Oh hey there! Totally didn't see you sitting there for 2 years waiting for an update! How ARE you? Good? Oh you're mad? Oopsie...I literally started writing a whole new chapter 9...then I realized that stupid me had written one two stinking years ago and just forgot to edit it…(sorry). Enjoy?
Note: I had trouble with the lines, so they are replaced with XXXXXXXXXX...sorry I suck!
Detective Martin rifled through the documents relating to the missing person's case; he had to find answers. The best way to do that was to go right to the source. He decided to question the one person who he was sure knew where his missing person was. He threw his jacket over his shoulder, grabbed his keys and made his way out of the station.
Rain tapped on his windshield as he drove his squad car onto main street. Parking in front of the antique store, right where they had found Erin's car before forensics towed it away to the lab for testing. The detective grabbed a notebook and stuck it in his jacket before exiting his car and beginning the ascent up the steep old stairs of the antique store.
A light jingle sounded as he entered, seeing the old woman sitting in a chair by the register.
The elderly woman looked up, and her unusually green eyes met his chocolate ones. Deep wrinkles littered her face; her hair seemed hastily put back and unusually disheveled for someone who had so much time on their hands. "Come in young man."
"Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"
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"You successfully retrieved a sample of the user's blood, correct?" The admiral could be heard over the denden mushi.
"Not only that sir, but I was also able to steal her device. This one is far more advanced than the other ones we saw from the previous user. It appears to be touch screen and is very difficult to comprehend." Agent Juliet responded as she walked over to a worker in the lab. "Please report what you have found on the blood analysis to the admiral."
The worker cleared his throat, he fumbled through the pages of data on his clipboard, ensuring accuracy. "Yes, well to start off, Admiral, her blood type is identical to the two previous subjects as well as Kurosawa Rei's. Additionally…" He flipped through the file once more, trying to find the information he was looking for. "It would appear that just like the other two users, she has antibodies we have never seen before, not even from isolated islanders in the Grand Line!"
"And what does that leave you to believe?" The admiral questioned over the den den mushi.
"I think that she isn't of this world, the same conclusion as the other two subjects."
"Hmm." The admiral could be heard scratching the hairs on his chin. "Why didn't you grab her when you had the chance, Agent Juliet?"
"There was a bit of an interruption… It wasn't entirely unexpected." Agent Juliet looked down the sword on her hip; it had been the first time she had to fight someone in quite some time. "I knew she had people with her; it won't interrupt my plan."
"I want her with us soon Agent. There's no telling what the Straw Hats may do if they find out about her ability...And if others find out, I imagine it will be a free for all. Pirates all around would kill to have the same abilities as the fierce Kurosawa Rei."
"Don't worry Admiral, as I said before, I have a plan...And it's already in effect." The woman smiled slyly. Running her fingers through her wavy soft grey hair. "She won't even know what hit her."
"Good. Any news on the device you found?"
The Agent walked over to the tech experts who had been trying to decipher the English text for the past four hours. "Report to the admiral" She demanded.
One of the experts looked up from his chair, him as well as the other men sitting around the object all looked equally perplexed. "W-well," The expert gulped nervously. "We can't seem to decipher the English code with the chart the monks gave us from Lazaretto…"
The Admiral all but growled in frustration. "Those damn monks probably don't even know what they are talking about. Can you tell me what the chart claims the translations are?"
The expert slid his finger along the phone, flipping through the different boxes while he occasionally gazed at the code written by the monks. "Well, it seems as though the boxes open programs. One has an envelope, which I assumed meant messages, but the title underneath translates to 'Donkey'. Though when I open it, it does appear that there are various text correspondences in here."
"What do they say?" The admiral questioned, intrigued by the intel this device may hold.
"That's the thing sir, it makes no sense. This one is from 'Mom', and it reads as 'When the toothpick eats the yellow fork, we won't go back to school shopping."
"Those damn monks…" The Admiral's frustration increased tenfold. "Agent Juliet, I want you to focus on the user, but if you get a chance, bring it to Lazaretto… I will not let some damn monks make a mockery of the Marines."
The expert continued to fuss around with the device, accidentally pressing a random button with an exclamation point as the picture. Suddenly the device began to make ringing noises as if it was connecting to something. "What did I do?!"
"9-1-1 Wha- is your em-ergen-cy." It suddenly sounded in English, the audio quality was horrendous, and there was a constant static noise, but Agent Juliet could understand the language as clear as day.
