First of all: I am so sorry for my long absence. A mix of reasons for that one. Mostly laziness and writers block.
On another note: THANK YOU FOR EVERYONES SUPPORT! You've all been a huge help, reading through the reviews has really helped me spark up what I need to continue.
ANWERS TO QUESTIONS! I know a lot of you have been asking when Alex is gonna meet the Whitebeard Pirates, and I can tell you that's still several chapters away. She still needs to go to Alabasta to get some answers. Also, Nopparitari: Thank you for reminding me! I had planned on having Alex start learning some of them earlier on, but completely forgot. So thank you for that!
SecretDewDrop: Yes, her picture mostly matches her appearance. Her hair is bright orange, like, hot coal orange. So keep that in mind.
I think that's it for questions... if you have any, just ask! Now on with the show! Read & Enjoy!
Sometimes, I can't figure out what's worse. The Fates screwing with me, or showing a tad bit of kindness. The first one is just annoying and often difficult, while the other is just scary and induces paranoia. However, it seems that a little good luck has come my way.
My injuries are mostly healed, but still relatively sore. It's easy to deal with, as long as I don't strain myself too much otherwise it gets a little painful to breathe and my knee starts throbbing. Luckily, I am more than accustomed to my water walking technique, and the island I'm heading to is only three days away by boat. Which means it'll be about a day and a half for me if I keep up my pace. I've got about another three hours before the island becomes visible on the horizon, and the whole way has been nothing but salty wind, splashing water and the serene silence of the ocean. I'm half-expecting to get shot at, but every time I look around there's nothing but blue.
I've forgone my zigzag pattern, going for streaks of straight-lined gliding to increase my efficiency. After all, the pattern is mainly for better control for manoeuvrability, especially for short distances and places with a bunch of turns. I kicked off the water again once I had slowed down significantly and shot forward again, the repetitive motion was soothing to my mind and I let my thoughts wander.
I honestly wonder if this is how the CP agents begin to learn their 'Moonwalk' technique. What was it called in Japanese? Shigan? No, that was the finger pistol technique. It definitely had a 'G' in it, though. Ge... Gecko… Geppo! The technique that allows you to walk on air, which would be really helpful for me, considering how often I travel, and I doubt I'll be able to rely on passing ships anymore.
Looking up at the sky, I saw some birds gliding overhead, and remembered the time I was running through the treetops and surprising the birds nesting there. Well, no time like the present right? Now, how the hell does CP9 do it?
Kicking off into the air, leaving a colossal column of water behind me, I kicked at the air and found myself upside down, and exactly where I was. I hadn't moved at all. Damn, this was harder than I thought it would be, and I didn't expect it to be easy either.
Twisting so I would land on the water feet first, I shot into the air again and this time tucked one of my legs up to my chest. Taking a deep breath, I shot my foot down faster than I could register and experienced a brief moment of the feeling of elevation before I began descending again. Quickly, I did the same with my other foot, and experienced the same sensation of that standstill moment when you've stopped ascending and you're about to start falling. I tried it again, actually paying attention this time, and found myself slowing my descent. Not actually using the Geppo but pretty close.
I used this to slowly return to the oceans ever shifting surface, and continued my high speed journey to the next island, using my log pose to make sure I'm going in the right direction. Well, while I sure as hell couldn't use Geppo properly yet, I was definitely getting somewhere. I could feel the strain on my legs beginning to set in from only those few tries, and I understood why these techniques took years to learn and master. However, as arrogant as it sounds, I had a feeling I was an exception to this.
I spent the rest of the trip contemplating learning the other Six Powers, though I swear there are seven, called the Rokushiki originally if I remember correctly. Still, they would be good abilities to learn, but unlike CP9 I wouldn't be relying on them solely. By the time I decided that it would be a good idea to learn them, the island was in sight and inclosing rapidly. With a grin half excited and half relieved, I put more effort into my kicks and shot across the water even faster, intent on finding a shower to wash off the built up grime the last day and a half from travelling and a bed to rest my aching muscles.
