I make no money off of this work of fiction. One Piece is the work of Oda Eiichiro and Naruto is the work of Masashi Kishimoto.
Ninja Pirates
Chapter Eleven: Friendly Diversions
It wasn't long after all of the distractions that Reecheru approached Robin. "Robin, do you happen to have an extra pair of sunglasses I can borrow?" she asked.
"Well I suppose that it is bright out here," Robin agreed. She led Rae to the women's quarters and opened a drawer she kept her accessories in. A pair of sunglasses that were slightly darker than the orange ones she wore were handed over to Rae.
Without waiting to go outside, Rae immediately put the glasses on her face. "Thank you very much," she said. Robin smiled and nodded as the two of them went back out onto the deck. "It's a shame that they hide your eyes," she mentioned. "I've never seen eyes like yours. They're unique and fascinating."
"Yeah, a real shame," Rae said. She only allowed a hint of sarcasm out. She didn't want to offend the person that was helping her. Glancing to the side she noticed that Luffy was still bugging Merissa about what she can do. Rae let a smirk out. It was a bit on the funny side if she really thought about.
"Why do you two wear the same clothes?" Luffy asked. "It's kind of hard to tell the difference between the two of you." Robin, Nami, Usopp and Brook were the only ones that were within earshot of the question.
"He does have a point," Nami pointed out. "Not about being unable to tell the difference, but why do you wear the same outfit? It's a bit on the boring side as well." Reecheru and Merissa were wearing the black pants and shirts common among ninjas in their village with the common green vest on top. Their hitai-ate were the only difference in their clothing. Merissa wore hers as a type of headband. Reecheru's was tied and tucked in a way that it covered the bun she kept her hair in for the moment.
"This is a type of uniform in our village," Merissa answered. "It's not exactly a requirement that we wear it. Mostly we wear it for travel or potentially dangerous missions. It's not only versatile, it can hold a great deal of hidden weapons without us needing to keep them all inside of our scrolls. Not to mention that it helps with our body temperature. If it's too hot we can roll up the sleeves and pants a bit. If it's too cold, like Punk Hazard's lab area, it will keep us warm for a small amount of time. At least long enough for us to get somewhere warm. Provided we stay awake for it."
"Had to get that rub in," Rae rolled her eyes. She then turned and addressed Nami. "We would change into our individualized clothing, but we left them on the boat. We have to wait until we either get to Revolutionary Head Quarters or meet up with some members of our team."
"I could loan you some money to get yourselves new clothes," Nami offered. The glint in her eye had both ninjas raising questions about the legitimacy of the offer.
"Don't do it!" Usopp called. "She'll rob you blind with her interest rates!" Robin giggled as Nami pounced on the long-nose for revealing her plan.
"It's a kind offer," Reecheru tried to appease. "It's not really needed though. What we have on is fine for now. If we can borrow a Den Den Mushi then it should get squared away in relative quick order."
Out of nowhere a den den mushi was placed in front of Rae's nose on a silver platter. Attached to the platter were a set of hands that obviously have never seen combant. Following the arms attached to the hands, Rae discovered that it was Sanji that brought the snail. "For you mademoiselle," he said smoothly.
"Thanks, I guess." Rae picked up the speaker for the snail and dialed a number. As she waited she recalled reading somewhere that Sanji only fought with his feet an not his hands. That would explain why his hands didn't show the normal signs a seasoned warriors would. Reecheru waited only a few seconds before someone answered.
"Are you calling to report? That was fast," a voice said.
"I'm probably not who you're expecting," Rae smirked. "Though it's nice of you to answer the call without yelling for once."
"RAE!? WHERE THE HECK HAVE YOU BEEN!? WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL SOONER!? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY PEOPLE WE HAVE OUT LOOKING FOR YOU TWO!?"
"That's what I'm used to," Rae commented. She had a finger in her ear as she tried to get it to stop ringing. "Calm down for a minute Ko."
"That's not my name."
"Due to circumstances beyond MY control, a certain someone who shall remain anonymous..."
"Like I don't know who you're talking about."
"Made it so that we got lost and then got involved in a mess on the island of Punk Hazard."
"You were on Punk Hazard?"
"After a load of bull and horse pocky we ended up leaving the island with the consequences of abandoning a portion of our gear. Most of it is not important..."
"Don't believe a word she says Ko!" Merissa cut in. "I had some expensive weapons among that stuff. Who's going to pay for all that?"