"Yes, hello? Can you hear me?" She spoke in perfect English, leaning into the mysterious device.
"You have reached the- County Po...lice Department. May I as...k what your emerge-ncy is."
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Detective Martin sighed as he returned to his squad car, nothing added up, and the answers she gave led him to no probable cause to search her shop or home. Martin pinched his brow as he turned the key, bringing the car to life.
Suddenly a radio transmission came in.
"All available units, please report to 357 East Main Street, there has been a 9-1-1 call from a 10-57. Once again all available units, please report to 357 East Main Street, our female missing person has just placed a 9-1-1 call pinged to that location."
Martin's pulse quickened as he looked to the store he had just walked out of; 357 was hanging on the door. He snatched the radio and immediately responded. "Agent Martin here, I am on the scene."
"Martin, wait for backup to arrive, do not go in alone." The dispatch responded.
"I am going in now! She is in trouble!" Martin slammed down the radio and drew his pistol, running back into the store.
" KUROSAWA REI! COME OUT HERE WITH YOUR HANDS UP!" He yelled, upon seeing her chair empty.
Silence.
He crept down the hall, gun drawn, expecting to see the missing young girl cowering in fear somewhere. He made his way into a closet full of intricate Kimono, and began to look behind them, hoping to find the old woman hiding there.
SLAM!
Martin quickly turned to see that the door had been shut. "SHIT!" He cursed as he ran to the door. Before making it there the knob clicked, indicating that it was locked from the outside. "OPEN THE DOOR !"
The elderly woman giggled mischievously. "You want to find her don't you?"
"What?"
"The girl…" Rei stated as she heard sirens from other squad cars coming down the main street. "If you want to find the girl, you're one step closer to finding her if you're in there."
"WHERE IS SHE?!" He began to look behind all the kimono, hoping to find the teen hiding behind them.
"Silly boy, I said one STEP closer. To truly find her, you need to take the final leap."
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"Helping you."
Suddenly the floor slid away, and Detective Martin fell into the clouds.
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"AHAHAAHAHAA~~" A man with dark hair let out a roar of a laugh as he slammed his fist down on the bar next to her. "I KNEW I COULD OUTDRINK YOU REI!"
The Erin stared at him quizzically Rei? "Shut up you asshat!" She suddenly screamed, slamming her hand down at the bar in frustration and balling her other fist. What the hell is happening? I didn't say that…
"Face it, you're a total lightweight." The raven-haired man smirked as he grabbed another pint of grog from the bar.
"It's like you want me to put my foot up your ass…" Why am I saying this? Who is this man?!
"Alright, alright, I'll admit you ARE drinking the harder stuff." He smirked as he pointed to her bottle of more concentrated booze.
Her face felt very warm, and she felt herself sway slightly.
"Rei, I am cutting you off." A feminine motherly voice came from her opposite side and she turned to see a woman close to her age, reaching for the bottle.
She had beautiful brown eyes, long wavy blonde hair, and a beauty mark in the shape of a heart on her cheek that crinkled as she smiled.
"Serinna, how am I going to win if you take away my drink!?" This must be a weird out of body dream or some shit Erin thought to herself as she continued to talk out loud without controlling it.
"How are you going to compete with him if you pass out from too much...hmm?" The blonde asked, smiling at her again.
"I'll figure that out when it happens" She grumbled as she tried to reach for the bottle in Serinna's hand. Nooooo, no more alcohol, I feel sick already!
Suddenly the dark haired man spun her on the bar stool to face him. "Meat! Wake up!" He began to shake her. Her ribs screamed in pain, but she was so confused by his words that she ignored the ache.
What? Erin looked puzzled as he continuously shook her.
"Erin-san! Meat!"
Erin opened her eyes and realized Luffy was in front of her, shaking her shoulders.
"Erin-san! Sanji made us food! Come eat!" She blinked at Luffy for a few seconds, before a sudden realization came to her… She knew exactly what he was saying!
"Luffy!" Chopper ran over waving his hooves. "Don't shake her! She may still be sore!" I understand him too!
"Guys…" Erin broke her silence, immediately directing their attention. "Do you understand me?"
Choppers eyes widened as he nodded slowly.
"SO COOL!" Luffy raised his hands up in the air.
