"Let me believe in magic as you believe in God." ~Unknown

After Ace's personal mission to protect Minette was in the air, everything seemed to dwindle back to normal. Everyone aboard the ship seemed content with the fact that Ace was merely here to protect Minette from harm, though, Zoro seemed more content with garding the young girl from the Whitebeard pirate, also. Wherever Minette walked around, or simply whenever Ace tried speaking to her, she immediately felt his gaze on her back.

Why was he so untrusting?

Finally, after a long while of Zoro's eerie gaze and Ace's obvious discomfort from it, Minette gave up and sat down beside the swordsman.

"You're a guard dog, you know that?" Minette muttered, but couldn't hide the hint of a smile in her pout.

Zoro matted her hair, messing up her twin buns. He chuckled, "You kiddin' me? I'm a dragon."

She didn't bother with asking what a dragon was - she just assumed it was stronger than a dog - and giggled. "Hey," she swatted at his hands. "Don't do that."

"Really, Zoro?" Nami scoffed. Minette watched her walk the steps, her hands at her hips as the glared at the accused. "It takes at least an hour to brush all the knots in her hair and put it up nicely. I don't go through all the trouble to have you mess it up everyday."

"What?" Usopp stepped forward, and before Minette could do anything, his hands were scrambling her long hair too. "Like this?"

Minette laughed, rolling on the floor to get away, but Usopp only followed. Stuck in his unrelenting assault, Minette tore off his cap and goggles and messed with his curls. When both of their sides were aching from laughing so much, they laid there and stared at the sky - a giggle and chuckle escaping every once in awhile. Minette knew Usopp's hair was messed up, but her's was no longer twisted up neatly, it was tangled and knotted and messy and hanging in her face. The long strange fanned out around her head in odd angles, but Minette didn't mind as much as she should. It reminded her of someone she can't exactly recall but knew she loved with all her heart.

"Yes," Nami sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose while Zoro laughed. "Like that."

Minette sat up, giggling.

Ace raised his beer from across the deck and chuckled. "You should keep it like that."

Nami stepped forward, sitting beside Zoro and behind the young girl. "No," she smiled. "Come on Mouse. Let's fix you up."

Minette sat in Nami's lap, playing with the buttons of her overalls as Nami tried to sort out her hair. "I kinda like it messy," she smiled. "Makes me feel good here." She pointed to her chest.

"Your heart?" Chopper asked.

Minette nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Okay," Nami chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind."

As Nami messed with her hair, Usopp started one of his famous stories of his great adventures. This time, it was about an island called Fay with little to no people but swarmed with beautiful fire flies that lit the sky day and night. In Usopp's made up land of Fay, it was night time all the time, a dark overcast always looming over the sun and blocking out its light. He said it was the perfect place for the fire flies to claim as their own and as much as Minette knew it wasn't real, she wanted it to be.

"Long ivy vines," Usopp described. "Climbed the hundred foot trees. Fields of nyon red, purple, blue - every color imaginable - littered the forest, glowing from a special algae in the pond water. The sky was always dark which amplified their colors even more. It was a word of flourishing life and beautiful, uncharted ecosystems."

Minette hung onto his every word as Nami pulled at her hair, but then rolled her eyes when the climax of the story came crashing in. Defeating giant fairies was Usopp's great adventure on Fay Island.

"Yeah, okay," Nami snorted, not buying an ounce of his tale.

"Just you watch, Nami!" Usopp stated, "One day, you're gonna be in trouble and begging for my help."

"Whatever." Nami pulled Minette's hair one last time. Reaching a hand to Usopp, Nami chuckled. "You can save me the trouble of standing. Got a rubber band?"

Minette giggled as Usopp went digging in his bag - pouting and muttering about the lack of appreciation he gets.

"Here." He handed Nami a band and seemed over his sour mood when he saw what she was doing with Minette's hair. "That's not too bad."

Minette sat still as Nami wrapped the band around the ball of hair atop her head. She smiled, excited to see what Nami's accomplished.

"Oh," Ace hummed. Minette watched him search the many pockets in his shorts. He was closer now, joined in the ring of crew members to listen to Usopp's story. He was sitting on the other side of Chopper, and found what he was looking for.

"When I was sent off," he said, "I was told to give you this." He handed Minette a bright red cloth rolled into a thin line.

"What is it?" Minette questioned.

Nami took it from her hands. "It's a bandanna. It goes in your hair." Immediately, the navigator wrapped it around Minette's head, behind her ears, and tied it off at the left side.

"Why does she need it?" Zoro asked, watching Ace with suspicious eyes.

"It's not just an accessory," Ace assured. "It's a Life Line."

"Life Line?" Chopper echoed.

Luffy snored behind the group huddle - having fallen asleep since Usopp's story didn't start with intense action and fighting.

"That's right," Ace nodded. "Life Lines come in different shapes and forms and are worn on the body in obvious places - this one just happens to be a bandanna. What they do is flash colors when the person wearing is it badly hurt, too overwhelmed in a fight, or in distress. What's so great about Life Lines is that only the people the one wearing it trusts with their lives can see it flashing so the attacking enemy doesn't know."

