Demon With A Shotgun

by Lifespire

Girl falls into fictional world, meets favorite character, has fun adventures, and probably falls in love as well, we've heard it all before. So when Joker lands in the One Piece world only to acquaint herself with a ghost, the last thing she expects is to come out of it with a weird sword and the most useless crew in the Grand Line. What was with that creepy guy anyways?

10. Chapter 9-Eye of the Tiger

Demon With A Shotgun Chapter 9

Summary: This is just your typical girl falls into OP story, when the main protagonist (a polite idiot with the face of a ten year old) finds herself on an island in the New World after her world was destroyed, where she proceeded to learn that she was a shaman and get herself a swordsman and a navigator. The only problem with the whole arrangement was that her swordsman was an immaterial ghost and her navigator was an okama with no sense of direction. …Okay, maybe not so typical after all.

Pairings: None. Hell no. I don't write that stuff though I love reading it. :D

Warnings: A polite idiot, a glowing sword, an okama and a really creepy ghost. Okay and maybe some violence.

Disclaimer: If I owned One Piece, Sabo and Ace wouldn't have died…sniff sniff sob sob…is Sabo even dead now? It's really unclear!

"" speech

Italics Joker's thoughts

{} Parallel Story

Quotes: "I learned it from the pizza man." Castiel, Supernatural

"That won't last, he's gay and she's an alien." Ninth Doctor

Last Time: "Let's get to a crowded part of town, and don some new outfits." Kajio said in a soothing voice that calmed her fraying nerves. Joker nodded.

"Okay." Joker turned to look behind her. Spade was effortlessly floating along right behind her, Perona only a few steps behind. Was the slaughter enough to convince her of Spade and Kajio's strength? Slaughter…well, that is what it was. Those guys didn't even stand a chance… She shuddered a little and hoped that no one noticed.

"Okay." She repeated.

Chapter 9 : Eye of the Tiger

The city market was busy, and it was just as Kajio had remembered it. He cast a glance around, quickly scanning the place for enemies. Joker clung to his arm, the other shaman and ghost following tightly behind. The okama weaved through the crowds, making sure to keep a carefree smile on his face so as not to be overly suspicious. It was a very cheerful town, really, considering how many pirate attacks there had been in the past few years. It was busy, loud, and full of people. Kajio slipped a gun out from a pirate's holster, before turning to swiping a knife from a woman's pocket. After getting a safe distance away, Kajio paused, turning to Joker and tucking the gun in her pocket. Joker barely glanced down at the gun, accepting its presence easily and choosing to pay more attention to the nodachi on her shoulder, not that it was necessary, since Spade was keeping a close enough eye on it already. Grabbing a shirt there, a long coat here, and some random weapons and accessories from unnoticeable places, the okama quickly gathered the necessary supplies before disappearing into a back alley with the rest of his group.

Joker bit her lips nervously, noticing how Kajio was glancing around the whole time. I'm tired from running around so much, thank god we've stopped. Kajio smiled reassuringly at her again.

"Now, we only need to get back to the ship, take our stuff and switch ships, right? We don't have that much stuff yet anyways." Joker asked softly.

"Finally, you're using the right mindset." Spade muttered. Kajio nodded in approval.

"Good plan. Pity, I liked that ship." Kajio sighed, and Perona gave them the trio a strange look. We must seem so stupid…perhaps she will not join us at all. Kajio ducked behind a corner to change into the shirt and coat he had stolen, abandoning his robe behind a trash heap. Wordlessly, he handed Joker a jacket which she quickly donned, and the group took off again. I liked that boat a lot.

"Are we being followed?" Joker asked Spade. The swordsman shook his head. The group ran in silence for the rest of the trip, reaching the ship before long. Beugh, I'm really tired. Not that it's a good idea to complain right now. Kajio jumped onto the ship and hoisted Joker up. The two human members of the crew quickly moved about, gathering their supplies. There weren't many things to gather anyways. Within ten minutes, Kajio was kicking a man off a different caravel.

"So, it's time to make our daring escape." Spade declared, floating through the rooms.

"Hey, we got the ship of a smuggler. There are even weapons here," he stated cheerfully, his head coming through the galley door. Joker didn't even flinch this time. The old ship has a lot of evidence on it. The sails and flags are on that ship. Do they have DNA testing in this world?

"Hey Spade, do you guys have ways of telling who people are from hair and blood or fingerprints?" Joker asked. Oh great, I think things just got worse, right? Did they get worse? Or better? Spade frowned at her.

"Of course we do, in this world." Kajio said as the ship pulled away from the port.

