo, but that's it, and only for a little while."
Whitebeard nodded slowly. "And she already knows how to use it to her advantage." He said as Zia delivered a hard airborn kick, which Jimbei blocked.
"She's a prodigy, I tell you, Pops." Thatch piped up. "She such a quick learner now." He smiled. "Who'dve thunk."
That would be enough. Whitebeard raised his hand.
They both stopped fighting at once.
"Thank you, Jimbei." he said.
Jimbei stood up straight and smoothed out his tunic. "It's a pleasure, Whitebeard. And, Zia was a good opponent." He bowed formally to the small girl.
She grinned hugely, then bowed too. "That was a fun fight~" She fell forward and crashed to the ground.
Marco quickly ran to her side and picked her up, making sure her head rested against his bicep. "Geez, he muttered." she went a little too far."
Whitebeard nodded slightly. "Jimbei!" he said. "We must be off now. Best of fortune to you until we meet again."


Marco and Thatch trailed behind Whitebeard, heading back to the port to meet up with the others.
Marco had to run extra carefully, because he was still carrying the unconscious Zia. Every now and then, she would let out a small puff of breath, and relax even further.
"Hey, Pops," Marco said, looking up at his father. "What was the point of that, anyway?"
Whitebeard didn't turn around to look at him, and didn't answer for a while. Finally, he spoke. "I was trying to justify a decision."
Marco looked at Thatch, who shrugged.
Who knew what went on inside their father's head?


Ugh, what was that shuffling noise?
I sat up and blinked. "Whaddaya know," I said. "I'm back in sickbay." I wasn't covered head to toe in bandages, so I thought that was a good sign.
Someone I didn't know stepped up to my bedside. "Ah." she said. "You're awake. And you're Zia, right?"
I nodded.
The lady was tall, and slender, with... well, Thatch would say 'nice curves'. Her long hair was tied back in a ponytail. She chuckled slightly. "Izo tells me you're a regular here. My name is Cynthia."
I grinned. "Nice to meet you!" I said. "You're one of the new nurses, right?"
Cynthia nodded. "I'm one of ten. I'm on duty in sickbay with Angela, Mariam, Flossy, and June for now. The other five are tending to Whitebeard.
I frowned. "Is Pops all right?"
Cynthia smiled. "I'm just kidding. The other five are helping your dear commanders install a women's bathroom and dorm."
I nodded. I could see the sense in that. I mean, with me, I had my own room, which was really no bigger than a broom closet, and I used the bath at a certain time of night when none of the guys could come in. Now, there was reason for that.
"Hey, Cynthia," I asked. "I don't have to stay here, do I?"
She shook her head. "You can go now, if you'd like."
I stepped out of bed and ran to the galley to talk to Thatch and Teech.


I was sitting in the galley, a huge cherry pie in front of me, talking and laughing with Teech and Thatch.
I told Teech the story of my fight with Jimbei, with Thatch piping up from time to time with comments like, "That was awesome!", or "Then she did a barrel roll!".
We stopped when Marco walked I through the door.
"Hey Marco." I said. "What's up?"
Marco walked up to the counter and said, "Zia, Pops wants to see you in his quarters, as quickly as possible."


"What!?" I said, completely astounded.
"Yup." Pops said. "What do you say, Zia?"
I just stood there, completely at a loss for words. "I... Ummm, well, I..."
Pops chuckled. "You don't have to decide right away, Zia. Give yourself some time to think it over." he leaned back and took a deep breath. "And before you ask, Zia, I am serious."
I swallowed, then I finally managed to choke out. "I'll think about it." Then, I turned, and stepped outside.
When I was safely out of doors again, I slumped against the wall and put my hand over my heart. "What should I do...?" I breathed.
I stepped into the galley and took my seat next to Teech. Since I had left, Haruta, Jozu, and Izo had come and sat down.
I could feel the concern coming from them floating around me like a haze.
Thatch put down the huge mug he was filling with grog. "Hey, Zia. What's gotten into you? You look a little pale."
I blinked. Then, I spoke. My voice sounded hollow. I could still barely believe what had happened. "Pops just offered me the position of second division commander."
All activity stopped. I could feel their gazes on me.
Then, Thatch's face split into a wide grin. "What!?" he said, laughing. "Why the hell do you look so down?! That's great news!" He clapped me on the shoulder so hard, I almost fell off my stool. "And? What did you say?"
"I said I would think about it." I said.
"What?" Haruta exclaimed. "Why do you even need to think about it? Not everyone gets asked to lead a whole division at your age!"
I turned towards Teech. "You've been in the second division for a lot longer tha I've even been alive." I said. .why didn't he offer you the post?"
Teech laughed. "That's not really my ambition in life, Zia." he said, taking a huge bite out of his cherry pie. "I think 'commander Zia' sounds really good, don't you, guys?"
There was a hearty sound of approval from everyone around me.
I blushed. "Guys, I-"
They didn't listen. Thatch, Haruta, and Jozu started telling the stories of how they became commanders, and no one seemed to be listening to what I really wanted to say anymore. So, carefully and quietly, I slid off my stool, and snuck out of the galley without anyone noticing me.