Rae's eyes shifted slightly to look at Merissa. A single eyebrow raised as an evil thought crossed her mind. The look, which was common when Rae had an 'inspired' idea, caused Merissa to grow silent and pay close attention. "You could always take the compensation out of the clown's hide." Merissa blinked once then pulled a kunai out. She started to make her way over to where Ceasar Clown was. She was stopped by Law standing between her and her target.
"Anyway," 'Ko' brought their attention back to the call.
"We were wondering if we can get a ship to meet us and either bring us to HQ, give us our spare clothes or give us another ship so we can get to HQ ourselves to file a report."
"That all depends on where you're heading."
"We're going to Dressrosa," Law informed the person on the other line.
"Who was that?"
"Trafalgar Law," Rae answered. "We bumped into him and the Straw Hats on Punk Hazard."
"Are you still with the Straw Hats?"
"Sure are," Luffy cut in. "I'm Luffy and I'm going to be king of the pirates."
The person on the other line laughed a little. "You sound just like the stories we've heard about you."
"There are stories going around about me?" Luffy asked.
"You're something of a legend. Especially with the way you declared war on the World Government. We really liked that piece of work."
Rae cleared her throat dramatically. "Can we get back on subject?'
"Oh, right." Ko snapped back into seriousness. "So you said you're heading to Dressrosa at the moment. How long will it take you to get there?"
"Two days," Nami answered this time. "Maybe less."
"Another of the Straw Hats? Just how many people are listening in on our conversation?"
Reecheru looked up and around. In the timespan she had been concentrating on the conversation all the crew had gathered. Though it looked like Zoro and Sanji were about to come to blows, again. "All of them," she deadpanned.
"They really are a curious bunch," Ko laughed. "Anyway, it's convenient that you're heading to Dressrosa now."
That snapped Rae and Merissa into attention. Immediately Merissa was in front of the den den mushi. "Make it unconvenient," she snapped. "We just got done with a mission. We don't need you and our former partner dragging us into any of your scams."
"I would like to say I would do that for you," Ko had a false sound of pity in her voice. "But it looks your former partner will be willing to call the boss just to get the two of you to behave and continue to Dressrosa."
"That's extortion and you know it," Rae snapped.
"How about this? You two come to Dressrosa without any more of a fuss and I'll make sure that we bring your 'fun' stuff."
Rae and Merissa were silent as they looked at each other then back to the den den mushi. "We have your word?" Merissa asked. She was giving the snail the stink eye.
"You have my promise or my name isn't Ko."
"It isn't," Rae and Merissa said in unison.
"THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU TWO! Now that we have that settled. Quit calling me Ko and I'll bring the scrolls with me."
"Fine," both women unisoned again.
"Is that all the 'thanks' I get?"
"Thank you Koala," Rae sighed. She noticed that Robin had a knowing smile on her face. That's when she remembered that she had trained at HQ for two years and already knew who they were talking to.
"I'll see you two in a few days. And Robin, make sure to check your sock drawer every morning around these two!"
"Thanks for the advice," Robin's smile grew. The den den mushi then went to sleep as Koala hung up the line.
"She doesn't let us have any fun," Merissa sighed.
"On the plus side," Rae put in. "She didn't say we had to stop all the other stuff that we pull on a regular basis."
"This is true," Merissa nodded.
Now that the interesting conversation seemed to be over, the crew went about their separate ways on the ship once again. "There's something that I'm curious about though," Rae said when the two of them were alone. "Sanji, as far as I knew, was in the kitchen working on dinner. How did he hear me when I said I needed to make a call?"
"Good question," Merissa answered.
"That's easy to answer," Chopper came up. "He claims that he can hear any woman when she needs something from a mile away. It happens a lot when Nami says she's thirsty."
"I thought you split to work in your office," Merissa smiled.
"I have a few questions about chakra from a medical stand point," Chopped said. "I was hoping that one of you could come with me to the office."
Rae looked over to Merissa. "You're the medic nin, this is your kitty."
"What's a medic nin?" Chopper asked.
"We're the first responders on the battlefield," Merissa answered. "Not only do we make for excellent ninja, but we also have the knowledge to perform emergency procedures that have saved many lives in the past. There's usually one on every three man squad."
Chopper had stars in his eyes. "So you're a doctor too?"
"I guess you could say that," Merissa said hesitantly. Chopper took hold of her hand and rushed towards his office. Merissa looked back to Rae for help, only to see her waving her hand in 'farewell'. "I can just feel the love," she muttered.
Once the two were out of sight, Rae wondered around the deck. She soon came upon Robin watering a bed of flowers. Making sure her approach was heard, Rae went up to the older woman. Robin turned slightly to see the origin of the footsteps. She wasn't surprised when she saw Rae coming up. "Do you like flowers?" she asked.