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Detective Martain woke up shivering. His tie, jacket, and shoes lay on a chair aside a stone fireplace, his hands slid down to feel the soft fabric of a cot underneath him, and felt the warm heaviness of the wool blanket draped around him.
His hair, pants, and shirt were damp, probably the reason for his shivering.
Erin! He suddenly remembered what he had just been doing. This doesn't look like a hospital… Does she have me locked in her basement?
He slowly sat up; his back ached in protest as he stood. "It feels like I was hit by a bus…" He stretched his arms and walked towards the fire to warm himself up before going to investigate this mysterious place he had woken up in.
Suddenly he heard the door open, and a man in brown robes entered with a tray. Upon realizing that the mystery man that fell from the sky was up, he immediately turned heel and ran down the hall.
"WAIT!"...Martain called after the man, but he was long gone. "Where the HELL am I?"
Martin grabbed his jacket and began putting his shoes back on, ignoring the fact that they were only partially dry.
Not soon after the man with the tray returned with another older man in black robes "Beddo ni modotte shutoku shite kudasai!"
"W-what?" Martin looked quizzically at the black-robed man. "Is that Japanese? Why are you speaking Japanese?"
Both robed men suddenly opened their eyes wide in alarm and slight suspicion. "How do you know this old and ancient language?" The older man asked in an odd accent he had never heard before.
"Old and ancient?" Martain was confused, this man was just speaking Japanese to him, and assuming he knew it… This isn't Japan...this is the United States.
"M-master Goodwin, do you think that he...is he from the other lands?" The younger man spoke, almost seeming afraid yet intrigued.
"Ah…" The older man paused, rubbing his chin. "He seems to have the same accent and fluency."
The detective simply stared at the men, not knowing what the hell to make of his situation.
The older mans face suddenly softened and his lips curved into a smile. "Here." His old hands grasped the tray of food the younger robed man was holding as he gently pulled it out of the younger mans hands and approached the mysterious man. "Have some rice porridge and some hot tea, and we will talk."
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"I am in LOVEEE~ My beautiful Erin-swan can finally understand my words of passion! This is a dream come true!"
Erin sat at the kitchen table, quietly eating the clam chowder Sanji had prepared for lunch. She ripped a piece of bread from the baguette on the table and all but drowned it in her soup.
"Erin-san, you are fairly quiet." Robin looked up from her teacup and smiled.
The teen looked up from her carbalicious lunch, eyes skimming the table at the Straw Hats, all of their attention was focused on her, aside from their fearless captain who began to steal their helpings while they were distracted.
"I...uh, guess it's just a lot to take in...I don't understand what is going on here." She pushed a piece of potato around the bowl, looking down and avoiding eye contact. What the hell was that dream I had…
Clank!
She looked up to see Zoro drop his spoon into the empty soup bowl and scoot back in his chair. "I'm going to go work out…" Erin unconsciously stared at him, catching her gaze from the corner of his eye he immediately turned to her and gave her a slight glare. "I don't know how the hell you suddenly understand our language, but I don't trust you." He left, slamming the door behind him.
Erin bit her lip. What a meanie butt.
The rest of the crew sat there, entirely unsure of what to say, save for Sanji of course.
"YOU COME BACK HERE YOU DAMN THREE SWORDED DIPSHIT AND APOLOGIZE!" He shook his fist at the door, biting down on his cigarette.
"Sanji don't worry about it." The teen waved her palm and placed her soup bowl in the sink. "I think I need some fresh air."
"When will we reach the mainland?" Robin questioned as she turned to the navigator who was looking over a map of Lazaretto.
"We should reach it by nightfall, before lunch I could see just the outline of the island over the horizon, so we should be getting close."
Erin walked out on the deck and let their conversation fade behind the door of the kitchen. She fidgeted with her necklace, trying to find out the meaning behind her dream, behind this weird necklace that, according to some glowed and even burned them.
She glanced toward the direction of the island as it came into view. Would this place have answers?
"If she can understand us, why even go anymore lil' sis?"
"Well, Robin do you want to tell them? You understand it more than I do…" The navigator pointed to the darker haired woman at the table.
"I am glad you asked Franky-san." She closed her English book and looked to the mechanic. "We are going now in hopes of finding how she came to be with us… you see, English isn't normally someones first language...or their second or third in fact. The only place I know of that speaks it would be the monks of Lazaretto."