"Joker, would you mind letting Spade possess you again, for just one second?" Kajio asked apologetically. What? Who are we killing this time? Spade stretched out a hand expectantly.

"The ship. The former ship. The one that has your hair and blood on it." Spade pointed out. Destroy it? But with what?

"We have bows and arrows in the room with the armory." Spade said impatiently. How did he know what I was thinking? Joker pushed the thoughts aside and took Spade's hand. There was a moment of stillness as the ghost took over, and suddenly Joker was prompted into action. Joker glanced over at the deck that was growing further and further away. Bows and arrows. How the hell do we even shoot that far?

Don't underestimate me. Let's light that thing up.

We're burning it?!

Of course. What were you expecting?

I just…I didn't expect it.

Come on, get moving.

Joker's body, under Spade's command, moved to attach explosives to the middle of the arrow, and then set fire to the paper she wrapped around the tip. Her arm pulled the arrow back with a monstrous strength, Spade's, she mentally acknowledged. There was a faint glow of pride from Spade, and they let go. It soared through the sky at a ridiculously fast speed, as the boat lurched and sped up too. Joker stumbled forward, but Spade's instincts had her grabbing onto the railing, preventing her from being pitched over. The arrow hit its target, and the force of it embedded the arrow deep into the mast. Nothing happened for half a second, and it was quiet on the waves that gently rocked the ship from side to side. Then all of a sudden, the mast exploded into a million pieces of light that left a brief fingerprint across the sky, like a smudge on a glass window. It's like fireworks… Joker thought offhandedly, watching as the ship was nearly thrown out of the water with the force of the explosion. The fire spread through the ship aggressively, the smoke began to billow towards the sky in a plume of darkness. It was becoming smaller and smaller as the crew moved away from the port, but Joker still saw how it began to spread onto the other ships. There was a strange beauty to it, something she couldn't quite understand, and she tried to ignore how her eyes became a little damp. There was suddenly a sinking feeling in her stomach, and Joker felt herself begin to tremble.

"What if it spreads to the city?" she asked in a small voice. Spade abruptly pulled his soul out from his vessel, making her flinch as he left. He floated next to her, watching the fire with a passive expression. The light of the fire lit up his face, and Joker suddenly felt scared of the man next to her. What if people die because of this? Innocent people?

"It won't spread that far. Even if it does, it would be manageable. After all, those people are used to pirates. This is the New World, after all." Spade said, trailing his finger along the railing without letting it sink through. Joker let out an incomprehensible noise. Damn it! I'm scared…I don't want to kill people, much less innocent people! Spade clapped a hand on her shoulder a bit harder than necessary, and left it there. Did I mess up? Was it because I went outside?

"We didn't mess up," Spade said. "We did alright. We'll be fine. They won't be able to stay on our trail anymore." Joker's arm twitched. He's being really nice, isn't he? Probably because it'll be really bad if I cry. It's too bad that this is just the beginning. I don't think it's over.

"It's not over," Joker muttered. "It's not over; it's never going to be over." She buried her head into the crook of her arm, knowing how terrified she sounded. Like a child.

Spade lifted the hand on her shoulder and awkwardly patted her on the head.

"Suck it up." He offered. "At least we can still survive. This ship isn't half bad." Joker continued to watch the fire burn as her first mate floated away, presumably to check up on Kajio. I did this.

"God, you guys are a mess!" Perona complained as she approached Joker. Joker gave her a helpless half-smile.

"Sorry," she apologized. Shit I messed up didn't I?

"There's no way I'd join your crew." Perona stated, before sighing at the badly concealed expression of disappointment on Joker's face.

"But I will teach you the skills you need, shaman to shaman. There's only a few of us as it is, no point in letting one of our own die because of ignorance." Perona said reluctantly. Joker's face lit up and her grin nearly split her face in half.

"Thank you! Oh my god, thank you so much! Your kindness is sincerely appreciated!" Joker squeaked. Perona sighed. "Go get me a drink." She ordered. Joker blinked.

"Huh? Oh yeah, of course!" Drink? Alcohol? There should be some on this ship…

Joker sighed and downed another cup. My life's going down the drain

"Some more?" she offered to Perona. The pink haired girl slurred something incoherently.

"Guess not then." She muttered to herself. It's really chilly outside…

"Kajio, would you mind helping Perona to a room?" Joker asked. Kajio smiled cheerfully.

"No problem~" he said, gently pulling Perona to her feet. Joker watched him go over the rim of her cup. The flash of light when the moonlight reflected off the metal edge of the door shattered into a million pieces in her drink, and Joker lifted her head in mild surprise. Kajio moved back towards her half a minute later, his image already reflected in the shine of the glass. His footsteps were steady and in a straight line. He can hold his liquor, that boy. Spade had left earlier, floating upwards, but Joker knew he wasn't far. After all, his sword was still here. She sat there in quiet contemplation as Kajio quietly sat down next to her and offered her another drink. She took it and muttered a quiet thank you, mind spinning on gears she'd never really used before.