"I do," Rae admitted. "My mother has a huge garden back at the estate. Flowers surround every wall and archway. Sunflowers are prominent though."
"Which ones are your favorite flowers?" Robin inquired.
"I'm a fan of orchids and lilys," Rae answered. "Most of the time I like orchids the best. There are a few times that a favor the lily though."
"Then I'm assuming the lily is more your favorite when you're sad," Robin said. "I can see why the orchid is your favored one most of the time. It represents love, luxury, beauty and strength. Perhaps you're hoping for several of those things to come into your life?"
"And here I thought it was just really pretty," Rae laughed. Robin laughed along with her. Rae was starting to relax around the crew. Now if only they could get Merissa to do the same. Though, she had a feeling that Chopper had that one well under control.
"You said your mother had a huge garden," Robin reminded. "Did you help her tend to the flowers?"
"Not really," Rae admitted. "I was more into my training. She never pressured me to help with the flowers. She was mostly the same as I am. Being younger was meant for training and focusing our skills. When we're older we tend to find our own things to help us block out the violence of being a ninja. I've started to like being among flowers more than I used to so I imagine I'll most likely be following in her footsteps."
"So you like to look at the flowers?"
"It's a bit more in depth than that," Rae answered. "I like to be surrounded in the soothing aura of flowers while meditating or doing my katas."
"What does a kata look like?" Robin asked.
"That's a broad question," Rae pointed out. "Certain styles have certain katas. Some styles are more violent then others. I was trained in the style of the Gentle Fist."
"How does that help in a fight?" Zoro came up.
"Would you like to find out?" Rae smirked in challenge to him. "I could get some of my training in for the day and you can learn how effective a gentle fist can be." Zoro smirked at the prospect of a match. He started to take his swords from his sash. "You can use your weapons," Rae stopped him. "I'm a trained ninja after all. I'm supposed to expect to come across all manner of weaponry." The two moved away from the flowers and to the center of the deck. Zoro drew one sword as Reecheru fell into a fighting stance.
"Hey Luffy," Usopp tapped his captain's shoulder. The two of them had moved to the rail to do some fishing. "What do you think those two are up to?"
"Hmm?" Luffy looked behind him to see what Usopp was pointing at. He jumped to his feet and went to stand next to Robin. "It's a sparring match!" he yelled. "I get to take on the winner!"
A few of the crew gathered to see what all the commotion was about. When Sanji looked out the window of the kitchen to see the commotion he saw red. Zoro charged at Rae and started the attack. "Oi! Moss-head!" Sanji leapt into action to save one of their 'delicate' guests. He was about to jump down the stairs when a hand pulled him back. He looked behind to snap at whoever stopped him, but stopped short.
Merissa was standing there next to Nami and Chopper. "Just let them be," Merissa said. "She'll be just fine. It's only a friendly little match."
Not wanting to go against a woman, Sanji turned back to the fight with a growl. "Moss-head! If you hurt her I'll cook your longshanks for dinner!"
Zoro swung his sword with expert ease. He was unable to come close to hitting Reecheru, though. She dodged and ducked his attacks, not going on the offensive. He pulled out his second sword, now using the Kitetsu and Shusui. He came closer to earning a 'point' for the match, making it harder for Rae to dodge. Her movements, however, were so fluid that it was almost like trying to cut through a constantly shifting whirlpool of water.
"She looks like she's dancing," Momo commented from off to the side.
For this, Zoro had to agree with him. He'd never seen a fighter that made it look like a dance before. The moment of distraction was enough though. Rae dodged one of his attacks and in doing so got behind him. She then face palmed a spot close to where his kidneys were. The hit didn't hurt, but for some reason Zoro was sent crashing to his knees. His hands caught himself before his face hit the deck. They were shaking as if he had just gotten through fighting all day against 'Hawkeyes' himself. "What the hell?" he asked.
"My style isn't about force," Rae explained. She came up and knelt in front of Zoro. She put her hand on his shoulder, squeezing her forefinger and thumb in a pinching move. Almost instantly Zoro's shaking stopped and he was able to move again. "The body is a complex system of nerves and pumping blood vessels. Whether you're the strongest man alive or the weakest, the points are the same. The weakest man alive can take down the strongest if he's able to hit one of the weak points, or pressure points, of the body."
Zoro and Rae stood up at the same time. "That was interesting," Zoro smirked. "I'll have to train my body to be immune to that."
"That's not exactly possi..." Rae was cut off when Zoro walked away.
"We'll start daily training tomorrow morning." The crew then dispersed once again. This time it was accompanied by a snickering Merissa.
"What just happened?" Rae asked no one.