"Does that mean she came from there Robin?" Luffy asked before sneakily grabbing Sanji's other pot of chowder and gulping it down while he washed the crew's soup bowls.
"That I am not sure of, it is entirely possible that she did and has some sort of memory loss...but she seemed to know EXACTLY who we were, and it doesn't explain the advanced device that was stolen from her or the fact that she fell from the sky." Robin relished this feeling of adventure.
They were fairly close to the island now, though it was a windy day and her hair flew in front of her eyes most of the time, she was able to make out the port they were headed for. There was a collection of rocks jutting out of the water next to the Sunny. She walked to the end of the ship for a closer look. Ontop of the rocks sat a small pole with an old tattered jolly roger. It looked like a child had made it, out of old pants and a shirt no less. The flag was so weathered and old that you could barely tell it was a jolly roger at all.
Erin giggled to herself. "That's cute."
Suddenly she heard child's laughter and turned around to see a little boy with dark hair peaking out from the mast of the Sunny.
"Oi little kid, how the hell did you get here?!" She walked towards him "Your mother must be worried sick about you!"
He gave a mischevious grin and scampered off towards the ladder of the weight room.
"WAIT LITTLE CHILDREN SHOULDN'T BE CLIMBING THAT!" She chased after the boy as he climbed the ladder, at damn near monkey speed.
"Hehe, I know you're afraid of heights! C'mon SCARDEY CAT!"
"I am NOT...I mean…" Damn kid… She began her ascent, quickly yet cautiously, and avoided looking down. The last thing I need is to see a kid get sent out of one of those windows after being smacked by a dumbass with a dumbbell. "GET BACK HERE!"
She heard the boy giggle as he finished climbing and ran towards the weight room.
"THAT'S NOT S-SAFE!" Eap! She accidentally looked down. That fall would leave a mark...and by mark I mean I'd break my spine…
She finally reached the top of the ladder and took a second to huff and puff. "Man… I should work out more." After a few seconds of her resting her hands on her knees she remembered why she just climbed up. "Get back here kid!"
She burst through the door of the exercise room, furrowed brow and red in the face, ready to give this kid a piece of her mind.
Zoro stopped mid situp and shot her a glare "What the hell is that expression for?"
"Didn't you just see a dark-haired kid run in here?!"
"I thought Luffy was downstairs eating lunch…"
"No not HIM like someone MORE child...ish."
Zoro shot her a look of confusion
She thought back to the time he stuck chopstick in his nose and insisted on walking around the Sunny like that all day. "Okay...I see your point, I mean someone smaller… You mean you didn't just see a little boy run in here? He was pretty obnoxious to me…"
"Yeah I imagine you would know what obnoxious is if you're like it all the time."
"HEY!"
Zoro smirked, feeling a small victory for pissing her off. "In all seriousness I have no clue what you're talking about, now let me finish my exercise."
He continued doing pushups...shirtless...It wasn't exactly a sight she disliked.
She contemplated staying a while to see those abdominals in action, and also in hopes that exercise would suddenly work by proxy and as long as she was near him, it would be like she is also doing pinky pushups and situps without even the least bit of stress.
But she knew he would shoot one of those evil swordsman glares and intimidate and scare the shit out of her, so she turned to leave.
Until she heard the giggling of a child once more.
"What the hell?!" She looked around; it sounded like it was echoing on the dome ceiling.
Zoro paused again. "What's your problem?"
"You didn't just hear that?"
"You know what I hear? My peace being disturbed."
"You didn't hear the laughing?"
He just gave her a confused stare then proceded with his abdominal workout.
"Well, I am creeped out…" She plopped on a fitness mat, Zoro ignored her presence. So long as he protects me from the demon child lurking around that he can't see or hear...
The teen sat there for a while, humming quietly to herself and picking at her fingernails.
Zoro did not appreciate her presence and wished she would just scram. He didn't appreciate being alone with the one person he did not trust. He set his weights back on their holders and stared at the girl, who had suddenly fallen silent. "Oi…...OI….." He waved his hand in front of Erin's blank face. But she wasn't there, she was somewhere else.
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Erin was running through a huge field, giggling, her pink dress had turned dark with dirt, but she had no care in the world, she did not care to sit in her room and practice piano, she wanted to climb trees! Why the hell am I here? Why am I so close to the ground?!