The port town I found, after a little bit of walking along the shore, was not what I was expecting. The majority of the town was nothing but rubble and debris and in the process of being cleaned out and rebuilt. The welcome I received was anything but welcoming, if the reaction of the townsfolk was anything to go by. They had screamed and yelled and ran away, which had been just awkward for me.
A group of men with rifles had returned a few minutes later, but I had kindly taken to waiting for them so as to avoid more panic. There were seven of them, and while six aimed their guns at me the seventh stepped forward.
"Who are you and what do you want?" he said, his voice authoritative and commanding. His clothes were tattered, but I could clearly see that it was a Navy uniform, so he must be the head of command here, or the next in the line of command, if the actual leader was dead.
"I go by Traveller, and I would appreciate rest and safety" I replied in a calm and polite tone. Best not to aggravate these people, a wounded animal is more dangerous than one unhurt.
The man's face flickered for a moment in recognition, which made me narrow my eyes. Seemingly aware of my sudden suspicion, the man ordered for his men to stand down. They did so reluctantly, and I found myself under scrutiny from the commander.
"Are you really Traveller? The one who fought those pirates a month ago?" he asked, and his men began to murmur among themselves and stare at me in surprise. I rubbed the back of my neck, uncomfortable with the attention I was getting. Hey, I've been spending the majority of my time alone, social interaction has become something near-foreign to me.
"One and the same" I gave a quick grin before looking around with a more serious expression "not to pry, but what happened here?" I asked, though it was pretty obvious what happened, but I figured it would get the soldiers to drop the stares. It did, sort of.
"Pirates" the commander said "pirates happened, the same ones that you defeated. They came here earlier and, as you can see, destroyed our home. We've rebuilt the town farther from the shoreline, but the docks have been near impossible to get to. It wasn't until recently we've received help…" he trailed off, obviously getting lost in thought if the distant look in his eyes was anything to go by. He was staring off towards the docks, and I turned to look at the ruined area.
And I saw a familiar ship.
"Well, come on. Best let everyone know you're not a threat early on. Besides, you look like you could use a good bath and a place to rest" at the grin he gave me I looked down and saw that he was right. While it wasn't immediately obvious, the layers of salt that had built up on my clothes definitely hinted at my lack of bathing. I returned the grin with one of my own and eagerly followed the group towards the back of the town.
It wasn't immediately obvious, but gradually the debris became less and less and the rubble was pushed to the side and cleaned away, leaving a clear road and damaged buildings. When the first, undamaged, building appeared I had to stop and stare because it just looked so out of place amongst the damaged town. Granted the area was much cleaner, and looked more like ancient ruins than a destroyed town. Still, I followed the Marines and watched as the place shifted from desolate destruction to tentatively inhabited, and finally to an active hive of life.
The townsfolk were understandably wary of my presence, and I managed to ignore the suspicious stares for the most part, but when I saw a familiar flash of red and a deep voice calling out instructions and orders, the world suddenly zeroed in on the one person I had wanted to see for a long time.
"Ronan!" I yelled out happily, a large smile splitting my face. The tanned man turned at his name and a matching smile bloomed on his features at the sight of me. Something inside me relaxed and uncoiled at the sight of him whole and hale. I ran through the crowd and tackled the taller man in an exuberant hug, he laughed and span around with the momentum before setting me on my feet and mussing up my already wild hair. I didn't even bother trying to swipe away his hand, I was too happy at seeing a familiar face. Looking around, I saw members of Ronan's crew and waved and hugged and laughed as I greeted them and received a warm welcome in return. Something warm filled my heart, and I felt like it could burst from the strength of the emotions I was feeling, but I didn't mind it at all. It was a good feeling and I had missed them all so much, I hadn't even realised how much I had missed them until now.