"So that's it." I said, sighing deeply. "I've talked to everyone I can find, but they always say the same thing. They say, 'Go for it! You'll be great!', or 'Why haven't you accepted the offer yet?'. "
I was sitting next to Sprint's grave marker at the stern. I didn't know who else to talk to at that point. Marco was still away somewhere, doing some kind of patrol duty with a small group from the first division. "How did you feel when you were offered the position, Sprint?" I asked. "What would you do if you were in my shoes?" I sighed and hung my head. "What am I saying?" I almost laughed. "You would tell me to stop beating around the bush and go for it. Just like everyone else I've spoken to today."
I stopped when someone walked up to me, and sat down to my right.
"Oh, hey Marco." I said, not looking at him. "How was patrol duty?"
Marco shrugged. "Kaido's ships are moving oddly, and a lot closer to our borders, but this isn't the first time that's happened." He tilted his head in my direction. "So, I hear Pops offered you a new position."
I sighed. "I guess you would know about that, wouldn't you?" I said. "Who told you?"
"Thatch." Marco said simply. "He was on cloud nine. He keeps saying how proud he is of you, Zia. I must say, I'm very proud of you as well. No one's ever been offered that position at your age."
I pulled my knees up to my chest and buried my face in my knees. "That's just it, Marco." I said. "Everyone keeps telling me I'm really good, and that I'm gonna be fine and all that. But Marco, I'm not so sure. I mean, how am I gonna lead over a hundred people? And will they all listen to me?"
One thing I love about Marco is, he's a really good listener. He just sat there quietly while I just let it all off my chest.
"You've got your feet on the ground, Zia." he finally said, when he got a word in edgewise. "Being a commander is far from easy. You're the leader, and your entire division's lives on your shoulders."
I sighed and my shoulders slumped. "See? You know, kind of."
Marco chuckled slightly. "I wasn't trying to discourage you." he said. "I still think you're capable enough. Pops wouldn't have asked you otherwise."
I lifted my head. "I'm only thirteen, Marco." I said. "Won't that kinda make the crew look bad, having a kid at the head of the second division?"
Marco put his hand on my shoulder. "Zia, whatever you decide, just know that you chose best. Pops would rather you refuse his offer than go into a job you don't feel ready for. That's what you're worried about, isn't it? Pops gave you the option, and you feel like you'd let him down if you refuse."
I nodded.
Marco gently whacked me over the head. "If you don't feel ready, just tell him. He'll understand."
I smiled wryly. "Thanks Marco."


"Gurararara!" Pops laughed. "So that's your answer?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Sorry, Pops, but I can't accept the post yet. I just don't think I'm old enough or experienced enough."
Pops bent down and stared me right in the face. "I'm perfectly fine with that! Good for you, saying that!"
I took a step back. "So, it's not going to be... A problem if I don't accept the job?"
Pops shook his head. "Nope. And if you ever feel ready, tell me. The post is still open to you."


"What!?" Thatch yelped. "You turned down the offer?!"
I nodded, and took a swig of water. "Yeah. I decided that I'll wait, and if there's no one else to take the position later, then I'll rise to it."
Thatch whacked his head on the counter. "Damn." he said. "You're just clueless..."
I smirked at him. "Ah, besides, being a commander would be too much work for a thirteen-year-old. And another thing, Thatch..." I said. If I could see him, I'd be glaring at him. "There's also the matter of the paperwork."
Thatch shot up. "You know about that?" he said, pouting.
I sighed in irritation. Thatch didn't know that Marco had told me about the paperwork. I had even offered to help Marco with his, once.
Jozu looked up from the newspaper he was reading. "Ah well." he said. "I guess your authorized practical joke will have to wait, Thatch."
I frowned. Authorized practical joke? "So that's why." I said.
Thatch rubbed the back of his head. "Ah well. Say, whatcha reading, Jozu?"
"Well, Firefist Ace has made another appearance."
I nearly choked on a piece of steak I was eating. I turned and faced Jozu, frowning. "Now what?" I said.
"He just destroyed half a marine fleet singlehandedly." Jozu said. "That's pretty impressive."
I frowned. 'Fire...' I thought in disgust.
"Well, Zia? What do you think?"
I whipped around to face my food again. "I honestly couldn't care less." I said, sticking a piece of baked potato in my mouth.

So, that's chapter seven. If you liked, drop a review!

Oh, right! I have to do a shout out!

Deneshka: Yes, hooray for haki!

Callmeeevee: Well, Zia will still be awkward, a bit... Oh, I so enjoy having her trip over things!

Fairy of the Friz: Ace will probably come in a few chapters. I'm not sure if I said this or not, but there's actually a mini arc before he shows up. But, there will be mention of him.

Coco-san: Thank you for the encouragement!

lizziecats : Wow! That's a long review! Thank you for making those suggestions. I think I might use some of them, but they'll be very twisted around. I totally know what you mean about things sounding a lot better in your head. I can't tell you how many times I've thought that.