"C'mon, let's go!" The same little boy she had seen before was running in front of her, urging her along. He jumped onto the base of a large tree and climbed to the first branch.
It's that little boy again! Why I outta! I'll beat his ass for calling me a scardey cat! "B-but, that's so much higher than the other ones!" Erin looked up to see a huge tree towering above her.
"It'll be okay; I am here…" The young boy then shot her a sly grin "scardey cat!"
Oh hell no bitch, bring it. "I-I am not!" Erin bunched her skirt in her hands in anger.
"Race you!" The dark haired boy called as he started quickly scaling the tree.
"I'm gonna win!" She called back as she kicked off her shoes and began to climb the tree.
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Zoro watched the dazed girl stand up and suddenly kick off her shoes. "I'm gonna win!"
"What? Win? Hello?" Zoro stared, dumbfounded at the crazy bitch as she made her way back to the ladder. "Snap out of it!"
Her eyes remained glassed over as she opened the door and made her initial step on the ladder.
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"It's so high up! This is…. scary Roger!" Roger? Who the hell names some scrawny asshole Roger? That's such a wholesome name!
He looked down at her and smiled at her. "It's okay! I am right here!"
"Woah!" She yelped as she lost her footing on a branch and began to sway, scrambling to wrap her arms around the nearest part of the trunk.
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Zoro watched as Erin began to climb down the ladder, losing her footing at one point at clinging onto the rail as hard as she could. "WOAH!"
"Oi! What the hell is this crazy woman doing! Robin! Anyone?! I don't want to have to be her babysitter!"
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"See, Rei-chan! You've got this!"
Rei-chan? I am ERIN, who the FUCK is REI?! Why the fuck she always killing my vibe?! "Mhm!" She gave the boy a small smile.
Suddenly a massive gust of wind blew and shook the tree. "AHH!" She screamed as she lost her balance again, she was not as prepared and began to plummet down towards the lower branches and ground.
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A huge gust of wind rocked the Sunny, Erin began to sway slightly. "Ahh!" Zoro watched her scream as she began to fall back towards the dock beneath her.
"SHIT!" He dove down and caught her leg, hanging onto the ladder with his feet.
When she looked up, she saw the bright smile of the little boy (now she knew to be Roger), he was holding onto her ankle and holding onto the branch above him with his feet. "I told you, I am with you, you are safe with me."
Erin felt a blush rise to her cheeks, but also tears began to form in her eyes. This feeling of loss had hit her once again.
"HE IS GONEEEEEEEE!" Erin sobbed as she sat on the dock of the Sunny.
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"Oi! Who is gone!? Stop your crying before that pervert comes out here and bothers me even more than you are!"
Her eyes snapped open, and she suddenly saw Zoro standing here looking slightly annoyed.
"Is something wrong?!" Usopp had emerged from the lower deck, ready to run away if there was actually a problem. "Because if something is wrong I can be the one to lock myself downstairs and make sure all the rations stay safe!"
"I don't know what just happened…I….uh...must be on my period or something….excuse me!" She got up and ran down to the woman's quarters and slammed the door behind her. I need to sort this shit out before they take me to the looney bin!
Robin came down from the lower deck towards the perplexed Zoro. "Swordsman-san…"
The green-haired beast sent a mild glare to the historian who insisted on babying that crazy girl. "Ah?"
"Please...tell me everything that happened…"
"Why? Do you think she is crazy too?" Zoro was happy to hear someone else agreed with him finally.
"No, I think she is reliving someone else's past...and I have a theory why."
The swordsman glared towards the door towards the lower decks Erin had pushed past Usopp to get to. "That would explain...some things…"
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James ran his fingers through his hair as sweat dripped down his forehead. He had just reached the top of the cliff where the neglected docs of Lazaretto sat, and the mythical island began.
He smiled at the sight before him. Beautiful stone temples separated by luscious meadows stretched across the land in the distance. "Erin will come here...I know she will."
He had stored his small boat on land to prevent the rocky shore from ripping it to bits. Afterall, he would need it in peak condition, notably if he wanted to have a companion to sail off with.
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Well, as always, please don't forget to review and all that fun stuff! I have been in grad school getting my ass beat, now I am on my clinicals, I don't have a LOT of time...but I have a *bit* more time than before!
Sorry for the poor quality in this chapter, I am REALLY tired, but I wanted to get this up before I procrastinated even more!