The town was quick to follow the Marines example, the women dragging me off to bathe and talk. They asked me about my travels, and Ronan and his crew, and talked about the town and the people and everything. Then I was being seated next to Ronan and eating dinner, for it had gotten dark, and talking again about my adventures and listened to Ronan and his crew as they regaled me with their own experiences since I had left. We were seated at short tables, sitting on mats and cushions, which loosely circled a blazing bomb fire with many other people eating and talking and laughing around us. And before I knew it I was in my sleeping bag and swag and sleep had taken me.
The next morning I was slow to rise, for I was sore and stiff, and the events of yesterday were slow to come to the forefront of my mind as I scanned the room I was in. It was a large one, like a town hall, and had various sleeping bags and mattresses and boxes strewn about. I could see people sleeping, some milling about and others getting ready for the day as best they could. Rubbing my eyes, I yawned and stretched like a cat, before slowly rising to my feet and grabbing some spare clothes and a towel. The way to the bathhouse was a quick one, with me remembering most of the way and receiving directions for when I couldn't recognise anything.
After a bath and a change of clothes, I wandered around a bit and watched the adults and children mingle and work and live after such a devastating attack. The kids were mostly unchanged, I noticed, and were running around and playing or helping out. While some would send wary looks towards the ocean now and then, or would go quiet suddenly, they seemed to be able to bounce back pretty quickly. The adults were similar, but the haunted looks in their eyes told me this wouldn't leave them for a while.
Eventually I made it back to the town hall, and packed away my gear and tucked it in a corner before returning to the outside. I went towards the wreckage of the town and talked quickly with the man in charge of organising the effort to clear out the debris. A minute later I was helping the people clean up their town. Lifting large wooden beams or moving large stones and rubble, and helping coordinate the distribution of workers to the places that needed the most work. Some of Ronan's crew came by and started helping out, and we struck up conversation while we worked. One young recruit called Willem, a dirty blonde boy with mismatched green and blue eyes, was asking me about my fight with the Armed Pirates, as they had been called.
"Well, then I fell to the ground and it felt like someone had shoved a hot poker through my lungs, which wasn't far off because my rib had broken and pierced my lung" I paused to lift up what had once been a wooden beam to a large building and tossed it into the large pile of other wooden pieces "Well, as you can imagine I was in a tonne of pain and the bastard was still not down…" I continued to tell the story, smiling at the amazed gasps and looks of awe that were sent my way by my fellow labourers. It had become something of a favourite for the sailors, and the children of the island. Not a full day has passed and already little kids have been crowding me begging for stories, many times I've had to stop working altogether to sit down and retell the story, and then they would ask for more.
"I see you've acquired quite the fan group" I familiar voice said once I had finished recollecting the fight to the Marines. I turned with a smile on my face to look at Ronan, then his words registered and I looked behind him to see another group of kids standing off to the side, clearly waiting for another chance to kidnap me. I shook my head and looked back to the tall redhead.
"Not my fault they have good taste" I quipped, causing him laugh and muss up my hair again. I futilely tried to swat his hand away, but still ended up with having a mess of hair. I poked my tongue at him, to which he only grinned at in reply. Evil man.
"Indeed" he chuckled and shook his head "Before I get too side-tracked, some of the women would like to talk to you in the Main Hall, you remember how to get there?" he asked, and I shrugged with a grin.
"Mostly" was my reply. He sighed and gestured for me to follow, which I did after a quick goodbye to Ronan's men. We talked a little of our journeys since parting at Logue Town, and the people we met and things like that. Soon we were at the Main Hall, and once some of the women caught sight of me I was quickly pulled away and brought into their group.
"Traveller?" one of the younger women asked. She was blonde and timid but a classical beauty. I nodded in reply and looked around at the sizeable group of females. There was a lot of murmuring for a few seconds before one of the older women put her hand up and the group was silent.
Okay… that was weird.
"We have a request to make" the commanding woman asked. She had silver hair and didn't look a day over thirty five, and possessed an air of someone used to authority and power. By the looks of the other women, I'd definitely say she was in charge.