"Hey Kajio, may I please ask a favor of you?" she asked slowly, swirling the alcohol in her cup.

"Sure, anything." Kajio downs another drink.

"Please teach me how to survive in the New World." She says, and Kajio nods.

"I was going to speak to you about that." He drinks a cup of water. Joker gives a short chuckle. What a wonderful navigator.

"And also about Spade." Kajio added on. Joker met his eyes and squirmed a little when she saw how serious he is.

"What about him?" she asked earnestly.

"Don't rely on him too much. He has no honor, that man." Kajio said.

"I believe that I have some experience with that. I mean, he did throw me out a window." Joker joked. Kajio shakes his head, obviously frustrated.

"You're too young. Spade needs you now, but when he's done, he might even kill you. Don't trust him." Kajio says. "I'm saying this because I'm a member of your crew. He's not a good first mate."

"I personally believe that a ship can't sail if there isn't trust in a crew." Joker said, sitting up straight. That sounded way better in my head. Maybe I drank too much. Ja. I drank too much. Kajio only stared at her intently but then he slowly nods.

"You're right. I trust you. I know you won't betray us." Kajio says, and gives her a smile. Not that you're capable of it, the glint in his eyes says. It's true though. Joker thought, and smiled back. You won't betray me either though. Kajio poured her a cup of water.

"I did warn you though." Kajio smiled and sips at his own glass.

"I will do my best to trust Spade as well. Perhaps I should tell him what you just said for you? It's late." He said calmly..

"I think he kind of knows. You should sleep early too." Joker said, and cringed at her tone. I sound like I'm ordering him…

"Of course. We can start training tomorrow. There actually isn't much to learn, since I'm not training you in combat skills, just survival skills." Kajio tells her. Joker smiles and boldly (in her opinion at least), patted him on the arm lightly.

"I'm going to bed first." She says, standing up. Kajio nods and smiles warmly.

"Goodnight. Sleep well." He offers.

"Thank you very much. Goodnight." Joker says, gives him a little bow and walks away. Kajio watched her go, eyes narrowing in thought.

"We'll make a pirate out of her yet." He muttered, and smirks, raising a glass towards the moon.

That night, she has her first dream in a long time.

It was a lazy afternoon, the dust floating in the golden sunlight. She sits at the table eating her watermelon, her grandma sitting across from her. She's saying crap about her hard life and trying to guilt trip Joker for having had a good life again, talking more about how Joker wastes her time and should spend every waking moment in study and how much she owes to her family. Joker can tell from the face her grandma's making. The iron gate creaks and slams closed, and excitement seeps out from her pores and poisons the air around her. She slips off her chair quietly and goes to open the door. Her Grandma's still talking, absorbed in her own world. As soon as she hears the steps on the porch, she opens the door, expecting to see her father but instead Spade is standing there, sword on his shoulder and not sinking in through the floor.

"Let's go." He says. Joker doesn't question it, just looks back at her Grandma and the dust in the sunlight and nods. The hand on the railing is solid and Joker doesn't need to touch it to know that it's warm. Spade walks through the driveway and Joker realizes that he's at least two heads taller than her. She brushes away her annoyance and curiously follows him as he goes down roads and cuts through driveways.

"Where are we going?" she asks.

"Back." He says, and Joker vaguely notices the scenery changing. The wind becomes colder and smells of ocean and freedom, and the road beneath her shoes becomes gritty with sand. The ship comes into view, the old one with the flags and Jolly Roger. Kajio is on the dock, waving at them and saying something that she couldn't quite hear. Behind her, she suddenly hears her mother calling her by her Chinese nickname, but when she turns she only sees fire. She runs to catch up to Spade and when she wakes up she doesn't know why she's crying.

Joker awakens and swung her legs off the bed impatiently. What time is it? She began to sorely miss her trusty watch. Her father had bought her watch for her the first time when she went to China, as a twelve year old. She had chosen a black and silver plastic watch, and her father sighed in exasperation at his child's strange tastes. She wasn't overly attached to the watch, but it was useful and she missed it. She opened the door to the galley and stepped through, but not before looking around for warships and cannons. Thank god, this morning may actually be normal. Oh no wait, I'm me, that's not possible. The sky was bright, but it was the New World after all. There was a tap on her shoulder and Joker spun to the side, nearly stumbling over in her own feet in an attempt to create distance. She came face to face with Spade, who stared at her with a deadpan expression. Holy shite, that was terrifying…

"Jumpy much?" Spade asked, smirking slightly.

