A/N: Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Well, now that Rose Island is complete, it's time to get back to introducing characters! I realize that I haven't updates in about two days; that's a lot longer then usual, XP. But I'm going to try to update a few chapters this weekend. I'm letting you know that starting Monday, updates will be scarce, because of school, and the play, and whatnot, but I promise I'll try to update as much as I can!
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece in any way, shape or form.
Pirates!
We're Where?!
Travel in the South Blue?
"We've been drifting for days…" Chris muttered as she gazed at the East Blue map before her. She was leaning against the railing on the upper deck of the ship, occasionally looking up at the island in the distance. That didn't make sense… there were no islands to the south of their last location and they were definitely going south. "I don't even know where we are anymore…"
"Well that'll happen when you pass out from blood loss," Zugai pointed out. Chris heaved a sigh. Unfortunately for her, the shotgun had done more damage then she'd originally thought, and upon reaching the ship, she'd collapsed and was completely out for three days. Now, a week after that incident, the wound was close to healing, though she still wore a bandage around it.
Gonzo jumped out of the water suddenly carrying a large fish with elephant-like features in his arms. It flailed in an attempt to escape as he dropped it on deck. "Check out what I found!" he exclaimed.
Chris stared at the fish. She'd never seen anything like it before in her life. "What is it?" she asked.
Gonzo picked the fish back up by the tail. "This little baby just told us exactly where we were. It's a Blue-finned Elephant Tuna! A miracle ingredient for cooking and it's only found in one place in the entire world!"
Really?! So he knew where we were! That was incredible! "Where are we then, Gonzo?" she asked enthusiastically.
"The South Blue!" Gonzo declared. Chris deflated instantly. The South Blue? What?! She looked at her map, then back at the approaching island.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me…" she muttered. She released her map and it drifted down to the lower deck. This was bad. She didn't know ANYTHING about the South Blue!
"You said that was a miracle ingredient, right?" Zugai suddenly asked enthusiastically. He was walking down the small staircase to the lower deck toward Gonzo. "Well, let's cook it up then!"
"No way! I wanna save this baby!" Gonzo said as he made his way toward the kitchen. "It's going into the aquarium!"
"Aw, come on, Gonzo!" Zugai complained. "You can catch more of them!"
"We're gonna land soon! Eat lunch on the island. We've got some money!" Gonzo answered as he and Zugai disappeared into the kitchen.
In the newly acquired silence, Chris gazed at the upcoming island. "South Blue, huh?" she asked herself. She jumped over the railing onto the lower deck and picked up the East Blue Map. She rolled it up and held it loosely in one hand. "Well, let's see what you've got to offer us, Island,"
(--)
The island they landed on seemed particularly peaceful; it was quiet, the docks had a small marketplace where fish and other goods were sold. The buildings were made from wood and, from what she could see from interactions with each other, the people were pretty decent. "You sure you want to stay here, Gonzo?" Chris asked the cook. Gonzo gave her a thumbs up.
"Yeah," he said. He tilted his thumb toward the ocean. "I want to see what else I can catch here. Maybe check out what sort of food they're selling here too. Do we have money to stock up, Chris?" As he finished the statement, a small pouch filled with rolled up bills was tossed to Gonzo.
"Way ahead of you," Chris said. "There's about 9,000 Beli in there. If you need more, you know where to get it, but try not to spend more then 20,000, ok?"
"Aye-aye, Captain," Gonzo answered. He pocketed the money and approached the railing of the ship. "See ya guys in a few hours then,"
"Hey, Gonzo, make sure you keep half an eye on the ship, ok? I'm leaving Honehakaisha here," Zugai added.
"Got it," Gonzo replied before diving into the water. Chris sighed lightly and started off the ship. Zugai followed.
"Hey, you think we can get something to eat? Gonzo refused to cook that Elephant Tuna," he asked Chris. The girl looked at him briefly and smiled.
"Yeah, absolutely!" she said. "Maybe we can find out where we are while we're at it,"
They walked passed the merchants near the docks while politely denying the many offers thrown in their direction. One small, empty booth, however, caught Chris' attention. There was a book of papers resting on the table, bounty posters, and pinned against the wall were the most recent. Chris stopped in her tracks and stared, wide-eyed at the wall. Three of the posters had faces she recognized, all to well.
"Chris, you ok?" Zugai asked. He waved a hand in front of his captain's face. "Hello? Earth to Chris?"
"Z-Zugai…" Chris said. Her tone was obviously shocked, but laced with excitement. She pointed at the empty booth. Zugai followed her gaze and his eyes widened in shock. The two looked at each other and at once, they darted toward the Bounty Posters.
Wanted, Dead or Alive.
Zugai ripped his poster from the wall and stared at the picture in shock. It was himself; he was standing on his ship, smiling, excited to finally be leaving Rose Island. Of course, it was only of his face. When had this picture been taken? He looked at the name and number beneath it. Zugai the Demon's Orthopedic. 24,000,000 Beli.
He tore the second off the wall. This one showed a Fishman scowling; after Westfall had insulted him the first time, Zugai knew. Beneath his picture was the slightly lower number of 21,000,000 Beli. The name read Cascade Gonzo.
Chris stared at the last poster in complete awe. Crescent Dagger Chris Hopkins. She held the dagger from which she was named in one hand, between her middle and ring fingers, about to strike. She looked angry; furious. Could this have been taken during her fight with Westfall. But when? Then, she saw the number. 30,000,000 Beli. Her jaw dropped.
"Woah!" Zugai muttered. He tore Chris' poster from the wall and stared at it. The three posters were held out before him, like a hand of cards. "I can't believe it! We've got bounties! And to think they were sent out so quickly!"