"I'm not joining a cult!" I said immediately, raising my hands and taking a step back. The group stared at me for a long time before bursting out into rambunctious laughter. I sweat-dropped as I watched them practically fall over laughing, some leaning against each other for support and most were clutching their stomachs. I awkwardly sent a sidelong look towards the door, wondering if I could learn 'Shave' or 'Soru' this early, though I'm pretty sure I've already learned it in my own unconventional way.
"No, no, we're not here to initiate you or anything" the silver haired woman said, her voice full of mirth as she wiped away a tear "We just wanted to ask if you would be willing to watch the children for a few days, normally one of us would do it but it seems as though you would have better luck keeping them under control" she explained, amusement evident in her gaze. I turned my head slightly and coughed awkwardly into my fist, this woman is not the type of civilian I'm used to.
"Uh, sure, I guess. Where are they staying?" I asked, trying to get back to business. Though I have a feeling I will never live this down, if the giggles are anything to go by.
Ten minutes later I was standing in front of a three story building with double doors and a white picket fence surrounding it. I could hear the sounds of children beyond, and when I went around the building to check the backyard, I found at least a dozen children running around screaming and laughing. Going back to the front entrance, I wondered why I had agreed to this before opening the door and stepping into the threshold.
The volume notably increased, and the pounding of running feet added to the chaotic rhythm of the day care. Rubbing the back of my neck, I walked further into the open space, noting how it broke off to three hallways, and how noise came from each one. Left, right and straight, sound came from all directions. Shrugging, I took the left hallway and after a short walk found myself standing in a kitchen and dining room. A young woman, probably only a few years my senior, was making formula's with a deft hand at insane speeds. She had her black hair in a short ponytail that bobbed as she moved, short bangs framed a soft face and chocolate coloured eyes.
"Excuse-"
"Ah!" the young woman screamed and fumbled with the container of powdered formula she had been holding, unfortunately it fell from her hands as she tried to turn around and catch the container at once. I shot forward and caught the container before it hit the ground, and steadied the dark haired woman.
"Uh… sorry about that" I said once I was certain the woman wouldn't topple over, stepping back and placing the container on the bench. The woman placed a hand over her heart and took a deep breath, clearly calming down from her moment of panic, before smiling cheerfully at me.
"It's okay, I wasn't paying attention" she replied and stuck her hand out "I'm Amelia by the way, nice to meet you Traveller" I took her hand and shook it on autopilot as I blinked at her surprise. She seemed to sense my surprise because she laughed and explained that of course she knew about me, and had seen me helping out with clearing the rubble earlier this morning, plus the newspaper articles and all the gossip going around.
I gave a sheepish smile in return. It's hard to believe that I'm someone famous around here, even if it's only with these few islands, but it's still awkward to be recognised by so many people and yet not know them myself.
Shrugging off my maroon hoodie and placing it on the coat rack by the hallway entrance, I turned to the dark haired woman with an encouraging smile. "So, I was told my mission was crowd control?" I said jokingly, which earned a laugh out of her.
"Sort of" Amelia said, turning back to the bottles "You'll mostly be working with the older kids, but I'll need help with the younger ones during bed and feeding time" she explained, and I nodded in understanding. I've babysat my younger cousins and helped raise my nephew when my eldest sister had been having financial troubles, granted that had been a long time ago, so maybe some of the skills I picked up would be a bit rusty.
How old would my nephew be now? Six at least and probably driving his mother crazy, she would probably have a proper job now, since her son is in school she'll have time to get things sorted properly. I wonder how the others were doing, I was the runt in a litter of seven so they had all graduated and were living their own lives by the time…
I shook my head of those thoughts. That wasn't my world anymore, it wasn't home, couldn't be. I focused again on Amelia and smiled, she hadn't noticed my lapse, luckily, and was still fixing up formulas like a professional bartender would fix up drinks.
"Cool, so where would I find the wee devils?" I asked, and the young girl gave a pointed look to a glass screen door across from a wide dining area separating the kitchen from said screen door. Beyond it I could see kids as old as twelve and young as four running around and making so much noise I'm surprised I didn't notice it before. I walked over to the door and, with a fleeting look over my shoulder, opened the door and stepped outside.