"Did you do that just to scare me?" Joker asks, hand going to her head.

"It was funny!" Spade said in his defense, but stops grinning. The two stood in awkward silence for a long time.

"Uh, what's the New World like?" Joker asked. The silence is too awkward..

"A mess. Like you've already seen. Did the okama say how long before the next island?"

"No, he didn't. Perhaps we can ask him after he gets up."

"Huh. Where's the ghost girl?"

"I believe she's hung over. Do you know if this ship has any aspirin?"

"I don't think so."

"What about oranges?"

"Probably some in the kitchen."

"I'll make her a glass later." Joker chuckled at her own procrastination.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I believe I'm mocking my own procrastination."

"What's that?"

"Procrastination is the thief of time. Collar him. I forgot who said that." Joker frowned and scratched her chin. "I got that line in a collab with famous authors in a Google Docs Demo." Hahaha, it was so funny when you typed William Shakespeare!

"Whatever." Spade shook his head in exasperation.

"I've decided to ask Kajio for training." Joker told him. Spade raised an eyebrow.

"Can you also help me? I would like to know how to swing Tempesta." Joker smiled at him nervously. Hah. As if he would let me swing it without his permission.

"You have no muscle and no stamina. Can you even pull it out?" Spade asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't believe so." Joker smiles amiably.

"I'll let you work with Kajio until some muscle starts to show before I even start." Spade sighed. Joker's eyes widened and she gave a happy squeak. YEEEEAAAAAA!

"Thank you so much! Oh my god, thank you!" she said happily, but refrained from hugging Spade. The ghost raised an eyebrow and stepped away from her slightly.

"What do you plan to do with the ghost girl?" Spade asked.

"She said she would teach me, but that we have to go to a graveyard, so I guess we'll be traveling together till the next island." Joker said.

"And we still don't know how long it's gonna be before we get there."

"Unfortunately."

"Go wake up the navigator and ask him then."

"It's fine, it's fine, I'm up." A voice announced cheerfully.

"Good morning Kajio." Joker greets him happily. He's very likeable…unlike Spade.

"Good morning guys!" the brunette navigator combs his hand through his hair and it miraculously becomes perfect. Joker sighs in envy.

"How long till the next island?" Spade asked. The navigator sighed.

"About a week? Might be a little sooner than that though." Kajio grimaced.

"Perona should be getting up soon. Should I go cook something?" Kajio asked. Joker nodded.

"That would be great. Do you need any help?" Joker asked.

"No need, you can just wait here." Kajio smiled and walked back towards the kitchens. The only breakfast food I can make is scrambled eggs, to be truthful…

As Joker expected, Perona was grateful for the orange juice and the slightly greasy food, and went back to bed right after she finished.

"That girl can't hold her drink." Spade complained.

"What are you complaining for? It doesn't cause you any trouble." Kajio said mildly, helping Joker put away the last of the dishes. The brunette turned towards Joker.

"Do you want to start training?" he asked. Joker blinked.

"Yeah, that'd be great." She said slowly. Spade raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, I wanna watch this." He said, raising a hand. Kajio and Joker shrugged in unison.

"I don't really mind or anything…" Joker said.
"As long as you don't cause too big of a disturbance, I guess it's fine." Kajio stated. The brunette smirked and opened the door.

"Let's get started."

Joker stood facing Kajio on the deck, a gun in her hand and a dagger in the other. It was only as long as her forearm and very light, but Joker had a feeling that it'd killed more than just a few people before.

"Since you've been a noncombatant all your life, we need to play to your strengths. You're small, skinny, and you don't have much muscle." Kajio noted.

"That's true." Spade laughed. Joker sighed. It's true…

"Which is why I'm going to teach you melee combat. All you need are these two weapons. They'll keep you alive. I'm going to teach you how to hide and retrieve these weapons quickly, and also how to kill your opponents." Kajio said.

"I can use my face." Joker pointed out. "I look very young, and that can be confusing." Kajio nodded approvingly.

"That too. You can use whatever measure necessary to get close enough and distract your opponent enough to stab or shoot them. If you're close enough, always aim for the head. If you're too far away, aim for the chest. I'm going to teach you how to shoot as well, and how to hold a blade. You're holding it w-oh no wait, it's correct. So you do know how to hold a knife…" Kajio said, actually sounding surprised.

"I learned from watching my grandfather cut watermelons." Joker said in an embarrassed tone. Spade burst out laughing.

"Still, we have a long way to go." Kajio gave her a considering look.