Sanji and Vivi walked in on the group with more snacks and a map. Vivi sat beside Nami and Minette. She frowned, "Life Line? I've studied these types of things before but never heard of this."

"That's because they're an... underground type of concept."

"They're illegal," Sanji's question sounded more like a statement.

"Very," Ace nodded. "Life Lines were made by Casters before they were all killed for witchcraft by the World Government. Just the idea of hexing anything nowadays is frowned upon. Whitebeard had the last Life Line in the world and now, he's given it to you, Mouse."

Millions of questions raced Minette's mind such as what Casters were; what witchcraft is; and why hexing sounded familiar; but all she could say was: "Why me?"

Ace shrugged. "I'm not sure, but the old man said you are a very important person in this world, and as hard headed as he can be, he's usually right about these things."

Minette hummed in thought, lost in the possible outcomes this simple bandanna can give her. She almost didn't want to wear it after Ace said how valuable - not to mention illegal - it was. And if anything, she shouldn't be the one to wear it. She is strong, unable to die, and gets hurt all the time - she'll last in a fight but Nami and Usopp… they weren't that strong, not yet at least. The idea of their lives in danger was more scary than her own being threatened - pulse, doesn't wearing this mean she's weak, in a way - that she needs outside help constantly. If this flashes when she's distressed - feeling down or sad - outside of a fight then there's no possible way she'd been seen as a capable fighter among the crew. So it's decided, she'll wear it while Ace is around, but once they save Vivi's country, Minette's taking it off and merely guarding it from being stolen.

I'm not weak.

"Pulse," Ace smiled with a shrug. "It's cute."

"Watch it." Zoro growled and Minette giggled, her mood changing.

Standing, she raised to the wash room to see Nami's hard work. A smile broke across her freckled cheeks and lit her grey eyes when she found her messy hair pulled into a loose bun - strands sticking this way and that, her fringe hanging in front of her ears. Then there was the red bandanna that wrapped under and around her head. The tightened knot to the side and extra ends sticking up like a bow. With her overalls, darkened skin from the sun, and her new hairstyle, she looked like a completely different person compared to a few months back. Not to mention, she looked nothing like the monster hidden deep inside.

"How do you like it?" Nami called.

Running back to the deck, Minette plopped into Zoro's lap.

Zoro laughed, "Easy on the gravity, Shrimp."

She only smiled to Nami. "It's so cool."

"Glad to hear."

Vivi took over the conversation now, displaying the map she held in the center of the group. "Back to business," she sighed and pointed at the map. "See here? We've just entered the Sandora River. First, we'll land at Erumalu, then head to the interior of Alabasta to reach Yuba, here." Her finger stopped its path along the page. "The leader of the rebel army is in Yuba."

Minette honestly didn't know how to ready a map - she only saw scribbled lines whenever Nami tried to show her the progress she's made on her dream.

"I see," Ace nodded. "So you're heading to Yuba next."

"Anyway," Nami smiled, "since it seems like you're here to protect Mouse for the time being, you'll be riding along with us for a while."

"I'm one hundred percent cool with Luffy's brother tagging along!" Usopp cheered.

"Yeah!" Chopper laughed.

Everyone - but the still snoring Luffy - raised their cups, hitting each others around the cluster and held the atmosphere light and welcoming. Zoro finally seemed to get over himself about Ace and actually laughed along - which Minette was happy about.

When everyone settled in, and were fine with the plan Vivi explained, everyone did their own thing. Usopp woke Luffy and headed to the kitchen with Sanji and Ace; Nami and Vivi went back to their room to discuss what type of terrain they'll be going through to get to Alabasta; and Zoro, Chopper, and Minette stayed on deck. Chopper was relaxing in the sun, but only because there was a strong sea breeze, all the while Zoro was doing pushups with Minette purchased on his back.

There wasn't really anything to do but to wait until they reached land again - which both Nami and Minette assured everyone they would before the sun set. Minette, as weird as it sounds, enjoyed working out with Zoro to pass the time. She sat on his shoulders as he ran up and down the stairs, and did lunges; she hugged around his chest and wrapped her legs around his waist as he did pull ups; she even served as a weight as he razed her above his head and lowered her back down to his chest in a continuous loop. Working out with Zoro was amusing and definitely fun.

When Zoro switched his normal push up to a one handed, she shuffled around until she was laying down facing the sky, her hands behind her head - in between his shoulder blades - and her legs resting long his, Minette closed her eyes, finding comfort in the smooth rhythm of Zoro's push ups.

Then, in the silence, she said: "Do you think it works?"

"What works?" Zoro grunted.

"The bandanna."

"I don't - believe in - hexing." Each pause he grunted, then switched hands.

"No?"

"No."

Minette frowned, then looked to the calm reindeer. "What about you, Chopper?"

Chopper sighed, his content smile still there, his eyes still closed. "In some places, medicine is considered witchcraft."

"So, yes?"

Chopper shifted onto his elbows, looking at the sparkling water. "Hard to say."

"But do you think this does what Ace says it does?"

Chopper moved his gaze to Minette, analyzing the bandana for a minute then laid back down. He closed his eyes again. "Hard to say."

Minette groaned, not happy with their answers at all. But she moved on - after all, she'll probably find out as soon as they reach land.