"G'day kids!" I practically yelled at the top of my lungs. There was silence for a few brief seconds before excitement washed over the backyard like a tidal wave and I was surrounded on all sides by people who barely reached my chest.
"Traveller! What you doing her-"
"Tell us a story-"
"Did you really-"
"Can you show us-"
A loud whistle blew through the air, making the kids stop and quiet down. I removed my thumb and middle finger from my lips and looked down at the group. All in all it was about fifteen kids, though I wasn't really counting, and now that all of them were quiet I could actually think.
"Hello everyone. As you know, my name is Traveller and I will be watching over you while the adults work on rebuilding and salvaging what they can of your town. Now, first rule: to avoid confusion…" I looked around and picked up a stick that had been painted red "this is the 'talking stick', whoever holds it during a group conversation is the one who talks and everyone listens quietly, if you have a question you must raise your hand and wait to be given permission. Second rule: whenever I whistle like I just did, you are all to gather around me and quietly wait for instructions or whatever I have to say. Rule three: no bullying of any kind, if that happens I will put you in a box or something until you apologise. Play nice; since we're here together we don't want to make enemies. Rule number four: any other rules I make up will be reasonable and may be up for discussion. Any questions?" a number of hands rose, and I bit back a sigh. This was gonna be a long day.
"Yes, the one in the pink flower shirt" I point to the little girl, who smiled brightly up at me.
"Why are you called Traveller?" she asked, and all the kids turned their heads to stare at me expectantly. I blinked at the child, who looked around five, and then glanced around to find a spot to sit down. There was a bench under a tree with a nice patch of grass surrounding it. Gesturing for the kids to follow, I walked over and sat down on the seat and the kids huddled on the grass at my feet. Putting the designated 'talking stick' down I paused and tried to think of the best way to explain this to a bunch of children.
"Do you know what a moniker is?" when nobody answered, I continued "a moniker is like a nickname, something that everyone calls you even if they don't know you. Like… 'Whitebeard' or 'Red Haired Shanks', does that help?" at the sounds of understanding and affirmed nods, I went on "now, my moniker is Traveller, because I travel a lot, but also because people don't know my real name –no, I'm not telling you, it's secret- I move around and I don't settle, so people gave me the name that suited me. That's why I'm called Traveller" I finished, deciding not to tell them that it was my adopted parents that had given me that moniker in the first place.
"Another question?" I asked, and that's how I spent most of my day. Answering questions and telling stories, with the young kids hanging on every word. Of course I had to be vague and gloss over the harsher parts or anything that might give them nightmares, but it seemed that I was able to keep the kids entertained. During the lunch and dinner portions of the day, I had them lined up in two rows and had them marching proudly to the door to eat and drink. Nap time was a blessing; even though the older kids didn't have to sleep they would help clean things up or ask me different questions that I couldn't answer in front of the younger kids. It was fun, then the day was over and I was tucking them into bed and giving them kisses and cuddles to keep the nightmares away.
"Goodnight everyone" I called as I turned off the light, though several glow-in-the-dark stickers and a few nightlights littered the room, it was still dark enough for everyone to sleep easily.
"Goodnight!" they chorused back, and I quietly slid out and closed the door. I stayed there for a few moments, a smile on my lips as a warm feeling blossomed in my chest. Being able to say goodnight, and have someone there to reply, really was something people took for granted. I wonder what it would be like to have a family of my own, and a place to call home.
I gave a short, soundless laugh that was more a quick exhale and shook my head. There's no way that would happen. I can't imagine myself doing anything other than travelling, until my hair is grey and my feet are worn. I wouldn't mind, one day, having a family but considering my circumstances I just don't see that happening.
I turned away from the door and walked down the hall, intent on returning to my pack and swag for a good night's sleep.
There's no way I could have that kind of life.
