CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Kyja

"I will leave you here," Mihawk said some hours later, when they finally reached land. "No doubt you have other zings to do with your time."

"Actually," EJ said, eyeing the water. "I kind of need to be told where I am... ... ...oh no," She muttered. "Oh no, oh no, oh no...I know where I am..." She looked at Mihawk. "But, do I really have to be here?"

"You tell me." The swordsman replied. "I know nothing of your destiny, only you know that."

EJ licked her paw thoughtfully, and then hopped off of the boat. "Yes, there must be a reason why I am here, and I have to find out. Why would the closest island be this particular one, there must be someone here..." Why her, anyone but her...

"Well zen," Mihawk said, as EJ waded through the water towards the shore. "I wish you luck, EJ, or has your name changed to 'neko' now?"

EJ turned and grinned at him over her shoulder. "Nope! I'm still Emma-Jane, Princess from another world."

Mihawk nodded to show that he'd understood, and he did.

EJ watched him go, and then turned around, to see a trio of very familiar-looking boys standing there on the beach, watching her.

They looked at her black cat ears and tail, and at the crimson blade in her hand, now shining brightly, and screamed: "AAAUUURRRGGGHHH!!! BLACK CAT PIRATE!!!"

"No!" EJ cried, although she couldn't really dispute the fact that she was a black cat, and she was a pirate. "I'm not, I'm with Usopp!" She cried the first words that came to her mind. "And straw hat Luffy, and his crew!"

The Veggie Pirates exchanged glances, and then narrowed their eyes. "How do we know you're telling the truth?" Carrot asked suspiciously.

Good question. EJ thought but, before she could attempt to answer, a figure coming towards them made her stop.

It was Merry, and he looked devastated.

Oh no. EJ thought.

OoO

"She was very, very ill," Merry said, as soon as EJ had proven that she was of no threat (the fact that she'd baulked upon seeing a grieving Merry had been enough). "She had no strength left in her..."

"Usopp would be devastated if he knew," EJ said tightly. "I was hanging out with the Straw Hat Crew up until recently, and I don't know where they've gone." She looked out over the ocean, suddenly feeling the significance of the moment, but she didn't know what it was. And that was when she saw a ship, with that bow. She, Merry and the Veggie Pirates were standing on the beach (the Veggie Pirates were bawling) and EJ was looking at a shipful of people they hated, but she had walked forward a few steps, her heart began to pound, her body felt tingly like lemonade.

Still, it didn't help when the Veggie Pirates screamed: "AAAUUURRRGGGHHH!!! BLACK CAT PIRATES!!!"