Chris started laughing. "Oh man, this is so awesome!" Chris exclaimed. "We're known!"
"Crescent Dagger… I like the sound of that," Zugai said. "I think we've finally got a name for our crew,"
"Crescent Dagger Pirates," Chris muttered. "I like it," she grinned broadly, suddenly extremely happy. Then, something else caught her attention. Tacked where her poster was, there was another poster of a different girl. She had long golden-brown hair and piercing blue eyes with a tinge of green around the pupils. The girl's eyes were toward the left of whatever camera had taken the picture, as if keeping a look out. She took the poster from the wall and looked at the name and bounty.
Lily Void the Vicious Mind. 990,000,000 Beli. Why would they give so much for this girl? It was the highest bounty she'd ever seen. Zugai looked at the poster over her shoulder and let out a low whistle.
"That's one hell of a price," he said. "For a girl that pretty. I wonder what she did to deserve that?"
Zugai looked at Chris sternly. "What are you planning, Chris?" he asked, folding the three bounty posters and pocketing them. He definitely had to show these to Gonzo. Chris paid him no attention. She stared at the girl's eyes and knew right away where she got the first part of that nickname of hers. "Chris?"
Lily's eyes were dull, lifeless. Like an endless void of blue. Chris frowned a bit. What had this girl gone through to give her those eyes? "Chrisanthia!"
Chris looked up from her trance and stared at Zugai, shocked. Did he really just call her that? Immediately, her eyes narrowed. "Didn't I tell you not to call me that?" she snapped.
Zugai smiled weakly. "Well, we're not on the ship, so I figured I'd be safe," he said lightly with a laugh. "Can't throw me over board, can you?" As he finished those words, a fist hit him hard atop the head. Of course, Chris had to jump to reach, but she still hit her mark. "Ow!"
"Next time, it'll be worse," Chris warned. She started walking away. Zugai rubbed his head and stared at her.
"Chris, you're not really mad are you?" he asked his captain. Chris waved him off with one hand and Zugai frowned. He jogged to catch up with her and put a hand on her shoulder. Chris drew her dagger and turned on Zugai, placing the blade level with his eye. The boy stopped, shocked, and stared at her.
She couldn't keep a straight face. She smiled and put away the blade. "Relax, I'm only joking,"
"You're a terrible actress," Zugai said, crossing his arms. Chris laughed a bit.
"You've never seen me act before," she looked down at the poster still clasped in her hand. "But on a more serious note, I want to find this girl," she lifted the poster of Lily long enough for him to see it.
"The name sounds dangerous," Zugai commented. "Any particular reason?" Chris looked back at the poster.
"Something about her," she decided. She folded the bounty poster and put it in her back pocket. "Well, let's go, I'm hungry," She said. She turned and was about to take a step, but was met with a girl that was a couple inches shorter then herself. She gasped and bumped into her.
"Oh, sorry!" Chris said as the girl fell backward. The girl had shorter, white-blond hair then Chris did; extending maybe passed her ears, and had bluish-purple eyes. She wore a sleeveless black shirt and white shorts, and over it all, a long grayish-black coat. Around his left wrist were three silver bracelets that caught Chris' eye in an instant. They could potentially sell for a lot of money. She extended a hand to help the girl. "Are you ok, miss?"
The girl looked at Chris and blinked. "I'm fine…" she said, taking her hand and accepting the help. Her voice sounded more masculine and Chris suddenly doubted her judgment. "But… I'm not a miss…"
Instantly, Chris turned red. "Oh, sorry about that," she said. "I didn't realize…"
"You thought I was a girl…" the boy said. Chris blinked.
"Eh… well yeah, you do look kind of feminine but… obviously, I was wrong. Sorry about that. I'm Chris,"
"I'm Jae," the boy said.
"Nice to meet you," Chris said. "Hey, by the way, can you tell me where we are? And where there's a good place to eat…" The boy suddenly brightened up.
"You're on an island called Alde Nare in the South Blue. And as for good food? Just come with me!" Jae said. He turned and walked back in the direction he came. Chris glanced at Zugai briefly, then, with a shrug, the two followed.
As they walked away, two heads poked out of the Bounty Poster booth. One was a girl, no older then nineteen, with long blond hair tied into a ponytail and intense green eyes. She had a soft face, and was considerably thin, wearing a loose black shirt, jeans, and a beanie upon her head. The other was a boy, the same age, that literally looked like a male version of the first. His blond hair was cut short and spiked up, and the same green eyes watched the two pirates and the boy named Jae leaving. The boy wore the same colored cothing as the girl, including the beanie. It was apparent at that moment that the two were twins.
In their hands, they each held a bounty poster; the girl holding Chris', the boy holding Zugai's.
"They're quite expensive, aren't they, Brother?" the girl asked, her eyes falling on the 30,000,000.
"Yes, quite, Sister," the boy continued. He looked at Zugai's bounty, then flipped to the poster he held behind it, Gonzo's. "And the fishman is pricey as well,"
"Well, we'll get the normal ones first," the girl said. "A fishman will be harder to capture. Both of us will need to combine our strength,"
"Quite right," the boy agreed with a brief nod. "Well, Sister, shall we begin the hunt?"
"Yes, Brother, let's," the girl stated. With that final statement said, the two rose from their hiding places, bounty posters in hand, and ran in the direction Chris and Zugai had gone.
A/N: Alright, I cut it off here because I plan to add another chapter; hopefully today, but I doubt it. So this little part is gonna have a back story as well. Hope you enjoyed reading and please, remember to review!
SNE121