The next few days were like that. Wake up, chat with some people, go to the day care and entertain the kids. Most of my stories were exhausted by then, but I had plenty of games from my childhood to keep them occupied. It seemed amazing to them how much I knew, and the number of games I showed them really shot their admiration levels up through the roof. Sometimes the adults, typically parents or some of the women from the group would come by and chat or check up on their kids. Other times Ronan and his group would pop by and I would have the kids playing some form of tag or another while I chatted with them.
"So, the ports opened up today" Ronan announced casually at dinner, I was seated at his right and surrounded by Marines. I blinked up at him, and the implications of those words quickly settled. They would be leaving soon, and so should I actually. I've lingered here too long, and it would be best for me to leave soon, probably tomorrow or the day after.
"I see, how long will you stay?" I asked, taking another bite of food. It had all been rationed before I even got here, but the townsfolk had emergency store rooms for situations like this, so we never felt like we were actually rationing. They simply had that much stored away.
"Another few days, a week at most, to make sure they'll be stable until another patrol comes in and then we set sail. What about you?" he asked and the table quieted considerably. I caught myself shifting uncomfortably and looked down at my plate. Why was I so nervous to speak? Was I guilty? About what?
"I plan on leaving soon, tomorrow or maybe the day after" I announced, and regretted it almost immediately. The sailors immediately protested such an early departure, but it was Ronan's thoughtful frown that caught my attention.
"You could always join us" he said quietly, but loud enough to be heard and all the Marines immediately backed up their captain.
"Right! You could still see the world like you want to"
"And it would be safer for everyone"
"I bet you could learn a lot more fighting styles sailing with us"
I reeled back at the ardour of the crewmen, surprised at just how much they wanted me to stay with them. I could tell they already had things planned in case I said yes, and the light in their eyes shone bright at the prospect of me joining them, of becoming a Marine myself. Even Ronan seemed to be excited at his men's enthusiasm, his posture changing just enough to belie his emotions right now. My throat closed with the emotion bubbling up inside my chest, and for a long moment I couldn't breathe, I could only stare at everyone in awe and poorly hidden joy.
I almost said yes.
"I can't" I said honestly "I want to, but there are things I need to do, and I can't- not until I've… when I'm done, if the offer is still open, I'll join" I smiled sadly at them, and while everyone was notably dampened by my refusal, it didn't take much for their spirits to lift again.
"Well, you better hurry up, auntie" Willem teased with a grin and a wink. I blushed and tried to scowl at the boy, but it only seemed to make the sailors laugh uproariously. The kids had started calling me auntie yesterday, it had surprised me at first but now it was simply a part of me. I responded to it like I would my name.
"Meanie" I muttered, causing everyone to fall into another round of laughter, and for the rest of dinner the subject was forgotten. We talked and joked, and I found myself losing track of time. I needed to get to bed if I wanted to wake up in time for the Day Care. Excusing myself, I rose and bid everyone a goodnight.
However, I was surprised to find that my footsteps being matched, by Ronan of all people. When I gave him a questioning look, he simply smiled. I rolled my eyes and continued on, mostly ignoring the taller male.
I didn't notice he had stopped until I was several steps ahead, and when I turned to him in question I couldn't help but be confused at the serious look on his face. The lights in the streets casted his face in shadow and light, making his features seem almost otherworldly as the shadows danced across his face.
"You know they won't ignore you forever, soon you'll have to choose a side. You can't sit on the fence for much longer" he said, his tone was stern but soft. A sense of foreboding washed over me, like a thick blanket, heavy and smothering. I felt my features melt into a blank, calm expression, an automatic response. I lowered my head in acknowledgement to his words.
"I know, but I just need a little more time" I responded calmly, and felt confusion when his look turned slightly sad.
"You may not like the price you'll have to pay for that time" he responded. I looked away, unable to handle what his eyes revealed, and turned to continue walking towards the Main Hall.
"I've already given my life, what else could they take?"
Little did I know, the Fates could take so much more.
This one is longer than usual. And it was supposed to be a happy chapter... Good? Bad? Did I miss anything? Let me know!
Again, thank you to everyone who has stuck by me for so long! R&R and a good day to you all!