"Joker, do you know what a cover means?"

TWO DAYS LATER

"Hah!" Joker shouted, swinging her staff around her and spinning it gracefully through the air towards Kajio, who shifted backwards to avoid the blow. The young girl swung the butt of the staff at her navigator, who moved to grab it, and suddenly let the staff drop to the ground, pulling out a dagger from her clothes and stabbing at Kajio. He grabbed her arm before she could get close enough and plucked it from her fingers. Ah…that was terrible.

"That was terrible." Spade said, sighing. Kajio shrugged.

"It wasn't bad for a beginner." he said. Joker stared at the blade silently, turning it over and over in her hands. The gun hidden in her clothes was mostly useless to her, since her aim was terrible. Even if she fired several times, she would still barely hit the target. If she wasn't at point blank range, it was useless.

"Again!" Kajio ordered, and Joker picked up her staff again.

"Geez, you guys are so barbaric! How can you expect her to improve when you're just making her attack you over and over?" Perona complained, pulling Joker backwards and taking out a hairpin. What do I need a hairpin for? Perona pulled Joker's hair back roughly and secured it with the hairpin.

"See, you need to improve your aim the most. Whether for throwing blades or shooting, aim is important! A little brat like you can trick people close enough but how many times do you think that's going to work?" Perona let out an exasperated sigh. Wow I suck

"I'm taking over from here! Move back, idiot!" the pink haired shaman snapped, shoving Kajio aside.

"You're holding it wrong!"

"No, your dominant hand is higher on the grip!"

"Relax your shoulder! Left shoulder, you idiot!"

"Extend your arms straight!"

"Press with pressure, don't jerk back!"

"Yeah! That's better! Again!"

"You idiot!"

"Don't drop it!"

"You call that a quick draw? My grandma's faster than you, god bless her soul!"

"Shoot it with one arm now!"
"Okay, that was pathetic."

"Stop dropping your goddamn gun!"

"Do you not understand which side is left?!"

"Wow, Perona sure is harsh…" Kajio muttered, watching Perona swat at the younger girl. Spade burst into laughter.

"It sure looks weird, that little brat actually holding a gun." Spade said thoughtfully.

"She really can't fight at all though, so this is probably the only option. But…" Kajio trailed off.

"Nah, that's okay, don't continue." Spade said, waving at the navigator dismissively.

"She can hide her intent to kill pretty well, from what I've seen. She really could just walk up to someone smiling and stab them in the throat, if she could actually stab them." Kajio noted.

"I just told you not to continue. Do you really think she can fire on a person of her own will?" Spade raised an eyebrow. The two watched the young girl stammer out apologies as she fired at the target, trying to do a quick draw.

"Perona's even more unreasonable than you. How is an amateur supposed to do a quick draw?" Spade grumbled.

"True…" Kajio said, watching as Joker hit the edge of the target.

"At least she's hitting the target." He added.

"She only hit it three times just now!"

"Well, she only fired three times so far. Even though she only hit the edge and the second one nearly missed…" Kajio sighed, sliding down a little.

"Do you reckon her aim's going to improve anytime soon?" Spade asked.

"Definitely not. But I have no doubt she's going to have to kill someone of her own accord sometime soon." Kajio said, taking a sip from his bottle of water.

Joker took a deep breath, watching the target in front of her. Gripping the gun, she extended her arms out straight and fired, trying not to flinch at the loud noise. The bullet hit the outermost ring of the target. At least I hit it. Without hesitation, she fired again, taking note of her left shoulder and the position of her hands. This time the bullet missed completely.

"Your aim sucks!" Perona shouted in frustration next to her. Ignoring her, Joker aimed again.

"Joker!" Spade called suddenly. Joker flinched and blinked, pulling the trigger.

"Oh my god!" she screamed, dropping the gun.

"Whoa! Just telling you that lunch is rea-holy-"

"Oh my god!" Perona screamed, staring at the target. Joker and Kajio both turned to look at the target.

"Oh my god!" Kajio shouted, running forward to hug Joker.

"I hit the center of the target! Oh my god, that was an accident!" Joker said, voice slightly muffled by Kajio's shirt.

"Oh my god…GET BACK TO PRACTICE!" Perona shouted, shoving Kajio to the side and tossing the gun back to Joker.

"Ah, okay…" Joker muttered, aiming again.

"That was terrible! Again!"

A/N: I am so sorry for not updating for forever. This chapter was mostly just a transition chapter, but in the next chapter, a new arc truly begins, with a sudden ambush at night by a guy immune to bullets. He can shoot fire from his fingers and seemingly walk on air. What's going to happen to Joker? Please read the next chapter to find out!